AVA Conference Adelaide 2016

Horses are frequently presented for the investigation of poor athletic performance. However, this may present a diagnostic challenge to the veterinarian since many abnormalities are not immediately obvious on a resting examination. Indeed, there are many problems that the horse can cope with at low levels of competition but become manifest when athletic demands are increased. Clinical exercise testing is therefore frequently required in order to make a definitive diagnosis in horses presenting with exercise intolerance or poor athletic performance. It should be noted that poor performance is frequently multifactorial and hence a thorough investigation of each body system is warranted. This presentation will discuss the possible causes of poor performance and describe the diagnostic investigations that may be performed