Horses breathing problems are common and during the cold season some of them seem to spread and get worse. The most frequent disorder during winter season is cold, both of viral or bacterial origin, characterized by nasal discharge, sneezing, cough and sometimes fever. Caring of horse’s respiratory system is essential because it affects its general health and especially in sport horse’s case, it is essential to obtain excellent performances.
Why horses’ main breathing problems get worse with cold and what are their causes?
Excluding what may be infectious diseases transmitted by other horses or caused by cold weather exposure, most respiratory problems worsen in winter because horses live longer indoors. The lairage increases, in fact, the risk of developing respiratory diseases compared to life in the open air due to the greater dust-concentration in closed boxes and in indoor fields for training. However, some precautions can reduce risks.
In indoor fields, a quality design is fundamental: the structure and materials for the construction of the soil should be suitable to reduce the development of dust and to favour air exchange naturally or using aeration systems. In addition, adequately wetting the fields, reducing the number of horses at work at the same time and allocating the use of the field in the morning hours, after a night without activity, to horses more sensitive to dust, are further useful precautions.
In box, in addition to providing a sufficient space for the horse overall well-being, it is necessary to guarantee daily air change. The cleaning of the stables and boxes, which increase dust in the air, should be done when the horses are out. Furthermore, wetting surfaces is another small trick to reduce dust.
Inside the box, two other elements can develop dust: food and bedding. Hay and horse feed can generate dust when they are of poor quality, so it is better being able to recognize quality hay, (find out how) and choose feeds suitable for the horse’s needs also guaranteeing the dust absence. Wafer Fioc is the complete meal that guarantees the absence of dangerous dust: with its special compact cube shape, it reduces dust usually formed from poor quality ingredients or the presence of mould, fungus and toxins. Wafer Fioc ingredients are meticulously controlled though all the production steps. Moreover, the innovative and delicate process, guarantee the absence of dust and the nutrients preservation for all Wafer Fioc formulations, making it the perfect meal even for dust-sensitive or with respiratory problems horses.
Even the bedding must be quality since horses spent long time inside the boxes. In addition to the many features you should examine to choose a good bedding, firstly liquids and odours absorbency and dust-free guarantee, the bedding should also respect horses’ respiratory system. Guidolin Horses wood chips bedding and the eco-friendly coconut fibre bedding offer high performance and dust-absence. Respecting the indications of duration and maintenance of the litter is another important element for respiratory disorders prevention.
Even if the causes of dangerous dust development are many, always choosing quality products and adopting the listed advice plays an important role on your horse welfare.
