08/08/2026
🫁 Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage (EIPH) is not a new condition. It was first recognised centuries ago in Thoroughbred racing, and today it’s seen across a wide range of equine sports, from racing to dressage, eventing, and endurance.
It occurs because of the extraordinary demands placed on the equine body during intense exercise: a powerful cardiovascular system driving massive blood flow, paired with lungs and airway structures that are pushed to their physiological limits.
As heart rate rises and oxygen demand increases, blood pressure within the lungs climbs dramatically and inhalation forces create strong external pressures. This push and pull pressure is exerted on the delicate pulmonary capillary membrane (PCM). The PCM is the fragile structure that is responsible for the efficient gas exchange that occurs during exercise and makes horses super athletes.
This combination of forces on the PCM leads to rupture within the lungs resulting in EIPH. Repeated episodes may contribute to cumulative changes in lung tissue, reduced efficiency, and early fatigue in athletic horses.
EIPH reflects the extreme athletic design of the horse, and the fine balance between power, speed, and respiratory limitation.
To learn more about EIPH, check out this page on our website 👉 https://flairstrips.com/pages/eiph