Respect Your Horse's Respiratory System

Did you know....

It is commonly believed that it’s okay for a horse to cough a few times when warming up. It’s not. It indicates respiratory disease, which is much more common than you think!

Respiratory problems often go undetected. In mildly asthmatic horses, a respiratory problem may only become apparent when the horse is asked to perform athletically.

In a recent study 84% of horses referred for a regular health check, were found to have Inflammatory Airway Disease (IAD)*

Another study showed 14% of horses suffer from severe Equine Asthma**


Are you sure he doesn't cough?

Horses do not cough regularly like people and it is very unlikely that you will always be with your horse when he coughs.

Furthermore, coughing is not the only sign, any of the following symptoms may also indicate respiratory disease:

Nasal discharge
Increased respiratory rate
Increased respiratory effort
Flaring of the nostrils
Respiratory noise at rest or during exercise
Poor recovery after exercise
Lower or poor performance


How can Haygain help?

A recent study*** found steaming hay using a Haygain hay steamer reduced the incidence of IAD by 63%. The dust in hay is a key cause of respiratory inflammation. Steaming hay with a Haygain hay steamer eliminates respirable dust particles, killing mould, bacteria, fungal spores and mite faeces.

Reducing stable dust and ammonia off-gassing is also important. Haygain's ComfortStall sealed, orthopaedic flooring reduces bedding requirements by up to 75% and, being sealed and hydrophobic, removes the risk of ammonia off-gassing caused by urine.

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

**Dr. Julie Dauvillier and Dr. Emmanuelle van Erck-Westergren, 2013, 2014

***American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, June 2016, “The Prevalence of Fungi in Respiratory Samples of Horses with Inflammatory Airway Disease” by Dr. J Dauvillier and Dr. E Westergren