The average horse’s heart is what

Name 2 major organs that form part

percentage of it’s total body
of the circulatory system
weight?

Heart & spleen

1%

Draft breeds hearts are smaller than

Name one breed that typically has a
1% of their bodyweight – what do
heart larger than 1% of it’s
there hearts typically weigh? (as a %
bodyweight
of bodyweight)

Thoroughbred
0.6%

Which famous racehorse had a heart

that weighed 13.6 pounds?
Roughly how many litres of blood
does the average 500 kg horse have?
Phar Lap
40
(average size is 8 – 10 pounds / 4kg)

The heart has 2 different types of Which chambers of the heart are at
chambers – what are they called? the top?

Ventricles & atrium (atria) Atria

 Give 3 functions of the circulatory
system:
Which chambers of the heart are at
the bottom?
Transport blood; transport nutrients &
hormones, carry O2 to cells and CO2
Ventricles
away, remove waste products,
thermoregulation, transport lymph....

Which chamber of the heart does Which chamber of the heart does
oxygenated blood flow into from the deoxygenated blood from the body
lungs? enter?

Left atrium Right atrium

Name 3 components of blood: Which blood cells carry oxygen around

the body?
White blood cells, red blood cells,
plasma, lymph fluid Red blood cells

White blood cells are used to fight Name 4 types of blood vessel:
what?
Arteries, veins, capillaries, arterioles,
Infection venules
How does the spleen help to improve
As well as releasing new RBCs into the
the horses stamina & speed?
blood, what else does the spleen do?
Releases RBC’s into the blood during
Removes damaged RBCs
exercise to carry extra O2

Which part of the horse’s hoof could

be considered part of the circulatory
Which other systems does the
system?
circulatory system work closely with?
The frog – it acts as a pump to push
Respiratory & lymphatic
blood out of the digital cushion & up
the leg every time it hits the floor

The horses heart rate can get up to

What is the horse’s average resting
how many bpm when galloping?
heart beat?

28 – 44 bpm
240

What is arterial hypoxia?

The blood leaving the lungs is not What other name are RBCs known by?
carrying enough O2 to meet the
horse’s energy requirements (most Erythrocytes
commonly when galloping for long
periods)
What other name are white blood cells
Where are RBCs produced?
known by?
In the bone marrow
Leukocytes

What does oxygen bind to within the What is plasma?

RBCs?
Straw coloured fluid that blood cells
Haemoglobin are suspended in

Apart from water, what does plasma

Roughly what % of plasma is water? contain?

92% Proteins, immunoglobulins &

electrolytes

What are the key functions of plasma?

What is the name of the protein in
plasma that helps with clotting?
Remove waste products;
thermoregulation; aids clotting; fights
Fibrinogen
infection (immunoglobulins);
What does the water in plasma do?
What is the normal heart rate of a
newborn foal?
Provides blood volume; keeps blood
vessels filled which keeps blood &
80 - 120 bmp
nutrients flowing properly

Name 4 things that can increase the

If doing a capillary refill test on a
heart rate:
horse, within how many seconds
should the gums return to a normal
Exercise, illness, infection, stress,
colour?
excitement, over-heating,
dehydration, severe blood loss, heart /
2
lung disease, shock

A horse with a significantly lower than

normal heartbeat might be suffering
What might dark red gums indicate?
from what?
Poisoning or dehydration
Heart disease, pressure on the brain or
circulatory issues

What might a horse not have enough of Which organ of the horse’s body might
in its blood if its gums are pale gray or be diseased if the horses gums are a
bluish in colour? yellowy-brown colour?

Oxygen Liver
Horse’s gums can sometimes appear to
What colour might the horse’s gums be
have a bright yellow tinge if they have
if it is suffering from anaemia, fever or
been eating what?
shock?
High levels of beta carotene – found in
Very pale pink
things like carrots & alfalfa

The wall of the heart consists of 3
layers – what are they?
Epicardium (external). myocardium
(middle), endocardium (inner)
Which layer of the heart wall is made
up of muscle & is responsible for the
pumping action of the heart?
Myocardium

Which blood vessel/s carry

What is the name of the valve that
deoxygenated blood from the body
blood passes through between the
into the heart?
right atrium & right ventricle?
Posterior (inferior) & Anterior
Tricuspid valve
(superior) Vena Cava

Which is the only artery to carry Which is the only vein to carry
deoxygenated blood? oxygenated blood?

Pulmonary artery Pulmonary vein

Do arteries carry blood towards or Do veins carry blood towards or away
away from the heart? from the heart?

Away Towards

What type of valve is between the left What is the name of the valve that
atrium & left ventricle – bicuspid or separates the left ventricle from the
tricuspid? aorta?

Bicuspid Aortic semi-lunar valve

What is the name of the major artery

What is the name of the largest vein in
that carries blood from the heart to
the body?
the body?
Vena Cava
Aorta

The superior Vena Cava carries blood The inferior vena cava carries blood to
to the heart from which parts of the the heart from which parts of the
body? body?

forehand Abdominal area & hindquarters

Sudden death syndrome in Racehorses
is known as what syndrome? What is “Cardiomegaly”?

Swale Syndrome (often mistakenly put Enlarged heart

down to a heart attack)

Any sound within the cardiac cycle

Give 3 causes of heart murmers in
that should not normally be there is
horses:
known as what?
Leaky valves, heart defects, anaemia
A heart murmer

Which part of the heart is inflamed in Which part of the heart is inflamed in
“Endocarditis”? “Pericarditis”?

Inner heart lining / valves The sac surrounding the heart

What is the name of the valve

Which part of the heart is inflamed in
between the left atrium and the left
“Myocarditis”?
ventricle of the heart?
The heart muscle
Mitral Valve
What are the 2 phases of the
heartbeat known as?
Systole (contraction) & diastole
(relaxation)
What is the most noticeable / common
sign of atrial fibrillation?
Poor performance
What is the name of the valve that
blood passes through from the right
ventricle to the pulmonary vein?
Pulmonary semi-lunar valve
The blood vessels that carry blood
around the body are known as the
what system?
Systemic Circulatory System
What is the most common cause of an
abnormal heart rhythm in horses?
Atrial fibrillation
What external structure of the heart
contains the coronary blood vessels &
marks the separation of the atria &
ventricles?
Coronary groove
What is the membrane called that
surrounds & protects the heart?
Pericardium
The blood vessels that carry blood
between the heart & lungs are known
as the what system?
Pulmonary circulatory system
Beginning with ‘P’ – which cell-like
particles, produced in the bone
marrow, help form blood clots?
Platelets
What is PRP & what is it used for?
Platelet-rich-plasma ... used for
treating joint, bursae & soft-tissue
injuries

Which artery on the horse’s head is

Bluish or purplish discolouration of the
most commonly used to take the
mucous membranes is called what?
pulse?
Cyanosis (horse is cyanotic)
Facial (mandibular) artery

What is the name of the major artery Which major artery runs alongside the
of the hindquarters? jugular vein?

Femoral Carotid

The Hepatic Portal Vein moves blood

Which artery is used to find the digital
from the spleen & gastrointestinal
pulse?
tract to which major organ?
Palmar Digital Artery
Liver