READERS may be aware that earlier this year there was a debate within the BHA on whether wind operations should be publicly announced at race declaration stage. This issue has been raised in the past but the idea of declaring such procedures in the same way as headgear or tongue-ties was shelved. However, in light of some recent high-profile winners having had wind operations, the issue has arisen again.

Here I will discuss some of the different types of conditions affecting the horses’ upper airway system and the operations routinely performed in attempting to correct them.