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The changing ways we manage horses, especially in Winter, can compromise their respiratory health, which can over time affect the well-being and performance of the horse. Tom Wells, founder of online retailer Farm & Country shares some advice on equine respiration, how owners can improve the air quality in the stable, and signs that show a horse’s respiration may be suffering.
What’s the Big Problem with Dust?
Irritation or allergic reaction to dust and spores can cause temporary mild airway inflammation causing mucus to form, the horse may then cough to remove this mucus. However, it can be much more serious than this, and horses may struggle to breathe and their respiratory system can fill with mucus. Key symptoms of respiratory diseases include, but are not limited to, a persistent runny nose, coughing, an elevated temperature, a higher breathing rate, blood at nostrils following exercise, slow recovery following exercise, lethargy and excessive sweating. Veterinary treatment is required in these cases, which would be followed by an endoscope and treatment options such as medication and inhalers.
Ensuring Good Environmental Hygiene:
It’s important to look after your stabled horse’s respiratory health by optimising their living
environment to try and improve air quality. A huge contributing factor to respiratory diseases is the poor air quality in the stable, so taking steps to improve this is imperative.
Forage – ensuring your choice of forage has a low dust content is a vital first step to improving your horse’s respiratory health. Haylage and steamed hay are seen to have minimal dust and mould spores but are not always practical or suitable. Submerging hay in water can also reduce dust content and is a more viable option for some owners.
Ventilation & Airflow – unfortunately many stables are designed with poor ventilation; settling dust and cobwebs are a tell-tale sign of a lack of ventilation. In an ideal world, a stable or barn should be designed with 2 openings to allow the air to travel through; a healthy or rugged horse will be fine even if there is a noticeable breeze!
Bedding – finding suitable bedding can be a headache for many owners – looking for dust-free, absorbent, comfortable, reasonably priced and easy-to-use bedding isn’t always straightforward. While shavings are becoming increasingly popular on many yards, they can contain more dust and spores than quality straw but may be more absorbent for wetter horses, reducing volumes of ammonia present.
Flooring – many believe that a rubber-matted stable floor is ideal for optimal stable health, as
reduce the amount of bedding required in the stable, and therefore limiting the dust. Ensuring a hygienic stable environment, without detectable ammonia, is vital for health.
Mucking out – mucking out, and especially sweeping, create large volumes of dust in the stable so it is important to remove the horse from this environment wherever possible. Ideally, windows and doors should be as open as possible, and you should allow 30 minutes for the environment to settle before putting your horse back in its stable.
Management – feeding both forages and dampened hard feed from the floor is recommended to lower the head position, allowing your horse to expel any respiratory secretions.
Consider a Supplement - A horse with respiratory stresses could benefit from an antioxidant-rich supplement. Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin C, menthol, eucalyptus and echinacea are also commonly seen in respiratory supplements and seen to support their respiratory systems – take a look at our range here.
If your horse is showing signs of ongoing respiratory struggle, please contact your vet for an
appropriate treatment plan.
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