Horse Respiratory Health and Air Quality

Respiratory disease is one of the most common welfare problems in stabled horses, with air quality in poorly ventilated stables directly causing chronic inflammation and impaired performance.

Key Facts

Equine asthma (formerly COPD) affects up to 14% of stabled horses
Ammonia from bedding, fungal spores from hay, and dust cause airway inflammation
Soaking hay reduces respirable dust by 90% but also reduces nutritional value
Haylage is a lower-dust alternative with good palatability and nutrition
Natural ventilation from high roofs and open doors is more effective than fans alone

Welfare Considerations

Equine respiratory welfare is a management problem with management solutions: poorly ventilated stables with deep litter bedding and dusty hay create chronic respiratory inflammation that is entirely preventable. Horses with equine asthma experience persistent cough, exercise intolerance, and nasal discharge — welfare harms that owners frequently accept as normal rather than treatable. Changing bedding type, dust-extract or soak forage, and improving ventilation can dramatically reduce respiratory disease burden.

What You Can Do

Use low-dust bedding such as rubber matting or dust-extracted shavings
Feed haylage or soaked hay to horses with respiratory sensitivity
Maximise stable ventilation with open vents and good airflow design
Have horses with persistent cough evaluated for equine asthma
Advocate for ventilation requirements in stabling welfare standards