Rowan Willis and Blue Movie
EE
www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com 45
Better Breathing
Three horsemen explain
why steamed hay is
best defense against
main causes of
equine asthma.
By Kim F Miller
The well-documented fact that over 80% of active
sport horses have some degree of respiratory
problem makes more sense when you visualize
the actual size of the horse’s lungs. As Drs.
Kathleen Ivester and Laurent Couetil, of the Purdue
University College of Veterinary Medicine, explain in
their article on equine asthma, the super-thin lining
of a horse’s lungs would occupy half a football field if
it could be spread out on a flat surface.
The bloodstream takes up oxygen through this
lining. The bigger the surface area, the better when
it comes to quantity of air available. But bigger also
means more area subject to microscopic irritants
that cause inflammation: the root cause of equine
asthma.
Unfortunately, the horse’s top nutrition source
-- hay -- is the top source of these irritants -- along
with stall bedding. Haygain high-temperature hay
steaming has become to go-to treatment for drastically
reducing these irritants commonly found in
even high-quality hay.
Dressage rider and veterinarian Wren Burnley,
DVM; Olympic eventer Will Coleman; and World
Equestrian Games show jumper Rowan Willis are
among many owners who consider hay steaming
essential to preventing and managing asthma and
allergy-related respiratory problems.
Wren Burnley, DVM -- Equine veterinarian
& Grand Prix dressage rider.
Kentucky-based veterinarian Wren Burnley,
DVM, understands the science behind steamed
hay’s benefits, but personal evidence is really all she
needed. She has asthma herself and is also a Grand
Prix dressage competitor, so she understands all too
well the impact of compromised respiratory function
on an athlete. “I cannot stick my nose into a regular
bale of hay, but I can with a bale that’s come out of
the steamer,” she explains.
She recommends hay steaming for clients in
her veterinary practice and it’s a must for her own
horses and those in her husband’s dressage training
business. That’s especially true for horses of peak
competition age: typically 10 and older.
“When you look at their respiratory tracts, you see
they already have a start on scarring and the tissue
has lost some of its elasticity,” Dr. Burnley explains.
This is normal in healthy horses performing at their
peak. With even the earliest scarring and loss of
elasticity, microscopic bits of dust, mold, fungi and
bacteria can trigger inflammation in the airway and
lungs, compromising comfort and performance.
Hay steaming’s ability to reduce these irritants has
myriad prevention and management benefits, she
concludes.
Will Coleman, Olympic and
World Equestrian Games U.S. eventer
TKS Cooley is one of Will’s top young horses, already
going strong at the 4* level. He also has a mild
case of Inflammatory Airway Disease, a condition on
the Equine Asthma Spectrum. “I could tell on a few
occasions that he was not getting enough air to do
whatever the work or conditioning we were doing,”
Will explains. Since putting him on steamed hay,
“We’ve noticed overall improvements and a much
better quality to his breathing.” All of Will’s horses
get steamed hay. “At the level at which we compete,
success is the result of all the little things you do
adding up to give you the results you want. Steamed
hay is one of those little things that can make a big
difference.”
Rowan Willis, World Equestrian Games
show jumper for Australia.
Rowan’s 14-year-old mare Blue Movie presents
a classic example of how stealth respiratory issues
can be when it comes to symptoms. This is the mare
that leapt onto the world stage by winning round-one
of the World Equestrian Games show jumping in
2018.
Her symptoms, nasal discharge and an occasional
cough early into an exercise session, were
so mild and sporadic they hadn’t caused worry. “Her
minor respiratory issues didn’t stop her from jumping
around, but she certainly wasn’t able to do it to the
best of her abilities,” says Rowan.
Blue Movie has been on steamed hay for a year
now, during which time her consistent success
helped Rowan become the #1 ranked rider in
Australia with a top chance for the Tokyo Olympics.
Rowan counts steamed hay as critical to her ascent.
He notes that nasal discharge has gone from regular
to a rarity, and Blue Movie’s occasional cough early
in exercise sessions is gone.
“Nowadays, the competition is so tough at the
top, you need every little advantage you can get to
beat the McLains and Beezies.” That’s McLain Ward
and Beezie Madden, U.S. Olympic jumping veterans
who are also steamed hay believers.
Equine asthma is an equal opportunity disease:
it affects elite athletes and backyard buddies alike.
Haygain has helped them all lead comfortable,
productive lives no matter their careers.
/www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com
/4source.com