Healthy air, healthy stable

Introduction The welfare of horses in a stable depends on many factors but one of the most important is the quality of the air. The diseases of the respiratory system of the horse have different names depending on the developmental stage of the disease but in the origin they address all the same triggering conditions: the extreme sensitivity of the horses’ respiratory system to many allergens that may be present in the environments in which they live and/or the contact with the ammonia present in a badly treated litter. Objectives The presence of the allergens causes an allergic response/inflammatory of the bronchial tree that is expressed with cough (which is caused by stimulation performed by phlegm produced in response to contact with the allergen). Bronchospasm that occurs with time progressively narrows the lumen of the terminal portions of the bronchial tree, disrupts the normal flow of air to the deepest parts of the lung, reducing the normal exchanges necessary for the oxygenation of the blood and for elimination of carbon dioxide. Methodology The main source of allergens that cause these conditions are present in the hay dust. The condition is even more enhanced if the environments where the horses stay are inadequate and lack of proper ventilation. Irritants are also present in litters. There is no drug therapy or improvement of the products used that makes sense if at the same time you do not take appropriate measures to remove the source of these allergens. In order to limit as much as possible the contact between horse and dust / mold and other agents it is strictly necessary to adopt at least one simple rule: ensure the horse a stable with a correct ventilation. In the drawing below, you will see how the placement of adequate and properly placed openings, along with the installation of translucent surfaces in the roof which allow the heating of the air in the upper part of the stable, can create the correct natural air circulation, which with its flow removes all harmful agents present in suspension, on the ground and in stored materials. Results Without the need for mechanized air circulation or large windows, the correct positioning of air vents allow optimum air quality for the breathing of horses. This leads to a substantial reduction of all those diseases of the respiratory system generated by allergens, mold, dust and irritation given by a high percentage of ammonia in the air. Conclusions During design and construction, or in the renovation of existing structures, it is of paramount importance, before thinking about the aesthetic aspects of a stable, to carefully examine the details needed to create a healthy environment from all points of view, before all the air that horses breathe.