nose Bleeds?!

What is so wrong with nose bleeds in horses? One day my friends pony had a bit of blood coming out of one of her nostrils. My friend went into a big panic...A few weeks before that a pony had a nose bleed out of one nostril..One of the trainers said it was ok because it was only coming out of one nostril and not both of them..What does that mean> ? And what causes nose bleeds?

I'm curious to this as well. I was told if a horse is working hard, and it blows (as they do) or sneezes etc...too hard, it can cause a nose bleed, much like if a human blows their nose too hard. My arab mare will do it at least once a year, but it never flows, and I'm usually able just to wipe it with a paper towel and be done with it.

There are a lot of causes of nose bleeds (epistaxis) but there are three that are the most commonly seen. These are ethmoid hematomas, exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhage, and guttural pouch mycosis. The last two are very serious as they are life threatening problems. If a horse has guttural pouch mycosis and the fungus erodes through the wall, the carotid artery can become compromised causing the horse to bleed out. There are some great articles on each of these conditions on Thehorse.com. I would also recommend a full work up including scoping for any horse with nose bleeds.

We had an older Arab mare who apparently had allergies and would get an occasional nosebleed. While there are some serious causes, a horse's nose can bleed for minor reasons, just like a human.

Absolutely! This is why I suggest a full vet work up because there is no way to know if it is serious or not without one. Sorry I forgot to paint that picture Ozark, thanks for pointing this out. My guy has allergies and gets a little blood (sometimes a LOT) when it his allergies act up. I panicked at first because I had a mare who bled out and died from an EH but I was relieved to discover my boy just gets a little dry and irritated sometimes.

Hmm so what about it being serious out of both nostrils and not serious out of one nostril..Is that true or not?

Allergies? That's very interesting! I didn't know that could be a cause

The first time Dahli had a nose bleed, DD was at the stable and called me in a panic because most of the info that is available, indicated something serious. After a bit of research, I was able to calm her down and Dahli was fine.

Coming out of both nostrils would likely indicate a serious condition but that is not to say that coming out of one nostril indicates a less serious problem, if that makes sense. It is not a terrific prognostic indicator but coming out of 2 nostrils might mean a more systemic problem (like a clotting issue or something else). Really the best thing to do is to have them looked at, simply because if it IS a serious problem the consequences are so grave if it is unattended. Also, how are the horse's stools? Any darkening in color? What happens just prior to the bleeding, ie. Is it mostly after exercise or an exciting event??