Winter is virtually apon us. One of the things people do in winter is stable their horses inside more often, and for longer periods of time. They also tend to close barns up tighter and reduce ventillation. That leads to a buildup of ammonia in the barn and ammonia is toxic.

Ammonia is a stinky compound made of nitrogen and hydrogen. Your horse excretes nitrogen in it's urine and it is convered to ammonia. Ammonia accumulates  along the floor of your barn, in particular the stalls.  Your horse eats off the floor to a great extent and also sleeps with his head on or very near the floor.  Research has found that it is not uncommon for the level of ammonia near the floor of a horse stall to be about 200 ppm. The human safety standard is 35 ppm with a maximum exposure time of 15 minutes. Your horse may spend hours with his head near the floor at these toxic levels. These levels can cause inflamation and constriction of your horses respiratory tract. Chronic exposure can lead to decreased stamina, reduced performance and difficulty breathing coupled with coughing.

The easiest way to prevent the problem is to ensure stalls are kept as clean and dry as possible. Clean the stall without the horse in it so he is not exposed to elevated ammonia levels released during cleaning.Use one of the many different stall freshner products available that bind toxic ammonia. Finally and most critical - keep your barn well ventillated. Better a cooler barn than a sick horse.

RACE UPDATE. Nov 24, Airdrie races to a 3rd place photo finish in 2:00:4 just 0.2 seconds out of first place. Dancer got his poor grey rear end kicked and did not get a cheque..lol.