Equine Asthma

Equine Asthma

Equine Asthma is a respiratory disorder that ranges from very mild to severe and can greatly affect a horse's comfort, performance and can be irreversible. The term Equine Asthma describes a broad spectrum of disorders otherwise known as:

  • Inflammatory Airway Disease (IAD)

  • Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO)

  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
  • Heaves 

Did you know?

  • Even the best quality hay can be full of pathogens such as dust, mold and bacteria.

  • Soaking hay can increase the bacteria contact by almost 150 %.

  • 88% of horses have some form of Airway Inflammatory Disease.

Did you know?

  • 14% of horses suffer from severe Equine Asthma* 

  • 88% of horses have some form of Airway Inflammatory Disease, now known as Mild Equine Asthma **

  • The biggest cause of Equine Asthma is the air quality of a stable environment. 

  • It is possible to reduce the incidence of Equine Asthma by 65% just by changing to steamed hay.    

What are the symptoms?

What is the root of the problem?

AIR QUALITY! 


The air a horse breathes in, especially in the stable environment, contains high levels of respirable dust, bacterial endotoxins, forage mites, fungi and mold spores.


When the respiratory system is overloaded with this dust, the defence mechanisms start to falter and their ability to deal with this dust and fight off infection reduces. The airways become inflamed and the normally helpful mucous becomes thick and troublesome.


A major source of airborne dust is from feeding dry hay, even the best quality hay contains large amounts of dust, bacteria, mold and fungi that are directly inhaled by a horse while it eats. 

Did you know?

  • A horse can inhale up to 4.6 million airborne respirable dust particles in every breath.

  • The allergens in forage are a major source of respirable dust. 

  • Over 50 different species of microorganisms have been identified in stable air.

AIR QUALITY! 


The air a horse breathes in, especially in the stable environment, contains high levels of respirable dust, bacterial endotoxins, forage mites, fungi and mold spores.


When the respiratory system is overloaded with this dust, the defence mechanisms start to falter and their ability to deal with this dust and fight off infection reduces. The airways become inflamed and the normally helpful mucous becomes thick and troublesome.


A major source of airborne dust is from feeding dry hay, even the best quality hay contains large amounts of dust, bacteria, mold and fungi that are directly inhaled by a horse while it eats. 

Did you know?

  • A horse can inhale up to 4.6 million airborne respirable dust particles in every breath.

  • The allergens in forage are a major source of respirable dust. 

  • Over 50 different species of microorganisms have been identified in stable air.

Eliminate the Source 

Purified Forage

Eliminate up to 99% of the airborne respirable dust that could come in contact with a horse's lungs. Haygain hay steamers are the only scientifically proven way to purify hay and reduces incidence of Mild Equine Asthma by 65%**. Purified hay also has digestive health benefits due to its highly palatable texture and smell, it helps to hydrate horses and works wonders on horses with certain allergy related skin conditions. 

Bedding and Ammonia 

Eliminate the need for deep beds which can contain a huge amount of dust and bacteria by installing ComfortStall Flooring. The orthopaedic padding provides superior comfort for a horse so you no longer need to provide this comfort from deep bedding. The fully sealed design also helps to eliminate a build up of harmful ammonia gases. ComfortStall offers amazing benefits and can pay for itself in just over a year.  

Treat the Symptoms

Nebulise 

Flexineb Nebulisers work deep into the lungs offering an effective way to treat the symptoms of acute and chronic respiratory issues. Flexineb can be used with a variety of medications (which need to be prescribed by a veterinarian) or natural remedies. They are fully portable and completely silent making them easy to use.    

Haygain Reviews

Haygain's products are used and recommended by veterinarians, professional riders and horse owners all over the world. 

Professional Riders

Horse Owners

Veterinarians

* Pirie R. S. Recurrent airway obstruction: a review. Equine Veterinary Journal. 2014;46(3):276–288. doi: 10.1111/evj.12204.

** Dauvillier J, Woort F. T, Van Erck‐Westergren E. disease (2018) Fungi in respiratory samples of horses with inflammatory airway, Journal of veterinary internal medicine, 2018;1-8