Horse. Big, small, fast, magnificent. Sometimes scary, sometimes gentle. It is the most useful animal. With their help back in the old day they plowed fields, now we use them for sports such as horseback riding, horse racing, polo. Horses are animals that help in other ways as well. Equine therapies help to stabilize emotional and mental health. Interactions with horses offer a unique opportunity for a person to learn about their role and dynamics in human relationships in a safe, non-judgmental and experiential way.
When the equine does not feel well
Equine also can have health problems. If healthy equine is cheerful, in good mood, has shiny mane and a good appetite then a sick equine is anxious, restless, does not want to interact or participate and can even be aggressive.
Common health problems in horses are cough, allergies, laminitis, colic and various injuries. We will focus on those diseases that Equine halotherapy can help.
If you hear your equine to cough while eating or drinking it is probably nothing. It may be that just a little dust has entered its airways. Cough is the natural defensive response of the respiratory tract, which is cleared in this way.
Sometimes, however, coughing in horses is an early sign of illness or inflammation.
- Pneumonia – inflammation of the lungs, especially tissues
- Recurrent airway obstruction (equine asthma, chronic emphysema, COPD) – a respiratory disease, caused by exposure to dust, usually in dusty closed stables, with poor ventilation. Most commonly affects equines older than 6 years.
- Bronchitis and bronchiolitis as an allergic reaction to inhaled particles like molds in hay and straw.
- Cold is most common in cold months, when equine immune system is weaker and viruses like to spread. During winter equine spend more time in stable. This is where they are in direct contact and that enables the virus to spread rapidly.
- Asthma
- Influenza
- Inflammatory airway disease (also called “small airway disease”) – commonly found in young racehorses and successful horses that occasionally perform poorly, with or without coughing
- Pleuropneumonia – a bacterial infection of the lungs, as well as pleural lining between the lungs and chest wall
- Rhinopneumonitis – a highly contagious disease caused by herpesviruses (EHV-1, EHV-4)
Allergies, hives, dermatitis, hypersensitivity are really annoying for an equine and a lot of different things can cause them. First it can start with hives, you can feel the raised hump on the skin.
The most common allergy is an allergy to hay dust and can progress to asthma if not detected at the right time.
- Pollen from trees, weeds, bush
- Shampoos
- Dust and mold
- Medicines or supplements
- Insects
- Fly spray
- Synthetics or coatings on equipment
Equine can also have problems with skin. Some skin conditions can safely be handled by horse owner and some need veterinarian. Skin problems can be caused by an insect bite, sunburn, bacterial, fungal, viral infection, allergic reaction, abrasion, bruise, compromised immune system because of poor nutrition, age, etc. Different causes can look remarkably similar. The skin can become itchy, scaly, it can become abnormal red, thickening and also a hair loss can occur. If not treated boils, scabs, scales or blisters can be seen. If inflammation occurs, crusting and scaling develop, fluid discharge, pain, shedding, the skin becomes drier.
Let’s look at some common skin problems, that equine can have.
Rainrot
Rainrot is wet conditions disease. It appears with scabby crusts with raised bumps with upright tufts of clinger hair. It is a bacterial infection, very uncomfortable, painful. It can cause patches of hair loss.
Aural plaques
Aural plaques can be detected inside the ears. It is flat, crusty, raised white lesions and the skin may be pink and sensitive. It is caused by an equine papillomavirus.
Ringworm
Ringworm is a fungal infection, that is shown as rounded hairless patches with crusty skin, that can be itchy and sore.
Dandruff
Equine have dandruff too and it can be dry or oily.
Mange
Mange is a itchy parasitic infection and is shown as small and round bumps, soon followed by bald spots on skin, which is scaly and thickened.
Allergic dermatitis
Allergic dermatitis can show up on any part of equine skin especially if it is sensitive. Various substances like plant particles or something in the air or with the food can trigger and give hives or rashes to equine.
Pastern dermatitis (mud fever)
This kind of dermatitis causes the skin around a equine ankle to appear greasy and if it progresses, the skin can become inflamed, swollen and hot to touch with scabs.
Summer itch
This skin allergy is caused by biting midges when saliva of this beings comes in touch with equine skin and it overreacts.
How can halotherapy help?
Halotherapy is a drug free, 100% natural treatment, suitable for all age and disciplines. It is a therapy with dry aerosol of pure salt, that has a variety of benefit on respiratory system and skin. Horses with symptoms including respiratory issues, allergies or skin irritations can experience significant and lasting relief following salt therapy treatment.
Humans are not the only ones that benefit from halotherapy. Other land-based breathing animals such as horses have a respiratory and lung system similar to that of people.
And, like people, horses are exposed to the same air we breathe which often contain pollutants, pollen, allergens, airborne diseases and more. They often experience the same issues including inflammation, extra mucus, and restrictive breathing. halotherapy is designed to rapidly replenish depleted mineral salts and rejuvenate cells, clear mucus and treat a variety of skin conditions such as dermatitis, sweet itch, boils, mud fever and ringworm as well as general wound care.
Read more Humans inhale and exhale somewhere around 7 to 8 liters of air each minute, while nearly 60 liters of air move in and out a horse’s lungs every minute. Equine have a large lung capacity and often have issues with normal mucociliary clearance. A clean respiratory system from halotherapy will allow for improved lung function, increased oxygen carrying capacity and clearer airways. These vital performance enhancers may increase the horse’s stamina, raise its energy level, and help it run faster. During halotherapy equine lungs are exercising and are getting stronger and lung capacity can increase. Equine also face extreme skin conditions from being exposed to wind, dirt, mud, and other factors. Because dry salt is ultra-absorbent, the microparticles permeate into the epidermis of your pet’s skin, absorb oils, and reduce the frequency of irritating skin conditions. The natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties of salt can prevent the development of irritating skin conditions and help normalize the skin’s pH level. Head Shakers – This frustrating and painful syndrome can have a significant impact on the horse’s welfare various triggers include heat, cold, wind, dust, irritant gases, moisture, dryness, pressure or anything that stimulates and sensitizes the respiratory surface, such as allergies. When your equine inhales the sodium into his body this then plays a vital role in the function of the central nervous system and helps the transportation of glucose across the cell membranes. Salt is also a natural antihistamine that helps strengthen the body’s immune response to these allergies.
BENEFITS OF EQUINE HALOTHERAPY:
- Clears Mucus from Respiratory System
- An Effective Decongestant
- Perfect Complementary Treatment
- Drug-Free/Eliminates the Need for Medication
- Anti-Inflammatory
- Anti-Bacterial
- Antihistamine
- Anti-Fungal
- Strengthens Immune System
- No Discomfort
According to Rookery Equine Ltd – Fitness and Rehabilitation Centre, this is how beneficial halotherapy can be:
Equine Joey with allergies
Do you have a horse suffering with allergies?
Joey came to visit us last February whilst suffering with heaves, weeping eyes and a nasal discharge. A short stay with us on a salt chamber to help boost his immune system and Joey was feeling fantastic!
Read more
“I wanted to update you on Joey as we have started with the high pollen season. Joe is back out ever day with a full face mask, antihistamine and using pollen ex (new this year) we have no heaves, no nasal discharge and hardly any weeping eyes. This time last year we had heaves I had just purchased the nebuliser was constantly on steroid intervention. I am thrilled how well he is and the fact that we can still hack out. But more importantly I am not worrying what I will be faced with every day. I know it is very early days but I am feeling super positive like never before! Just thought I would let you know I feel like this is a success story for us!”
Equine with Mallenders and Sallenders
These pictures are from one of our regular clients whose horse suffers with Mallenders and Sallenders.
This is a skin condition caused by the over production of keratin and is reasonably common in horses with heavy feather.
Although there is no cure for this skin condition, we have found a number of clients that have used the salt chamber are seeing huge improvements in their horses legs after just 3 sessions.
The benefits of halotherapy treatment are anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, antihistamine, anti-fungal, drug free/eliminates the need for medication.
Equine Smithy with Mallenders and Sallenders
He arrived suffering with severe itching on his legs and whilst also here to lose some ‘lockdown’ weight, he also had 3 sessions in the salt chamber.
Halotherapy is a drug free, non invasive treatment for horses with skin and respiratory conditions and also helps increase lung capacity in sport horses.
You can implement halotherapy for equines as an additional offer from your company, or you can buy a halogenerator and perform halotherapy for your equine in your home barn. It really is a very simple, yet powerful method, that helps people and animals around the world.
