Supporting Equine Respiratory Health During Wildfires
Fire season is in full swing in California. With wildfires comes smoke, ash and decreased air quality. The smoke from recent wildfires impacts everyone including our horses.
Smoke contains carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, soot, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and trace minerals. Different burned materials (wood, vegetation, plastics, house materials) produce various compounds. Carbon monoxide, especially during the smoldering stages of fires, can be fatal in high doses. Particulate matter is the primary concern in wildfire smoke. These tiny particles can reach deep into the lungs making them more harmful than coarser particles like road dust.
Just like humans, horses can experience eye and respiratory irritation, aggravated conditions, live heaves, and reduced lung function. High concentrations of particulates can cause coughing, increased nasal discharge, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. They can also weaken the immune system and reduce the lungs’ ability to filter out foreign material.
It can take up to 6 weeks for your horse's lungs to heal completely after smoke exposure due to their unique respiratory system. Horses have a unique respiratory system with a narrow upper airway and a long distance between nose and lungs. As horses only breathe through their nose this makes it much harder for a horse to move the column of air in and out of the lungs. Horses have a higher heart rate and that faster circulating blood means the blood doesn't stay anywhere long enough to output all the oxygen it carries. This is why a horse's performance is still limited even with their big hearts that improve and can pump more blood with conditioning. Horses also breathe in and out at the same rate at their gait. As they canter, they inhale in suspension, and exhale when their first foreleg hits the ground. With this in mind, limiting exercise is important when smoke is visible. Don't have your horse do activities that increase the airflow in and out of the lungs. This can trigger bronchoconstriction, which is narrowing of the small airways of the lungs. You can refer to the Equine Air Quality infographic to determine when it is safe to work your horse when air quality is affected, courtesy of Madbarn.