# Roaring?



## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

I took my rescue mare down to my trainer for the first time today and she mentioned to me that it sounds like she roars. I had heard of this before, but never experienced a horse with it. I honestly thought she was breathing like that because she is out of shape...

She was doing it at the trot tonight off and on and not much at the walk. I have heard her do it on longer trail rides but once again thought maybe she was just out of shape. It doesn't seem to bother her at all, she still pretty spunky when being ridden. She also does not make this noise at all while lunging. 

Could this really be roaring since its only after being ridden after long periods of time or when being "worked." She does not act really fatigued or out of breath, but she does have the typical build for this condition it sounds like.

Anybody have a horse that roars and still ride, work, and show it?


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## Hunter (Oct 9, 2009)

QHDragon said:


> I took my rescue mare down to my trainer for the first time today and she mentioned to me that it sounds like she roars. I had heard of this before, but never experienced a horse with it. I honestly thought she was breathing like that because she is out of shape...
> 
> She was doing it at the trot tonight off and on and not much at the walk. I have heard her do it on longer trail rides but once again thought maybe she was just out of shape. It doesn't seem to bother her at all, she still pretty spunky when being ridden. She also does not make this noise at all while lunging.
> 
> ...


Hmm.. haha This isn't really related to your question, but if you dont mind me asking, whats roaring, Ive never heard of it, but i might have expirenced it before.. haha


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## heyycutter (Sep 26, 2009)

my horse ( hes an ex stallion) he makes sounds that kind of sound like roars, its like low snarling kinda. maybe its the same sound?


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Is she breathing hard out or in? If she's just making the sound breathing out, it's simply her nostrils vibrating. My horse sounds like a freight train when he gets going, but it's just vibration. If she does have a paralyzed flap obstructing her airway, it will happen when she trying to get oxygen into her lungs and she will tire quickly. It's usually not a problem unless you're going some serious cross country or racing type sport.


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## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

I would say that it is on the in-hail and is a very hallow sounding noise. She does not act out of breath (no nostrils flaring) or slowed down by it at all. She's only going to be used for flat classes.

Noisy Breathers - Recognizing Respiratory Noises in Horses this is the article I found, really explains it well for those of you wondering what it is.


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

We have a few cats at the rescue I work at that make a simmilar noise. Forget what its called but for cats it can lead to an infection, is chronic and wont go away. 

I would talk to your vet about it. It could be as simple as a paralyzed flap or it could be something else abnormal (maybe a birth defect.)


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

If she is a roarer she'll be fine for flat classes and trail riding. The technical term is "Left Laryngeal Hemiplegia". Here are a couple of websites with some info, but basically part of her larynx is paralyzed so it is pulled across the opening as she breathes. There are a couple of mechanical "fixes" and they can even do a surgery to fix it. I believe they have to endoscope to get an actual diagnoses so it may be a bit expensive.

If she's not a roarer though you may have a different problem on your hands, so it's probably a good idea to get a vet out to rule out anything else. 

Halfway down a good pic of what it looks like
Google Image Result for http://markjohnston.webalistic.co.uk/files/vet_2008_october_07.jpg

Laryngeal Hemiplegia - The Merck Veterinary Manual

LARYNGEAL HEMIPLEGIA


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## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

I am going to have the vet out to do shots, coggins, etc, so I will ask him about it, but I don't see any point of having her scoped since I can't afford the surgery to fix it.


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## GiddyUp4Fun (May 16, 2009)

I own a horse the has Laryngeal Hemiplegia, he was a roarer for years, but I thought he had heaves because of the coughing that went with it. We did a lot of riding and over the years he has gotten worse, he is now 16 and I had him scoped about 2 years ago (which ran about $230) after a yearly trail ride we always go to, we were about 10 minutes into the ride and he started showing severe respiratory distress, so I turned around and went back to campsite. He is now to have no exercise because he is at the highest level of paralysis and the surgery will run between $1650 and $2050, very costly. Hope all works out for her, crossing my fingers that it's not Laryngeal Hemiplegia.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

Wow, learn something new every day :shock:
I assumed it was a roar like a lion but one site says "...high-pitched, wheezy noise called "roaring" is by far the most common. You hear this sound when the horse breathes in, generally at the canter or gallop, when he's drawing deep breaths. The more severely the airway is obstructed, the more high-pitched and whistling the noise. In some cases the noise worsens (or appears) only when he's flexed at the poll because in that position his airway is further restricted (think of a kink in a hose)." full article here
Be sure to let us know what the vet says.


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## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

Well vet has been put off for a bit because of some medical problems I am having currently. Since she isn't being ridden I am not too worried about it right now. Hopefully at her age her problem is as far as it will go, but I dunno.


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## Kansasbarrelracer (Sep 30, 2009)

My mare sky sometimes sounds like she is "roaring" her's is hard to describe. Her's sounds kind of demented, it scares me when I hear her doing it out in the pasture


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