Respiratory disease is one of the most important health concerns facing the horse industry, and accounts for one of the biggest reasons why horses miss training days (Rossdale et al., 1985). Equine asthma, also known as “heaves,” is one of the more troublesome small airway diseases which causes an elevated respiratory rate, chronic coughing and runny nose, and affected horses often find it difficult to exhale.

Equestrians in every province of Canada are supported and represented by horse-specific provincial organizations. A perk of membership in those organizations is access to highly specialized third-party liability insurance. Other perks include education, funding, community, and representation. Here’s a summary:

I recently acquired a seven-year-old AQHA gelding named Playboy. Never in my career have I seen a horse holding that much tension in his body. His entire neck felt like one gigantic stone. I was told that he had been a rope horse at some point, was very cold-backed, had suffered some physical abuse, and that last year he endured a full rotational fall in a horse trailer and had torn his latissimus dorsi muscle.

Our Horses Lead Stressful Lives… Their genetics dictate that they live free, roam large areas, graze 20 hours a day, and have an established position in the “pecking order” of their herd. In captivity, our horses live in a confinement management system, are fed intermittent meals, and are often separated from other horses.