Quality horse stall fans and fresh water aids in horse comfort and heatstroke prevention.

As summer temperatures continue to rise, make sure you’re taking precautions to avoid heatstroke in horses and keep horses comfortable overall. Two important actions to take include installing barn fans and providing horses access to ample fresh, clean water -- always.

Preston Hickman, DVM, Wichita Equine and Sports Medicine, detailed heatstroke in horses and commons signs horse owners need to know:

“Heatstroke resembles a horse tying up and or in shock but can resemble a horse with exhaustion when they collapse. An exhausted horse might be distressed and anxious. He might have a high heart and respiratory rate that does not decrease with rest, and his skin might feel hot and dry.

Some horses become stiff and experience pain due to muscle cell damage, which can be detected by observing red or brown urine (hemoglobin and/or myoglobin uria). Horses affected this badly might go down or develop other, often life-threatening conditions such as laminitis, kidney failure or diarrhea.”

Signs of heat stroke in horses include:

• Temperature as high as 105 to 107 F
• Rapid breathing, rapid pulse
• Stumbling, weakness, depression
• Refusal to eat or work
• Dry skin and dehydration
• In severe cases, a horse may collapse or go into convulsions or a coma

BARN FANS

There are many reasons to keep your horse’s temperature under control ranging from heat stroke prevention mentioned above, as well as performance enhancement, fly control and more. When selecting your next barn fan, here are a few things to consider.

Be safe! Choose horse stall fans with an enclosed motor. This will keep dust and debris out and the fan operating as expected. More so, an enclosed motor barn fan helps prevent barn fire risk for your animals. While box fans are commonly found in horse barns, they present greater fire risk as dust and hay can more easily reach the motor, which can potentially cause a fire.

Keep barn fans clean to keep fresh air circulating in your barn. Choose a waterproof model for easy cleaning.
Keep all barn fans pointing in the same direction, with the natural flow of air to maximize circulation.
With a powder-coated mounting bracket and aluminum blades, this premium 18" indoor or outdoor fan stands up in humidity, rain and fog and ranks high among agricultural fans with its increased longevity and corrosion resistance.

With a fully enclosed motor, this direct-drive waterproof outdoor fan is maintenance-free and can easily be sprayed down to remove dirt and dust build-up to help ensure both safety and function.

FRESH WATER

The most important nutrient horses receive, and especially during warmer weather, is water. Always make sure horses have access to ample amounts of fresh water. According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners, “An idle 1,100-pound horse in a cool environment will drink 6 to 10 gallons of water per day.

That amount may increase to 15 gallons per day in a hot environment. Work horses require 10 to 18 gallons of water per day on average but could require much more in hot weather.”

The amount of fresh water available to your horse, and the source from which it originates, is critical. During warmer weather especially, water sources such as ponds and troughs can quickly generate dangerous algae. While most algae are harmless, certain types can increase horse colic risk, such as blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria.

Automatic horse waterers can conveniently offer horses ample fresh and safe water when it’s needed the most

Visit Valley Vet to learn more.

Read more: Summer Safety: Barn Fans & Automatic Horse Waterers

By Kentucky Equine Research Staff

Competitive horses often present to veterinarians with concerns about upper respiratory noise and poor performance. Researchers determined the prevalence of upper airway obstruction by retroactively reviewing medical records of barrel racing horses subjected to overground endoscopy. Upper airway obstruction was common, and over half of those horses were diagnosed with multiple causes of obstruction.

Upper airway obstructions involve structures located in the region of the soft palate and larynx at the back of the throat and include conditions such as:

• Pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia;
• Nasopharyngeal collapse;
• Palatal instability;
• Intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate;
• Medial deviation of the aryepiglottic fold;
• Recurrent laryngeal neuropathy;
• Vocal fold collapse;
• Ventromedial luxation of the apex of the corniculate process of the arytenoid; and
• Cricotracheal ligament collapse.

“Any of these conditions can have detrimental effects on ventilation and gas exchange, resulting in poor performance,” said Catherine Whitehouse, M.S., of Kentucky Equine Research.

Barrel racing is an anaerobic event that involves sprinting through a cloverleaf pattern at high speed, typically in less than twenty seconds. According to veterinary experts, barrel racing horses are frequently referred for airway evaluations with complaints of roaring and gurgling.^*

To improve their understanding of upper airway abnormalities in barrel racing horses, the researchers reviewed the videos obtained during overground endoscopy. This procedure is performed by placing a portable endoscope into the airways of horses and then evaluating the upper airway structures during rest and exercise. In total, 164 Quarter Horses involved in barrel racing underwent overground endoscopy.

No abnormalities were identified in 15% of the evaluated horses during exercise, which means most of the horses were diagnosed with upper airway obstruction. Over half of the horses with abnormalities (56%) had more than one upper airway obstruction, with a total of 279 observed obstructions during exercise. In the 140 horses with upper airway obstructions, the most common abnormalities were nasopharyngeal collapse (49%), pharyngeal instability (42%), and intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate (39%). This means that abnormalities of the soft palate and pharyngeal walls occurred more commonly than those involving the larynx.

While airway obstructions are traditionally believed to occur at high speed, the upper airway obstructions noted in this review showed that 55% occurred at low-speed, low-intensity work rather than during the high-speed, high-intensity portion of the exam (only 22%). Specifically, intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate was 19 times more prevalent during low-speed exercise. Some horses experienced upper airway obstruction during both low- and high-speed exercise.

“The researchers noted that finding more upper airway obstructions during low-speed, low-intensity exercise was unexpected. They suggested that dynamic upper airway obstructions are not simply due to extreme airway pressures experienced during high-speed exercise or muscle weakness. They proposed it could instead be due to muscular tension or increased contraction of the upper airway secondary to situational stressors or an anticipatory effect of exercise,” explained Whitehouse.

When abnormalities were observed during high-speed exercise, it was primarily during the final straight-line sprint to the finish rather than when turning around the barrels.

“The final sprint is when airway pressure changes are likely the greatest. Also, airway muscle fatigue may be a contributing factor at this point in the competition,” Whitehouse added.

Finding a high prevalence of dorsal displacement of the soft palate brings to light a recent study suggesting that upper airway abnormalities could be a result of asthma. That study suggested looking for evidence of equine asthma rather than focusing on the soft palate exclusively when faced with horses presenting for upper respiratory noise or poor performance.^**

For equine asthma, allergen avoidance and using medications such as bronchodilators and corticosteroid anti-inflammatory drugs in conjunction with high-quality marine-derived omega-3 supplement are the treatments of choice based on the most recent guidelines.^***

“EO-3 and other antioxidant products developed by Kentucky Equine Research are recommended for horses exhibiting poor performance. Providing these nutrients can help reduce the negative impact of oxidative stress created by intense exercise and demanding competition schedules. Consider adding EO-3, Nano-E, and Nano-Q10 to your feeding program to support health and performance,” Whitehouse recommended.

Reprinted courtesy of Kentucky Equine Research. Kentucky Equine Research is an international equine nutrition, research, and consultation company serving horse owners and the feed industry. Our goals are to advance the industry's knowledge of equine nutrition and exercise physiology, apply that knowledge to produce healthier, more athletic horses, and support the nutritional care of all horses throughout their lives. Learn more at KER.com.

There a more informative articles in our section on Health & Education.

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