For a horse, in his ideal little world, he would live his days wandering acres of land, spending the majority of his time grazing, in the fresh air, far away from dust allergies and mould spores. However, he’s not in his ideal little world, he’s in ours, and for the responsible and caring owners who do their best to provide our animals with everything they need, some times it’s unavoidable for them to spend time cooped up in a stable.
‘Oh my!’ I may hear you cry, ‘My stable is big, it has windows, he has the best hay. He wants for nothing!’ Yes, indeed he may, but a stable, to an animal that has been genetically programmed over millions of years to wander the plains, any stable is cooped up. I don’t mean to offend, and I do understand that sometimes, it’s necessary, but there you are.
As a result of living in a stable, horses are often exposed to many different types of dust particles. These maybe from hay, straw, pollen etc. Just as in people, some of them will develop an allergy; and it’s impossible to predict which ones and when it will happen.
As a cautionary tale to those who have horses that don’t live in stables, I have a coloured cob, who I’ve owned since he was 2 years old and he’s never been in a stable, never mind lived in one. He’s now 13 and for the last 3 years, over winter, about 6 weeks after the hay starts going out, and I’m very picky about the hay and where it comes from, he gets a bit of a dusty cough, and you can see the extra effort involved in breathing. So there really is no telling.
COPD, otherwise known as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder is the most commonly occurring medical equine disorder in the UK. In fact, respiratory diseases in general are a common problem to horses and ponies in general.
The indicators of COPD can vary greatly, and reflect the severity of the condition. At their worst, horses may be in a severe state of distress, with nasal discharge, much coughing and wheezing and the extra effort seen by the stomach muscles to aid expiration (breathing out) is clear to see.
The symptoms of COPD become visible when the airways attempt to challenge the allergens. These responses fall into three categories. There is inflammation of the airway walls, excess mucus production and the spasms of the bronchial walls; which results in the narrowing of the airways due to the contraction of the muscles in their walls. The end result is a reduced capacity for airflow. (Think asthma or trying to breath through a straw!)
If you should become concerned that your horse may be developing COPD, it’s important for you to get the vet out. He will be able to confirm or deny the problem, and advise on how best to go on from there.
The best action to take is to avoid the allergens. This generally involves 24hr turnout, and replacing hay with ‘haylage’ type substitutes, or complete feed nuts.
Sometimes, the horse owner is unable or unwilling to make these changes, and therefore the stable environment must be altered.
Good ventilation in stables is vital in all equine housing, but even more so when COPD is a problem. The majority of the allergens come from hay and bedding, so these must be substituted for something else. If a hay substitute is not available, the hay should be soaked for 20 minutes. This enables the dust and mould spores to absorb water and avoid becoming airborne.
A low dust bedding is also called for. It is possible to use no bedding when rubber mats are used, but some horses just will not be comfortable in this situation. If bedding is used, shredded paper or cardboard are good substitutes. Wood shavings can also work. Straw is no good as it too has a high mould spore content.
The make up of these alternatives can of course vary, so a bit of trial and error may be called for before you go buying in a barn full of something that’s not going to work.
Making these changes to feed and bedding does not remove the need for the utmost cleanliness, and a deep litter bedding system is a big no-no.
Of course, all this is a bit like whistling in the wind, if all the other stables in the vicinity are not managed the same way. It’s also a good idea to maybe make your exercise time, at the same time when everyone else is mucking out, to avoid the extra exposure to allergens at that time. Of course, this is not always possible.
COPD is a permanent thing, and these pointers are all to help with the management of a long term condition. There are also various herbal and or veterinary supplements that can help. Mind you, none of them are a cure, just another aid in management of the condition.
COPD, whilst it is a serious condition that needs consistent and conscientious management, it certainly doesn’t mean the end of the horses’ useful life. Many horses live and work perfectly well despite having it. It is down to us as owners to be diligent and find a system that works and to stick to it.
