Bleeder

The word “bleeder” is used to describe a horse that bleeds from the nostrils during or after a period of hard work. This can be frightening for any horse owner, especially those who have never had a bleeder horse or heard of one before. The amount of blood varies a great deal from case to case, from just a small amount to a gushing of blood that may be life threatening.

Symptoms and Types

• Blood in one or both nostrils

Causes

• Bleeding from the lung (pulmonary hemorrhage) due to exhaustive work or exercise
• Ethmoid Hematoma (a growth in the back of the nose)
• An infection in the guttural pouch (air-filled pouch in the auditory pouch)

Diagnosis

Tests will be run to see if there is a problem with the heart (which can lead to bleeding) and if not, what the source of the bleeding is.