Not only the amount of horse manure is crucial. The topic of horse manure and especially its disposal plays an important role in horse farms. Alternative bedding is favoured due to the lower amount of manure. The increasing number of horses with respiratory problems and equine asthma leads many stables to search for an alternative to conventional straw.
Unfortunately, conventional straw is usually quite dusty and therefore less suitable for horses with equine asthma. About 55-68% of stable dust is caused by the horse's bedding. Dust-free alternatives are needed.
Criteria for good bedding for horses with equine asthma
- Dust exposure
- Mold
- Ammonia binding
For horses with respiratory problems, it is particularly important, in addition to low dust exposure, that the alternative bedding has good ammonia binding and is not contaminated with mold.
What alternatives do I have?
Straw is usually already contaminated with mold and rather dusty. In addition, its absorbency is usually poor, which can lead to greater ammonia exposure.
In contrast, straw pellets are usually thermally treated, contributing to a much better hygienic quality. Straw pellets are very absorbent and bind ammonia quite well. However, over time, mold often forms, which can cause problems for the horses. Since the pellets swell strongly on contact with liquids, special care must be taken if the horses eat the bedding.
Flax or linseed bedding binds moisture quite well and is a low-dust alternative. The bitter substances in the bedding prevent it from being eaten. Fresh bedding is unfortunately often slippery at the beginning. In addition, the bedding is usually imported from abroad, which can lead to delivery bottlenecks.
In recent years, forest soil has become very popular. The bedding is convincing, especially in terms of sustainability. Liquid binding is good, and dust exposure is low. However, attention should always be paid to the origin of the forest soil to ensure that no toxic plant species or woods are present. The principle of forest soil is based on decomposition processes, so a minimum height of the bedding is required for the microorganisms to work accordingly. Unfortunately, mold can form over time, causing problems for some horses.
Wood shavings are also a popular alternative. Liquid binding is moderate, and dust exposure is low. However, only dust-free shavings should be used. Cleaning the boxes is unfortunately rather labour-intensive. In addition, disposal can be difficult, as some farmers do not accept manure with shavings.
The choice of bedding depends not least on local conditions. What is the horses' feeding behaviour? How much manure do I have? What are the costs for the respective bedding? What is the workload? What costs do I have to calculate for disposal, and do I have a buyer for the manure? Therefore, there is no one ideal bedding for horses with equine asthma. Many different factors need to be considered when making a selection.
But above all, stable management (care, manure technology, etc.) seems to have a decisive influence on dust and ammonia emissions. During and after mucking out, the horses should not be in the stable for at least 30 minutes. Without mucking out, significant ammonia emissions can be expected after 3 days with all tested bedding variants.
Sources: Dr. Bianca Schwarz - Respiratory Diseases in Horses: Not All Coughs Are the Same - Webinar dated 07.03.2023 Jana Olberding - Blog: Bedding for Horses with Respiratory Problems - accessed on 20.03.2023 H. Van den Weghe et al. (2008) Alternative Bedding Materials to Reduce Gas and Particulate Emissions in Horse Husbandry and Prevent Respiratory Diseases in Horses. Research project: 06UM001/W1 Herholz et al. (2020) Horse Health: Dust and Ammonia Emissions from Eight Different Bedding Materials; Agricultural Research Switzerland 11: 230-237, 2020
