Veterinarian medicine studies agree prevention and maintenance is the key to dealing with respiratory problems in horses.

Empowering the everyday caretakers with “know how” is the first step in prevention.

We begin with the respiratory system itself. Air enters the nostrils and quickly moisture and heat are added before it journeys to the trachea. Here turbinates trap larger particles as the first line-of-defense. Leaving the trachea, air moves through numerous larger airways the Bronchi then onto the smaller bronchioles. Here fine hair like cilia and mucus cells line the air passages acting as the second particle collection agent. A light thin layer of mucus is considered healthy.

Air intake ends at the alveolar sacs. Gas exchange happens across this membrane, oxygen heads to the red blood cells while carbon dioxide is expelled. Oxygen is essential to organs and tissues. Carbon dioxide is a by-product of energy production.

The last soldier of defense is the alveoli; here cells called macrophages clean up the remaining inhaled irritants & contaminates. (Ammonia, dust, molds & bacteria)

Overwhelming the lung’s defense system can decrease its ability to ward off respiratory infections, environmental or bacterial. Environmental contaminates include ammonia, dust and molds. Bacterial include infectious agents and viruses. Wetness also breeds bacterial growth. Areas for major concern include stale barns, horse trailers, arenas (indoor & out), round pens, forage & bedding.

Low dwellers such as foaling mares, their foals, ponies and miniature horses are at greater risk. Performance horses are at risk from arena events like barrel racing, rodeos, racetracks even round pen workouts.

Demands on the respiratory system depend on whether the horse is at rest or in heavy performance. Performance horses demand large volumes of air. A typical resting horse intakes 5 liters of air with one breathe. During competition an equine athlete will increase that amount to 15 liters per breath at 150 breaths per minute. Moving in a minute’s time some 2250 plus liters of air efficiently to compete & win.

When contaminates cause even a slight increase of mucus, or thickening of the air passages, will result in a poorer performance from EIPH (exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhage) to COPD or commonly called “heaves” to name a few. EIPH sometimes characterized by blood shown in the nostrils. Lack of blood shown in the nostrils is not an indicator of non-EIPH. Increasingly, overtime the damage will take its toll in the equine’s ability to inhale 2,250 liters of air per minute. Coughing is only one indication among many of the presence of respiratory disease. Respiratory disease weakens the immune systems further opening the opportunity for large scaled infections & longer recoveries.

Minimizing the horse’s exposure to toxic gases like ammonia, contaminates dust & molds is the key to a healthy respiratory system.

1. A good stall drying deodorizer in barns & stall will keep odors & wetness to a minimum
   
2. To clear arenas (indoor & out), round pens & racetracks use a safe, non-chemical dust control.
   
3. Avoid deep bedding that permits an accumulation of ammonia, bacteria and mold.
   
4. Forage such as hay has mold spores. Soaking of hay is a very poor solution to reduce mold. Use alternatives like alfalfa cubes and haylage.

While we have addressed our horse’s respiratory system studies indicate trainers, instructors and rider are 80% more often to suffer from air-borne contaminates developing asthma and other respiratory illnesses.