cardiac arrest - heavy work

Question
hello sir, do horses get cardiac arrest when they are worked heavily after 3 months of giving light exercise like trotting, swimming and hot walking exercise? if yes, may i know why?

Answer
It is possible for any horse to go into cardiac arrest at any time when performing intense levels of training, but this should not at all be a common occurrence when under the care of an experienced trainer. 3 months of light training should be followed by a progressive building of distance and speed. Cardiac arrest is a very possible result of too much work, too early after a light training schedule, but a breakdown (broken bone, torn ligaments and tendons) would more likely be common.