Horse Welfare: Keeping Horses Healthy Through the Winter

Here’s a look at three health conditions to watch for during the winter that could negatively impact equine welfare.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Horse Welfare: Keeping Horses Healthy Through the Winter
During the cold months it’s important to ensure your horse gets outside into the fresh air. | Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad
As the weather changes, horse welfare becomes particularly important, and owners often have to contend with more than just the cold: Driving rain, icy winds, and endless mud all bring with them horse health hazards.

Here’s a look at three common equine conditions to watch for during the winter months:

Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO or heaves)

This respiratory condition manifests itself in different forms, including a persistent cough, asthma-like signs, and chronic breathing difficulties. It’s actually a reaction to allergens, often found in hay and barns, which can be exacerbated in winter by the shift from regular outdoor grazing to supplementary feeding of hay and long periods in dusty stables.

During the cold months it’s important to ensure your horse gets outside into the fresh air and that you consult your veterinarian if you notice any abnormal changes to the horse’s breathing effort. It’s also important to improve air quality in stables through increased ventilation, use of appropriate bedding materials, and by soaking hay or providing dust-free feed

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

How much time do you usually spend grooming your horse?
439 votes · 439 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!