Horse Health
In general most peoples veterinarian bills are going up each year, with the cost for most horses around $200 a year – but if any health issues occur your bills can easily shoot over $1000 dollars in no time. Heeding these general horse health tips can help your horse stay healthy year round and avoid those costly vet bills.

Tip 1: Dental Care
A typical horse has 44 teeth. A simple test to check the oral hygiene is to give 4 to 5 kg of hay to the horse on an empty stomach. If the horse can eat continuously with both sides of its teeth, then the horse is having healthy teeth. If it does not eat, then it will be mostly due to pain in the teeth. In which case, it is better to show to a veterinary doctor. As the horses chew, their teeth gets worn out. This is not a problem as they keep growing teeth. But the wearing down action could result in pointed teeth, which may be filed down to prevent injury to the gum. It is advisable to learn the proper method of examining the teeth from your veterinary doctor. This will prevent last minute damage controls which can be rather painful to the horse, to you and to your pocket.

Tip 2: Exercise & Turn Out
Make sure you give your horses as much exercise as possible. Imagine, how you will feel if you are kept in one place for 18 to 20 hours. The major effect of not getting proper exercise for a horse can be colic, gut ulcers, limb issues, behavioral problems. Horses are gregarious animals who love moving and grazing around. They have to keep moving in order for breathing in fresh air, for circulation and for proper digestion. Pasture and company of other horses give a sense of safety and mental stimulation. Exercise gives proper lower limb circulation. Give exercise as much as possible. A horse should be taken outside its stable for at least 8 hours in a day. Younger horses will require at least 10 hours of turn out.

Tip 3: Healthy Stall
A healthy stall environment must have an excellent cushioning for animal comfort, a fresh water supply, ample room, it should be clean to reduce bacteria borne wet spots. The horse urine has harmful ammonia fumes leaving foals who sit close to the floor especially vulnerable; using a product such as Stall Genie can reduce harmful ammonia fumes and keep a healthy stall environment for your horses.

Tip 4: Get Educated on Breed Requirements
Learn about your horse’s special needs. Each breed has its own unique need. Breeds, susceptible to laminitis should be given less access to the spring grass. Appaloosas, which are little night blind may run in to a fence at night. Some are more resistant to cold weather. Some are less resistant to colic. Also take in to account the behavior and medical history of the horse.

Tip 5: Quality Food
It is very important to give natural food as much as possible. Pasture grass is very important. Hay can be given in winter. Digestive system related issues crop up in horses fed mainly on grain or commercial feed. Oat meal with apples and sugar is a good combination. Many horses like watermelon, pear, mango (no seed), papaya and guava. But first give a piece and see whether your horse likes or not. Berries like raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries are good. Vegetables like carrots, celery, beet greens, peas, sweet potato greens, lettuce, plantain and green beans are also good. Few horses, after a little persuasion, starts eating these food items. Man-made food like Performance pellets must be given as per the direction of the veterinary doctor. Proper vitamins and minerals are needed for energy generation, muscle protection, maintaining immune system etc. To improve appetite it is better to give Vitamin-B rich food. Bran mash is recommended for working horses who does large amount of exercise. Not all horses like vegetables and fruits.

Tip 6: Check On Horses Regularly
Check your horse each day. Know its normal daily behavior. Like, whether it is a quiet grazer or runs around more. How much does it eat daily? Any symptoms of being unwell like drastic changes in daily routine, stopped eating, should be investigated. Colic, initial lameness can be easily treated if you are watchful. Daily watch and prompt treatment can reduce cost of treatment. Remove stones and other items from hooves daily. Check the horse for injuries and abnormalities during regular grooming.

Tip 7: Safe Pasture Area
Barb wired areas should be avoided. It can cause cuts and bruises. Take care for poisonous plants around the pasture area. Pasture with lot of green juicy grasses will be always welcome. It also is a place to meet fellow horses which will improve its communication skills reducing boredom and provides a sense of safety. This will reduce behavioral issues.

By Laurie Lawrence, PhD

One of the irritating compounds that can accumulate inside a horse barn is ammonia (NH3). High concentrations of ammonia in the air can irritate the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, and mouth and possibly increase the susceptibility of animals to respiratory infections. In animal buildings aerial ammonia arises from urine and feces, so ammonia concentrations are usually highest near the floor.

Researchers at the University of Kentucky have examined the usefulness of an ammonia-absorbing compound applied to floors to control ammonia concentrations in horse stalls (Pratt et al, 2000, J. Eq. Vet. Sci. 20:197.) A commercially available ammonia-absorbing product (Sweet PDZ, Steelhead Minerals Inc.) designed for daily application to stall floors was tested in a four-stall barn containing mature Thoroughbred geldings. The dirt-floored stalls were cleaned every morning and bedded with straw.

All stalls were tested in the control condition (no ammonia-absorbing compound applied) and in the treated condition (ammonia-absorbing compound applied after cleaning in the morning). The researchers measured aerial ammonia concentrations expressed as parts per million (ppm) in two locations: near the horses’ heads with a device attached to their halters, and near the floor in the morning before the stalls were cleaned.

The ammonia-absorbing compound did not completely eliminate ammonia from the air in the stalls. However, stalls treated with the ammonia-absorbing compound had lower ammonia concentrations near the head and near the floor than the untreated stalls. At the end of two weeks, ammonia concentrations near the floor were about 25% lower than in the untreated stalls.

The researchers suggested the extent of the reduction in aerial ammonia might have been greater if measurements had been taken closer to the time of application instead of the morning after application. For example, when ammonia concentrations above three urine spots were measured before and 15 minutes following application of the ammonia-absorbing compound, ammonia concentrations were reduced by 60% or greater.

In addition to evaluating the effect of the ammonia-absorbing compound, the researchers in this study also documented changes in aerial ammonia concentration over the two weeks the geldings were kept in the barn. Ammonia concentrations remained relatively low during the first few days horses occupied the stalls, but then they increased rapidly, particularly near the floor. In the untreated stalls ammonia concentrations near the floor exceeded 200 ppm after seven days, even though the stalls were cleaned daily. The level of aerial ammonia that is unhealthy for horses is not known, however levels of 200 ppm ammonia are higher than those found to produce negative effects in other animals.

In this study ammonia concentrations measured near the halter remained relatively low in both treatment groups. Thus, it seems likely these normal adult horses were not exposed to a high level of ammonia. However, for foals or sick adult horses that spend significant amounts of time lying down, high ammonia levels near the floor might present a respiratory challenge. Application of an ammonia-absorbing compound to stall floors might reduce the ammonia exposure and possibly enhance well-being.

Article Source: http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=15077

Ideally a healthy horse should be outside in all but the worst weather; however, for horse owners who don’t have pasture to turn their horses out on, often face a huge battle facing health problems due to urine build up in the stable which releases harmful ammonia fumes, which overpower most people’s sense of smell as they enter their horses stable. These owners need a way for horse urine odor smell removal, and this can be achieved by using an ammonia absorbent.

Don’t risk the health of your horse by neglecting to use an ammonia absorbent product such as Stall Genie, which acts to absorb not only harmful ammonia but also reduces moisture reducing parasite and fly populations. Ammonia has been linked by several studies to cause respiratory diseases such as Heaves in horses, especially in young foals, you can read several of these studies by Clicking Here to visit our Education Resources.

Stall Genie Products can help you lower veterinarian bills and have a healthier horse:

• Absorbs Harmful Ammonia
• Absorbs Moisture
• Less respiratory problems
• Reduces fly/parasite population
• Non-toxic
• Easy to use

By using Stall Genie Products you will have increased the health of your horse, resulting in a healthier, happier horse, and lower veterinarian bills due to respiratory diseases caused by harmful ammonia exposure.

This video outlines just how deadly common ammonia is, and the many risks involved with ammonia fume inhalation; now imagine, living, sleeping and breathing these harmful fumes in all day long – that is what your horses and foals are exposed too if you are not using an ammonia absorbent product such as the Stall Genie system.

Ammonia is a deadly gas which enters the lungs of your horses, causing harmful health conditions such as heaves in foals, and many other problems which result in costly veterinarian bills and poor performance from your horses. By using the Stall Genie system you can absorb and eliminate harmful ammonia fumes, along with the added affect of moisture absorption and parasite/fly population reduction.

If your horses are kept in a stall, there is a chance that they may be suffering from harmful ammonia exposure – even if you cannot smell it. If you are looking for a simply, easy to use product to absorb harmful ammonia fumes and promote the health and performance of your horses, then Stall Genie products are definitely your best choice.

Benefits of Stall Genie Products
Application of Stall Genie allows the Capture of Ammonia, which over time will allow your horse to perform better by having fewer Non Noticeable respiratory problems. Why do you think you can see blood coming out of Race Horses nostrils while running…bleeding from the lungs…use of our system over time will reduce or eliminate that, and will allow all equine Athletes to perform better with fewer vet bills.

Stall Genie Works With Your Choice of Bedding
Stall Genie works WITH your choice of Horse Stall Bedding, to reduce ammonia levels, with the added affect of absorbing moisture which works to reduce fly and parasite populations.

Easy to Apply
The application of Stall Genie is simple and straightforward, you can read the complete Stall Genie Application Guide Here; however, the basic process is spray Stall Zyme liquid spray on the floor of your stall or trailer which acts to eat residual ammonia even after drying, once this is done you will spread Stall Genie granules over the floor, and next you simply lay down the bedding material of your choice – its that simple!

Reduce Veterinarian Bills and Improve Horse Health
By taking these simple steps and applying Stall Genie you will have increased the health of your horse lowering costly veterinarian bills, resulting in a healthier, happier horse.

In an article by horses-and-horse-information.com, entitled “Clearing the air: Reducing harmful stable odor is easy”, Rebecca Colnar covers the basics of how an Ammonia Absorber used in your horse stable can reduce ammonia odor making your horse happier and healthier.

As your eyes meet, there is a compelling attraction. Without loss of eye contact, you stride to his side, tears welling in your eyes. You love your horse, but you realize, as your nostrils are assaulted by ammonia fumes, that these are not tears of endearment.

These are the harmful smells of Ammonia Fumes that are being described; now imagine eating, resting and sleeping in these fumes all day long as your horse does.. fortunately there is a way To Reduce Harmful Stable Odor.

As annoying as they can be, the smells associated with barns — especially ammonia smells — are often the least significant problem from prolonged exposure to ammonia inhalation. Ammonia poses a threat to health — yours and your horse’s– when the smell becomes noticeable.

Fortunately, a regular maintenance program that draws on common sense

with products to control odor will handle the threat. Daily cleaning of stalls is a must. But how you control odors does matter. For example, hydrated lime, which is caustic, can cause problems for mature horses and is very risky with foals. The substance can burn the soft part of a horse’s hoof, and lime dust poses difficulty for the horse’s respiratory system and eyes.

Natural desiccants that absorb water without breakdown — thereby extending bedding life — make good sense.

The better ammonia-absorbing products effectively eliminate the odors at their source by locking up the molecules of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide — or, in some cases, changing the bacteria population — so less ammonia is released into the air. Several products on the market are natural, non-toxic and non-caustic. One either sprays or sprinkles the ammonia-absorbing products on the stall floor, concentrating especially on the wet areas.

Besides better smells, you’ll enjoy the added benefit of lessening the fly population in the barn and adjacent areas by creating an inhospitable environment for insect egg-laying and maggot growth. When buying an ammonia-controlling product, consider your objectives — less dampness, less ammonia, safety (non-toxicity), economy and environmental compatibility.

Stall Genie Products offer the ammonia and moisture absorption that the author refers to, by applying Stall Genie you will have increased the health of your horse lowering costly veterinarian bills, resulting in a healthier, happier horse.

As reported by petplace.com, every horse owner has a horse stall bedding preference sometimes based on tradition, some like the smell of sweet cedar shavings, some the traditional look of a deep straw bed, while others prefer the softness and absorbency of peat moss. But which bedding is really best for your horses?

Best Bedding for Your Horse

In a study conducted at the Equine Research Centre in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, five different beddings were put to the test. The main criterion was absorbency. Theoretically, the more absorbent a bedding is, the lower the levels of moisture (promoting mold growth) and ammonia (a noxious gas that irritates the airways) there should be in the barn. This should improve the respiratory health of the horses. Absorbent beddings also tend to be less dusty and easier to muck out because the soiled bedding clumps together, aiding removal and perhaps allowing less bedding to be used overall.

Researcher Susan Raymond compared straw, shavings, peat moss, hemp fibers and shredded paper in her absorbency test. When water was added to 10 grams of each bedding material, shredded paper came out the clear winner, absorbing 100 milliliters, as compared to hemp (45 ml), shavings (30 ml), and peat moss (30 ml). The most traditional bedding, straw, was the least absorbent of the samples, soaking up only 25 ml of water.

Bedding and Respiratory Health

Paper, being the most absorbent substance, might protect the horse from ammonia. To do so, it must “hide” and “trap” ammonia. It will take further testing to confirm this feature of paper.

Molds, on the other hand, thrive in moisture so paper bedding should reduce molds if it is removed promptly. Herein lies one of the problems of a highly absorbent substance for bedding. Because it is so absorbent, the moisture accumulates in spots, exposing the horse to clumps of moist bedding, unless it is meticulously managed.

Maximum Absorbency Brings Added Weight

Of course, with maximum absorbency comes a downside: added weight. Anyone who has mucked out a truly soaked stall can attest that it can become backbreaking labor. In this regard, shredded paper might be a liability because Raymond’s study showed that at maximum water absorption it could increase its weight by a staggering 900 percent. By comparison, hemp – at its maximum absorption level – increases by 400 percent, peat moss by 300 percent, shavings by 250 percent and straw by 225 percent.

Also, you can make your straw or shavings just as absorbent as paper, by adding three times as much, which is typically done. The use of more straw adds other benefits of course, such as greater floor padding, less direct contact of the horse to the moisture, and a “thermal barrier” from the ground.

Molds in Bedding

Other studies performed by the ERC’s respiratory health research team have indicated that when it comes to mold, straw comes out the loser, harboring hundreds of times more mold spores than other beddings even when it appears clean and bright.

Mold is incorporated into straw at baling time, originating from the natural environment and the grass itself. Moisture present at baling time increases mold growth. Straw that was bailed very dry will harbor much less mold than straw that was baled damp. You can’t smell or even see the mold in many cases, as the spores (dormant stage of the mold) are microscopic. The significance of mold of course is that it can be breathed in, causing inflammation in the airways, leading to cough, exercise intolerance, and worse, heaves.

Bedding Mares and Foals

Straw is still the bedding of choice, however, for foaling mares. Most farms find that straw is far less irritating to the mare and newborn foal and the stall much easier to clean afterward. The foals like to sleep in the straw and get some thermal protection from the cold ground when it is thickly bedded. Straw allows the moisture to seep through, so there is less direct skin contact with urine on straw. Within a week of foaling, many farms switch the bedding to wood shavings or another clean, absorbent bedding.

Horses That Eat Bedding

Straw is a favorite snack of some horses, and because it is so dry, the horse needs to drink more water. If a horse really goes for the straw, it may promote digestive problems (e.g. impactions) if they’re not used to it. It may also substitute for more nutritious feeds.

Disposal of Beddings

In terms of compost, straw breaks down faster than other types of bedding, with the possible exception of hemp. Shavings and shredded paper, in particular, may not significantly change their composition on your manure pile for months or years.

All of these factors may have a bearing on which bedding you choose. But you also will have to take into account local availability, cost, your storage facilities and the type of horses you’re housing.

To lower the levels of ammonia in your horses stalls and increase overall horse health – consider the purchase of an ammonia odor absorbent and odor blocking product such as the Stall Genie system, which can be used in conjunction with your chosen type of horse bedding. To learn how Stall Genie can work with your chosen bedding read How to Apply The Stall Genie System.

Recently reported by horsetalk.co.nz, new research has uncovered that stables reeking of urine are not only unpleasant, but they are harming the lungs of horses.

A British research project has confirmed that stabling horses results in increased exposure to environmental ammonia. That ammonia is associated with respiratory problems.

The presence of ammonia in stables, which is caused by the decomposition of horse urine and dung, has long been a concern of horse owners and yard managers. But there has been little scientific research to back up the link between respiratory problems and ammonia.

However, research that received funding from The Horse Trust has found that stabling, regardless of bedding or forage types, results in increased levels of environmental ammonia and respiratory inflammation.

The research, led by Professor Sandy Love at the University of Glasgow, studied eight yearling Welsh Mountain ponies, who were alternatively housed and grazed repeatedly for periods of three weeks.

Three times each week, a variety of substances were monitored, including dust, endotoxin and ammonia within the environment, and the level of various gases and pH of the horse’s exhaled breath.

The forage and bedding within the stables were varied to test whether this had any impact on the pony or the stable environment.

Love found that the stabling of horses resulted in increased exposure to environmental ammonia and that this was associated with an increase in the pH of the horse’s exhaled breath.

Under the study conditions, no significant differences were found in ammonia levels under the different grazing and stabling conditions.

Love was also able to confirm earlier research, that stabled horses are exposed to dust and endotoxins.

“Horse owners have long worried about the ammonia smell in stables, but there has been little scientific evidence to back this up,” Love said.

“These findings confirm that ammonia is linked to poor respiratory health, although further research is needed to confirm whether and how ammonia causes respiratory problems,” Love added.

To lower the levels of ammonia in your horses stalls and increase overall horse health, read 4 Indoor Horse Health Tips – and consider the purchase of an ammonia odor absorbent and odor blocking product such as the Stall Genie system.

Living inside a stall can be harmful to the health of horses due to ammonia, which can build up into high concentrations causing respiratory infections, allergies, and heaves which are frequently seen in young foals who lie close to the stall floor.

In the summer you may choose to keep your horse indoors for show preparation, or not having the space available to turn the horse out. In winter the climate in most states is cold enough to where most people likely have their horses inside a tightly sealed barn – if this is the case then you need to be aware of the ammonia health risk your horses face.

One of the more stressful things done to our horse’s respiratory tract is to keep them in a barn with the doors shut. Horses spend a lot of time with their head on the floor close to harmful ammonia. Ammonia is a very toxic compound to lung tissue. Ten parts per million (ppm), the level where you can just detect an ammonia smell, is already toxic, and at 30 ppm your eyes will water. In one study, men working a 40-hour week in 11 ppm of ammonia developed ulcers in their lungs. Air circulation studies in English barns point to increased ammonia and dust as significant factors in the development of allergic lung disease such as heaves in horses and foals.

Sometimes it is hard for horse owners to realize the level of harmful ammonia in a stall, because they do not get down to the horse’s level and smell the ground, especially after a horse has spent 12 or 15 hours in the stall. If you walk into your barn in the morning and can smell ammonia there is a severe problem, and in those barns I see a much higher instance of respiratory disease. However, many barns have an ammonia problem and the owner does not know it, because the humans that inhabit the barn have become accustomed to the smell. Ask a friend who has no horses if they can smell ammonia in your barn after it has been closed up all night. Believe their answer; theirs will be the most objective opinion.

4 Indoor Horse Health Tips

Tip 1: During the winter when your barn is most likely sealed up – and likewise during the summer, be sure to open doors and windows periodically to let sunlight in and air the stalls out.

Tip 2: Try to avoid the use of blowers in the barn, they kick up an amazing amount of dust further putting stress on your horses lungs. Try a good old-fashioned broom, unless the horses are out of the barn.

Tip 3: If you are not using an ammonia odor absorbent like Stall Genie, then try to clean the wet spots in your stalls each day; allowing these wet spots to build up, then cleaning the stall once a week increases the ammonia at nose level for the horse, even though you may not smell it when inside the stall. However, using an ammonia absorbent and odor control product such as Stall Genie can lessen the need to clean stalls daily.

Tip 4: Most straw or horse bedding is not very absorbent, and will allow the build up of ammonia and moisture housing parasite populations; use an ammonia absorbent and odor blocker system such as Stall Genie Granules and Stall Zyme sprayer to help eliminate harmful ammonia odor and the diseases that accompany the exposure to ammonia in horse stalls.

Letting your horses out to exercise and breathe fresh air, even in the winter can vastly improve their overall health; however, for when they are kept inside the stall, following these 4 tips can greatly reduce harmful ammonia exposure and increase the horses overall health, resulting in less veterinarian bills for horse owners, and happier, healthier horses that perform at their peak.

When harmful ammonia accumulates in the stalls, trailers and barns where your horses reside, numerous studies have shown that it is more than simply a bad odor – Ammonia is harmful to your horses health, providing respiratory conditions, with horse foals especially vulnerable as they stand lower to the floor of the stall where the ammonia fumes emit.

To learn what experts in the field have concluded through numerous studies in the health of horses when in contact with ammonia, please read the following articles:

Harmful effects of ammonia inhalation include burning of the delicate tissues of the lungs and eyes, narrowing of the throat and bronchi, fluid in the lungs, airway hyperactivity and COPD.
Ammonia is the Enemy

That pungent barn smell is a sign your horse is breathing a hazardous chemical.
Ammonia Beware

How Can Stall Genie Help?

Simple, Stall Genie Products work by absorbing and eliminating deadly ammonia fumes and moisture. The absorption of moisture will help eliminate populations of parasites and flies which thrive with moisture, while the Ammonia absorption will improve the health of your horses and foals reducing veterinarian bills and resulting in a happier healthier horse.
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