Low-intensity exercise may briefly ease severe equine asthma

Low-intensity exercise that can be done in the field may temporarily open the airways of horses with severe equine asthma, according to a new Equine Veterinary Journal study from Sophie Mainguy-Seers, Sarah-Maude Grondin, and Jean-Pierre Lavoie at the Université de Montréal. The paper reports a mean roughly 50% drop in pulmonary resistance after submaximal aerobic exercise, a bronchodilation effect the authors say is comparable to bronchodilator therapy. The finding adds a practical, nonpharmacologic option to a disease area where environmental control remains central, but medical therapy is often still needed. At the same time, a separate EVJ study found that feeding steamed hay for four weeks caused a mild but significant worsening in lung function and airway inflammation in horses with severe equine asthma in remission, with no significant advantage over dry hay in that crossover trial. (vettimes.com)

Why it matters: For equine veterinarians, the exercise study is notable because it points to a field-applicable management tool that may provide short-term relief without relying on medication, which could matter in horses where treatment access, competition rules, or pet parent compliance complicate care. But the broader message from the recent literature is still cautionary: severe equine asthma remains primarily an environmental disease driven by inhaled irritants, and newer data on steamed hay suggest that dust-reduction strategies don’t always translate into meaningful clinical protection. That reinforces the need to prioritize proven low-dust feeding and housing plans, use lung function and BALF findings when possible, and avoid assuming steamed hay is inherently protective. (aaep.org)

What to watch: The next question is whether repeated low-intensity exercise can deliver durable clinical benefit, and how it might fit alongside established environmental management and inhaled therapies in real-world severe equine asthma protocols. (vettimes.com)