Endoscopic evaluation of Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage in Polo Ponies

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to determine the presence of Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH) by endoscopic examination in polo ponie after competition. Thirty nine polo horses in training were used in this study. The animal were classified by the number of polo seasons they had played (two seasons and three or more) and by sex independently of the number of seasons played. An endoscopic evaluation of the respiratory system was carried out 2 to 4 hours after exercise in all horses. All animals with blood in the upper respiratory tract were considered to be positive. The data obtained were analyzed through a model of association and independence of X², with a level of significance p<0.05. The results obtained showed that 46% of the animals were positive for EIPH and in terms of sex, 63.6% of the males and 39.2% of the females were positive. The individuals with three or more seasons and two seasons were 60% and 31.5% positive, respectively. The statistical analyses showed no significance between EIPH number of polo seasons and sex in the polo pony (p<0.05).