It's easy to believe that your horse never coughs because you never hear it actually coughing. But how much time do you really spend with your horse - one hour a day or more? Most riding horses see their owners for a few hours a week, certainly not 24 hours a day.
If you spend just two hours a day with your horse, four days a week (pretty normal for riding horses kept in a livery facility, as many horses are nowadays), you have the opportunity to hear your horse coughing for about eight out of 168 hours in a week, or less than 5% of the time. In the other more than 95% of the time, you wouldn't be there to hear your horse cough.
Why is this important? Because during the 160 hours in the week, it could be coughing - even if it just coughs a few times - you won't hear it, but you'll think it never coughs.
However, that doesn't mean you're a bad horse owner. Actually, you're in good company with the rest of the equestrian world. Ask almost any horse owner, and she'll tell you her horse doesn't cough either, for the same reason - she's not there long enough to occasionally hear coughing.
Studies have shown that horses can cough once and then cough six times three hours later, then twice 12 hours later, etc. They don't cough regularly like humans. So unless you put up a video camera, put a microphone in the stall, or spend 24 hours with your horse, you won't know how often it coughs," explains Dr. David Marlin, PhD, horse physiologist, researcher, author, and professor of physiology at Oklahoma State University.
Is a little cough a big deal?
Misconceptions about horse coughing are deeply ingrained in our equestrian world:
"All horses cough a little when warming up."
"It's just a bit of dust from the arena."
"It's just a bit of shavings dust."
"He's just clearing his throat."
"It's really dry this year."
Dr. Marlin's perspective is clear: "It seems to be generally accepted that it's okay for a horse to cough a few times when warming up. But it's not. It indicates a respiratory disease."
They [the horses] don't cough regularly like humans. So unless you put up a video camera, put a microphone in the stall, or spend 24 hours with your horse, you won't know how often it coughs."
What is a respiratory disease in horses?
Respiratory diseases include both infectious and non-infectious conditions. Infectious respiratory diseases in horses include bacterial and viral infections like equine influenza. Non-infectious respiratory diseases in horses encompass a spectrum of respiratory conditions known as equine asthma. This includes conditions such as inflammatory airway disease (IAD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and recurrent airway obstruction (RAO).
Respiratory diseases in horses are very common and have a variety of causes. From infectious diseases that spread rapidly through large barns or yards, to non-infectious diseases that are often due to horse allergies or hypersensitivity to allergens in the stable environment.
Respiratory diseases in horses are very common and have a variety of causes, explains Dr. David Marlin, PhD, equine exercise physiologist, researcher, author, and professor of physiology at Oklahoma State University.
How can I tell if my horse has a respiratory disease?
Coughing is just one sign of a horse's respiratory disease. Other signs range from easily identifiable to those that are difficult for a horse owner to assess:
Nasal discharge Increased respiratory rate Increased respiratory effort Flaring of the nostrils Respiratory noises, at rest or during exercise Poor recovery Decreased performance If you keep a riding journal, you can look for these signs every day and note if or when they appear. Especially with the more subtle signs, a performance record can help you describe the symptoms and history to your veterinarian, which can help them help your horse.
How often does respiratory disease occur in horses?
More often than you might expect, especially if you have never heard of a respiratory disease in horses before. Even more remarkable is the number of horses with a respiratory disease whose owners don't see symptoms or signs of the problem before their horses are examined by a veterinarian.
A recent study showed that 88% of horses examined had inflammatory airway disease.
What can I do to prevent my horse from coughing?
First, observe. Does your horse have any of the signs mentioned above? If so, call your veterinarian and have your horse examined - that's the definitive way to diagnose a respiratory disease in horses. Your veterinarian will prescribe any necessary medications and can advise you on environmental improvements that can help prevent and treat respiratory diseases in horses.
To avoid environmentally-induced respiratory diseases in horses, you should reduce as much dust from your horse's environment as possible. Stall bedding - both straw and shavings - is a major source of dust in the stable.
Even hay of the highest quality is another major source of dust that can affect your horse's airways. Environmental dust, debris from baling, transportation, and storage, as well as the drying process during hay production, contribute to the dust and nutrition being precisely tailored to your horse's airways at every meal.
How can hay steamers help?
The good news is: You can help your horse breathe cleaner air by using environmentally-friendly stable products that significantly reduce the dust particles in the air.
Hay steamers can eliminate up to 99% of the mold, fungi, yeast, and bacteria in hay, as well as up to 98% of the respirable dust particles - plus, it retains its nutritional value, improve palatability, and aids in the treatment of laminitis, diarrhea, colic, post-operative recovery, and respiratory problems.
