Background Fungi contribute to the inflammatory response of lungs in horses with recurrent airway obstruction and in some forms of asthma in humans. The role of fungi in inflammatory airway disease (IAD) has not been assessed. Objectives Evaluate the prevalence of fungi in the respiratory samples of horses diagnosed with IAD, describe clinical signs associated with the presence of fungi in respiratory samples, and assess the risk factors associated with IAD and with the presence of fungi in the airways. Animals Seven‐hundred thirty‐one active horses referred to a specialized ambulatory practice for signs of respiratory disease or poor performance. Methods A prospective observational study was performed, collecting clinical data, environmental conditions, and results of a tracheal wash (TW; cytology, fungal culture, and bacterial culture), and bronchoalveolar lavage (cytology). Results A positive fungal culture was obtained in 55% (402/731) of horses. Horses with fungal elements observed on the TW cytology had 2 times greater chance of having IAD than horses without fungi (odds ratio [OR] = 2.1; 95% CI 1.08‐3.33; P = .0003). Risks of being diagnosed with IAD and likelihood of fungi in TW were higher when horses were bedded on straw (OR = 2.0; 95% CI 1.2‐3.2 and OR = 1.9; 95% CI 1.3‐2.6, respectively) or fed dry hay (OR = 2.7; 95% CI 1.7‐4.4 and OR = 2.6; 95% CI 1.6‐3.4, respectively). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Horses inhaling aerosolized fungal particles are at a significantly higher risk of developing IAD. The type of bedding and forage represent significant risk factors for IAD and fungal contamination of equine airways.

Summary: Background: Cardiac arrhythmias in exercising horses are the focus of much interest, both in terms of what is considered normal and potential associations with poor performance and sudden cardiac death. One barrier to performing large‐scale studies is the lack of an easily applicable device, to allow recording of large numbers of high‐quality exercising electrocardiograms (ECGs). The Equimetre^TM is a new wearable device, which records a single lead ECG, among other parameters. Validation of such wearable devices is essential before further studies are undertaken.Objectives: To evaluate the quality of ECG using the Equimetre^TM and compare arrhythmia detection during exercise with the reference Televet^TM system.Study design: Prospective blinded clinical study.Methods: Simultaneous ECGs were recorded with both systems in 49 healthy horses during exercise. High‐intensity exercise (>40 km/h) was performed by 29 racehorses, and lower‐intensity exercise for the remainder of the racehorses and show jumpers. Tracings were excluded if >10% artefact was present (duration of artefact relative to duration of exercise). For included ECGs, the duration of artefact was recorded and compared. ECGs were evaluated using Kubios premium software. Arrhythmia detection (yes/no) and arrhythmia classification (sinus arrhythmia, narrow complex of similar morphology to the sinus complexes or wide complex with a different morphology) were compared using Cohen's Kappa coefficient.Results: Nine Televet^TM ECGs and 3 Equimetre^TM ECGs were excluded due to artefact >10%. Televet^TM ECGs included significantly more artefact during exercise than Equimetre^TM ECGs (5% vs. 0.25% P < .001). Arrhythmia analysis was performed on 38 horses’ paired ECGs. The kappa coefficient was excellent for arrhythmia detection (K = 0.97) and arrhythmia classification (K = 0.93).Main limitations: Relatively low numbers of horses with arrhythmias (n = 21) were included. The ECG recordings only provided one lead, making arrhythmia classification challenging in some cases.Conclusions: The Equimetre device provides a reliable ECG for arrhythmia detection during exercise. This system may be useful clinically and for future large‐scale investigations into the occurrence and significance of exercising arrhythmias.

The adoption of fitness tracker devices to monitor training in the equine market is in full expansion. However, the validity of most of these devices has not been assessed. The aim of this study was to examine the validity of heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) measurements during high-intensity exercise by an integrated equine fitness tracker with an electrocardiogram (ECG) (Equimetre) in comparison to an ECG device (Televet). Twenty Thoroughbred racehorses were equipped with the two devices and completed a training session at the track. Data from 18 horses was readable to be analysed. Equimetre HR was compared to Televet HR derived from the corrected Televet ECG. HRV parameters were computed in a dedicated software (Kubios) on uncorrected and manually corrected ECG from both devices, and compared to the Televet corrected data. The HR was recorded on the entire training session and HRV parameters were calculated during the exercise and recovery periods. A strong correlation between the Equimetre HR and Televet HR on corrected data was found (Pearson correlation: r=0.992, P<0.001; root mean square error = 4.06 bpm). For HRV, the correlation was good for all parameters when comparing corrected Equimetre to corrected Televet data (Lin’s coefficient = 0.998). When comparing data obtained from uncorrected Equimetre data to the corrected Televet data, the correlation for HR was still good (Lin’s coefficient = 0.995) but the correlation for all HRV parameters was poor, except for the triangular index (Lin’s coefficient = 0.995). However, correlation between the uncorrected Televet HRV data and the corrected Televet data was equally poor (Lin’s coefficient <0.9). In conclusion, the integrated equine fitness tracker Equimetre satisfies validity criteria for HR monitoring in horses during high intensity exercise. When using corrected ECG data, it provides accurate HRV parameters as well.

Background: Gastric disease is highly prevalent in sport horses and may lead to poor performance, cause behavioral changes and impact welfare. Hypothesis: Assess whether diet affects gastric disease and pain expression during riding, and whether it has an impact on physiological and locomotor variables during an exercise test, including jumps. Animals: Nine healthy show-jumping Warmbloods trained at the same stable. Methods: Prospective observational cohort study. The horses receiving a pelleted diet, high in sugar and starch (>30%), were examined at T0 and after 12 weeks (T12) of changing to a cooked, muesli-type low-starch (11%) diet. Each time, the horses underwent a standardized exercise test (SET) and a ridden pain score (Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram [RHpE]) was calculated by 2 blinded observers. The next day, horses underwent gastroscopy and gastric lesions were scored blindly. Results were analyzed using Wilcoxon and Spearman tests. Results: After 12 weeks of a low starch diet, the Equine Gastric Disease (EGD; 4 [3–5] at T0 vs 1 [0-1] at T12, P < .01) and RHpE scores (6 [3–13] at T0 vs 3 [0-6] at T12, P < .01) improved significantly. Squamous, glandular, and EGD scores were positively correlated with RHpE scores (respectively, r = .747, P < .01; r = .743, P < .01 and r = .867, P < .01). Conclusion and Clinical Importance: Gastric disease and pain scores correlated positively in ridden horses. A low starch diet significantly decreases the severity of gastric disease and associated pain score during riding in horses. Gastric ulcers may be mitigated and the comfort of equines athletes improved by dietary adjustments.