The tragic collapse and death of American thoroughbred racehorse Practical Move after a morning gallop in October 2023, suspected to be caused by sudden cardiac death, highlights a crucial link between animal and human health. This echoes the harrowing experience of footballer Fabrice Muamba, who collapsed during an FA Cup match in 2012 due to sudden cardiac arrest. Muamba’s survival, thanks to rapid defibrillation and an implanted device, and Christian Eriksen’s collapse during Euro 2020, brought such incidents into sharp focus. However, these high-profile cases represent only a fraction of the cardiac events occurring in both humans and animals, often without the same level of attention or explanation.
The Undervalued Potential of Equine Research
Horses, like humans, are susceptible to various heart conditions, including arrhythmias and sudden cardiac arrest. Their athletic prowess pushes their cardiovascular systems to the absolute limit, making them a valuable, yet often overlooked, model for understanding cardiac function under extreme physical stress. This is where the “One Health, One Medicine” approach becomes vital. This concept promotes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, advocating for collaborative efforts between doctors, veterinarians, scientists, policymakers, and environmental experts to address shared health challenges. While often associated with infectious diseases, One Health is equally crucial for tackling non-communicable diseases, the leading cause of death and disability globally.
The core principle of One Health is simple: humans and animals share fundamental biological systems. Studying one can significantly enhance our understanding of the other. Racehorses, in particular, provide a compelling example of this principle in the context of cardiovascular health.
From the Racetrack to the Operating Theatre
Each year, numerous cases arise of horses collapsing during or after races, potentially due to undiagnosed cardiac issues. Exercise-associated sudden death is notoriously difficult to predict, causing devastation for the horses, their handlers, and the racing community. Current research focuses on identifying subtle electrical abnormalities in the equine heart that could serve as early warning signs. The ultimate goal is to understand the causes of these sudden cardiac events and predict which horses are most at risk.
The implications of this research extend far beyond equine health. Discoveries made through the study of equine hearts have the potential to revolutionise human cardiac medicine, especially for athletes and individuals under intense cardiovascular strain. By recognising, managing, and preventing rhythm disturbances in high-performing horses, we can potentially develop new strategies to prevent sudden cardiac arrest in humans.
Horses, unlike many laboratory animals, possess heart anatomy and disease patterns that closely resemble those of humans. Their ability to transition from resting heart rates of around 20 beats per minute to over 200 during exertion offers a unique model of extreme cardiac adaptability.
Beyond the Heart: The Wider Benefits of Equine Studies
The benefits of equine research extend beyond cardiovascular health, encompassing gut health, immune response, and metabolism. As prey animals, horses have evolved heightened sensitivity to their environment. Their survival depends on their ability to quickly detect and react to potential threats, resulting in a highly sensitive nervous system.
This sensitivity extends to their gastrointestinal tract, making them particularly vulnerable to stress-related gut issues. Environmental changes, emotional distress, and social disruption can all trigger digestive problems in horses, including colic and gastric ulcers. This makes horses a valuable model for studying the gut-brain axis, the complex communication network between the digestive system and the brain. They also provide insights into how chronic stress and inflammation can affect long-term health, with potential applications in understanding human conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, and depression.
Investing in equine health is not solely about improving the lives of animals; it also expands the possibilities within human medicine.
Breaking Down Barriers for a Healthier Future
Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even certain cancers are not exclusively human problems. They are influenced by shared genetic, environmental, and behavioural factors that transcend species boundaries. By dismantling the traditional separation between human and animal health, the One Health approach enables the sharing of knowledge, the pooling of data, and the development of cross-species innovations that benefit all.
Animal health is often treated as a separate, or even secondary, consideration to human health. This is a mistake. Human well-being is inextricably linked to the health of the animals we care for and the environments we share.
A renewed focus on equine well-being not only improves outcomes for horses but also sharpens our understanding of physiology, strengthens public health, and helps prevent avoidable deaths, both on and off the racetrack. To reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death in athletes, or anyone pushing their body to its limits, a broader perspective is needed. This includes recognising the value of veterinary medical research and turning the stethoscope toward the stable. When a horse collapses on the track, it represents more than just a tragedy; it is a missed opportunity to understand, to prevent, and to save lives.