Horse Care Info Sheet
Horse with signs of heaves.
Keep horses outside as much as possible, unless medical conditions require stalling or the horse has an equine asthma issue associated with the pasture.
© 2022 by Equine Guelph New window.
Equine Asthma or “heaves” can cause exercise intolerance, difficulty expelling air, inflammation of lung epithelium and narrowing of Bronchus, persistent cough and nasal secretions from mucous production.
ll of the above can turn a riding horse into a pasture ornament and or in worst case scenarios, bring about important quality of life decisions. Don’t wait for these signs or a tell-tale heave line to appear before taking steps in your barn management to reduce dust, mould and particulates in your horse’s environment. Hay and bedding are two of the top sources of mould and particulate in a horse’s environment.
Hay:
- Purchase hay that has been tested for quality. It will also help stretch your feed dollar!
- Store hay on pallets (to reduce moisture from ground), in a separate building, away from the barn (not in your indoor riding arena). This has the added benefit of a fire prevention measure as well as dust reduction in the horse’s environment.
- Hay should be sufficiently dried before storing and monitored for moisture content. Storing damhay provides an environment of moisture and heat for mould to thrive and multiply. It also creaa fire hazard.
- Visual evaluation is important (video) but not all mould and particulate can be detected with the naked eye. You can request a test for mould contamination on your hay.
- Feed from the ground when possible. If you use a hay net, wet it down just before hanging it.
- Round bales are not recommended. Horses that spend their day buried neck deep in a round bale are inhaling a copious amount of mould, mycotoxins and dust. This can double the risk of developing equine asthma. Consider wetting or steaming hay or hay alternatives (i.e. hay pellets, cubes or haylage) if the horse’s breathing is negatively affected by the hay in its diet. Research has been conducted on steamed hay vs soaked and the variable nutrient losses to conside
Always:
Keep horses outside as much as possible, unless medical conditions require stalling or the horse has an equine asthma issue associated with the pasture. If your horse begins to cough, call the vet right away to investigate the cause. When dealing with respiratory ailments early diagnostics, aggressive treatment and environmental management are of paramount importance.
Learn more about defending your horse's health from dust by clicking on https://www.equineguelph.ca/pdf/infosheets/Defend%20against%20Dust%20Infographic.pdf
Press release by Equine Guelph - The Horse Portal