Resp/Thumps

[rides2far@juno.com (Angela C. McGhee)]

     You asked for info. on high respiration in conjunction with thumps. 
Sorry, I'm not a vet, but here's my experience.  
     I had an Appaloosa gelding who showed clinical signs of thumps, (as
in, the twitching side) but never really had thumps.  Does that make
sense?  I was riding this horse when I first tried endurance riding, and
I didn't understand what all the fuss over where to take the pulse was. 
I could sit on him at any given time after he was warmed up and feel his
pulse in my legs.  Very convenient.  After I'd read some articles, and
then seen a horse with thumps at a ride, I did a long training ride, got
off and ..".Oh my gosh!  He has thumps!"  I stayed with him all evening
while he happily ate grass.  The next time he did it was in competition. 
I was at the third check of a 50 when I noticed the thumping.  I showed
the vet, (a wizened old endurance vet who was very frustrated at my slow
pace on a fit horse) and he said, "He don't have thumps".  I said, "But
look at his side"  He said," I don't care what it's doing, he don't have
thumps."  I slowed down even more, but he was right, the horse was fine. 
I got my completion.  At the next ride I explained to the vet at the
vet-in that he would thump as soon as he got going good, but he was O.K. 
He gave me that "Yea, right" look and said "We'll see".  At the half way
check, (it was a 25 mile ride)  he was not thumping yet, but my riding
partner's out time was one minute before mine,  I was mounted up and
waiting when she trotted off.  I felt him begin thumping that instant,
but said nothing to the vet.  At the finish line I took him to the vet
and said, "Here it is, what do you think?"  I guess it helped that I was
something of a beginner and though I trained hard at home, I was very
conservative in competition.  The vet agreed that the horse was fine,
well hydrated, perfect scores all around, and gave me my completion. They
described it as a hyperactive phrenic nerve. (Talk about carrying X-rays,
try telling vets that one at the vet in).  By the way, this horse did
pant.  (I had also read that a horse's heart rate was about the same as
his respiration, so lots of the time I thought he was at 120 when his HR
was closer to 64, Is it any wonder I took so long to figure out what I'm
doing?)  This horse only did one 50 and one 25.  I retired him after some
hoof problems.  Angie McGhee and Kaboot Herlong, (I finally got a
keeper!)