Heaves, or equine asthma, is a chronic respiratory condition in horses driven by environmental allergens that significantly impairs quality of life if poorly managed.
Horses with equine asthma experience chronic respiratory discomfort that significantly affects quality of life. Breathing requires effort; exercise tolerance is reduced; and during acute flares, horses may show visible respiratory distress. Environmental management is the cornerstone of welfare improvement — without reducing allergen exposure, medication alone provides incomplete relief. Horses confined indoors on dusty hay and straw have the worst outcomes. Moving to pasture with soaked or haylage-based forage dramatically improves symptoms in most horses. The condition is progressive if mismanaged. Owners must understand that short-term management shortcuts — using dry hay or dusty bedding for convenience — cause genuine, prolonged suffering.