I got my current horse a few months back. When he came to me he was beiong ridden in a happy mouth snaffle. He was playing with this bit like mad and as I'm not a fan of them either I changed him to a loose ring snaffle. This seemed to go really well he settled down with the playing and responds really well to it. Anyway within a few weeks he came down with a bit of a cold/virus whcih consisted of a cough and a runny nose. The cough was only apparent after he'd been running around or during exercise. The runny nose was gone within a week but the cough still lingers on a good three months later. I've had the vet out she felt it was just an upper respiratory irritation and prescribed some anti-inflammtories. These made no difference and I've also tried a number of herbal remedies to no avail. Otherwise he is the picture of perfect health and the cough was only apparent when he was being ridden. He'd have a cough and toss his head around a bit then settle down and be fine. It's a dry type cough.
Anyway the last few days I've tried different things on the lunge and under saddle thinking perhaps he wasn't warmed up enough and have come to realise he is only coughing when the bit is in his mouth and he is playing with it like mad . I've even tried a little bit of cod liver oil straight in his mouth to lubricate everything in there, made no difference.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
My next step of course would be to try another bit, but before I do I wanted to see if anybody else has ever experienced this before? I've worked with hundreds of horses and never seen or heard of anything like it. His teeth are in good order too! I guess my next step would either be to try the happy mouth bit again or go for a french link snaffle to see if it stopped annoying him. Any ideas or experiences are greatly appreciated
I'd want a thorough exam of his mouth cavity, sinuses and guttural pouches if necessary. If you are saying that he is being exercised without the bit and there is no cough, then it is possible that the effects of the bit on his tongue are aggravating a condition in his throat.
If, for example, he has an ongoing sinus condition, exercise might increase the drainage into his throat, and while normally (bitless) he could just swallow the drainage, the effects of the bit on his ability to use his tongue to swallow could lead to his coughing if secretions are being aspirated into the larynx.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com You could try riding him in a bitless bridle as well, which allows freedom of the tongue and better swallowing ability. If he still coughs, then it probably is something else.
It is also possible that he has a foreign object embedded in the throat. At any rate, I'd want the vet to take another look, rule out any conditions in the mouth or nasal cavities, and just go from there. It is possible that there is airway disease developing, but it's too soon to assume that.
In the meantime try riding bitless if you have that option, just to see how it goes.
Try a basal and see if this make a difference or ride him in a halter my horses don't do that and none of my friends horses do either i hope yours gets better.
It's called bosal .. or hackamore.
Have another vet out.
My horse has exercise-induced coughing - mild small airway disease.
My vet injected him with an anti-inflammatory shot and gave me albuterol tablets to give him in his feed. All of his grain is soaked, and his hay is with shaken out or soaked. His coughing is not an issue anymore.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
So have another vet out and ask them about the anti-inflammatory steroid and albuterol tablets. Make sure they are checking his heart rate, and have them do a breathing test (they pinch the horse's nose so that breathing is restricted for like 15 seconds, and then they release, causing the horse to breathe deeply so they can see if the horse is wheezing/having difficulty catching its breath).
Good luck, I hope you get to the bottom of it. I do not think a bit could cause a horse to cough.
HEAVES - while the bit is in the mouth, he is exercising,, making the lungs work, causing the cough.
It sounds like a mild case now, but could develop into bigger problems, read up on heaves, there are things you can do to lesson or slow down the progression of the disease.
I would say it is a lung problem and not a bit problem!!!
Maybe it would help if you are doing the feeding that you get his feed damp before he is fed. And never leave any damp hay in the manger it could go moldy and make his problem worse. Any dust that he inhales will cause more coughing.
Try taking him out well after a feed and don't give any treats before setting off. My horse was coughing every time we got into trot and I couldn't understand why. I stopped the "good boy" treats for standing still for me (long story) when I mounted. The cough stopped just like magic and hasn't occurred since.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Yours could possibly have a piece of food in his neck which he hasn't swallowed properly. I hardly think it's a bitting problem.
