How does COPD affect you riding?

I have the vet coming out tomorrow morning, the people I got Annie from had a human inhaler and a childrens size spacer... I have no chance of getting that to work!

When I walk her I am aware of her breathing.. but what do I need to take into consideration when exercising/riding her? It's all a bit strange because you wouldn't know anything was wrong when she was walked/trotted/ cantered before my eyes and she hadn't been warmed up as we got there before the seller.

I am so scared the vet may say she can't be ridden... :(
 
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my mare has COPD. yes, you do need to take it into consideration when exercising. avoid using a dry, dusty school and allow yourself a lot more time to warm up. do lots of walking. i used to use a gold label nose balm, which is all natural and acts as a breathing aid, or try making your own with aloe vera gel and essential oils :) good luck with the vet.
 
you need to be aware that in canter they can only take one breath per stride. With a horse that has limited respiration already, you need to be careful that you don't ask them to canter for too long, and give them appropriate time to recover afterwards.
 
If your horse wasn't coughing when you went to try her and you are certain that she wasn't warmed up earlier on then it may be something in the way you are managing her or possibly something nearby that has triggered it. The thing to remember when you have a copd horse as someone else has said warm up slowly and make sure that you exercise very reguarly.
 
Annie has been ridden today...

I tacked her up and she coughed...but then walked her in hand, followed by some trotting... not a cough at all.

My friend rode her and cantered her plenty, and she didn't cough once until she managed to snach some grass then she coughed. It seems to me that she only coughs now and again mainly after food, but it is a loud cough.

Fingers crossed with the vet coming in the morning!
 
mmm - should comment that my little cob chap would sometimes cough if I was asking him to school - but as soon as you put a jump or something interesting in front of him, he stopped.

Not sure whether this was purely a physical response - adrenalin etc helping the blood flow. Or whether he learnt that coughing meant I gave him an easier time :rolleyes:

And our Fell who definately does NOT have COPD, has been on dust-free since we got him at 4 cos of his pal, and is now 17, often "clears his throat" on his first trot...
 
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