Driving Horse Periodically Making Noise

[Drafts128]

I know this is a Race horse forum but I am going out of the box to see if any trainers have dealt with this problem and have anything to offer. I have exhausted advice from our own discipline/world. This is a draft horse that competes at high level in the lead of a six horse hitch. She is 5 years old. After a few laps at a full trot, she sometimes will start roaring, very loud. She never runs out of go or wind but she sure makes you think she is going to. Then when you line up, she instantly stops, and will also stop in mid stride if something distracts her or catches her attention. She scoped normal standing and also normal in harness with the dynamic scope. Frustrating! We have tried the usuals like Ventipulmin, wind aid, vicks, dex injections, flushing her mouth before she drives, antihistamines, a ton of different bits with every size and shape of mouth piece, different irons, different check systems. She does not seem to fight and of them, she will just start pulling so hard and then the noise will start. We have had her adjusted for pain and magna-waved lots of times. If you get right up at her when she is doing it, we could see her pulling her tongue up if front of her airway so we tried tying her tongue. That doesn't work either. She also does not salivate which is what I am wondering may be behind the whole problem. Any thoughts from your world?

[Danno]

The answer is in your last sentence I believe, horses with a dry mouth will often exhibit all the symptoms you mentioned. You need to get her salivating, bits that help with that are the older bronze nickel plated bits. Stainless Steel is very popular these days but doesn't help horses to salivate. Also there are bits that have little "ticklers" fitted to the inner section of the bit, the theory being these encourage salivation and for some horses they are successful.

Obviously you may need to try a few strategies to overcome the dry mouth, but I'd like to be as sure of winning the lottery as I am that is her main problem.

[Crostler]

The answer is in your last sentence I believe, horses with a dry mouth will often exhibit all the symptoms you mentioned. You need to get her salivating, bits that help with that are the older bronze nickel plated bits. Stainless Steel is very popular these days but doesn't help horses to salivate. Also there are bits that have little "ticklers" fitted to the inner section of the bit, the theory being these encourage salivation and for some horses they are successful.

Obviously you may need to try a few strategies to overcome the dry mouth, but I'd like to be as sure of winning the lottery as I am that is her main problem.

As Danno stated, there are plenty of issues that may cause this. Did you make your own research?

[KTQ]

So they ruled out a soft palette?

Did you try tying her tongue AND putting on a drop noseband? Try also giving her Airway gel and using a nebuliser on her. Try also giving her a Rakelin injection once per week to calm her down. Our filly roars and the vet said we'll need to retrain her to swallow when she's racing. She tends to stop swallowing when she gets stressed by work and then roars, cuts her wind off and gets more stressed - it becomes a vicious cycle. If the above doesn't work, you may need to get her operated on.

You can also try Glycerin or Wind Aid over the tongue before she works
Edit: I see you tried Wind Aid