🌾 Hay and Asthma in Horses: Safer Feeding for Respiratory Health in 2025 🐴💨

By Dr Duncan Houston BVSc

In 2025, equine respiratory conditions continue to be a challenge for horse owners—especially when environmental triggers like dust and ammonia play such a big role. One of the most surprising contributors? How hay is fed. Let’s explore how feeding hay from nets versus the ground affects horses with asthma. 🐎😷

🫁 What Is Equine Asthma?

Equine asthma is now the umbrella term used for a range of respiratory diseases in horses:

• 🔹 Mild to Moderate Asthma (formerly Inflammatory Airway Disease)
• 🔹 Severe Asthma (formerly Heaves or Recurrent Airway Obstruction/COPD)
• 🔹 Summer Pasture-Associated Obstructive Disease

All three forms involve inflammation of the lungs, though the triggers and severity vary. 🧬🔥

🏠 The Role of Hay & Stalls in Triggering Asthma

Most forms of equine asthma are associated with stall confinement, where horses are exposed to:

• 🌾 Dust and mold spores from hay
• 💨 Ammonia from urine buildup
• 🏠 Poor ventilation and closed barns

Even clean stalls can harbor high concentrations of airborne irritants. But recent research has shown that how you feed hay matters just as much as what you feed. 🧪📊

🧪 Study: Hay Nets Increase Dust Exposure 4x

A study fitted horses with air-sampling devices around their nostrils to measure how much dust they inhaled during feeding. Horses fed from hay nets in stalls were exposed to:

• ⚠️ Four times more dust than those eating hay off the ground
• 👃 Higher concentrations of particulate matter directly at the nose

Why? Because horses feeding from hay nets keep their noses in the hay for extended periods—something they don’t do when hay is fed at ground level. 📉🐴

😷 Asthma Management Tip: Ditch the Hay Net

If your horse has been diagnosed with any form of asthma, consider these adjustments:

• 🪵 Feed hay off the ground in clean, low-dust bedding
• 🌿 Soak hay for 15–30 minutes before feeding to reduce dust
• 🌬 Improve stall ventilation with fans or open windows
• 🚿 Clean stalls regularly to minimize ammonia buildup

Note: While hay nets help slow consumption and mimic grazing, the increased respiratory exposure may not be worth the trade-off for asthmatic horses. 🩺💭

📱 Ask A Vet: Custom Respiratory Plans for Horses

At AskAVet.com, Dr Duncan Houston and the veterinary team provide tailored asthma support, including:

• 📊 Respiratory care checklists
• 🫁 Safe feeding strategies by condition
• 🧪 Nebulizer therapy guides and medication schedules
• 🏡 Stall environment audits

Don’t leave respiratory health to chance. Let us help you build a clean-air plan that supports performance and comfort. 💙🐴

🏁 Final Thoughts

Equine asthma may be complex, but your feeding system doesn’t have to be. By choosing to feed hay at ground level instead of from a net, you can reduce dust exposure and support your horse’s respiratory system naturally. Small changes can make a big difference. 🐴🌾💨

Need a “Clean-Air Checklist” or a “Respiratory-Friendly Feeding Guide”? Visit AskAVet.com to download yours today! 📄📱