07/17/2026
📢📢This isn't news if you have eyes and a nose, but thank you to Hodson Veterinary Services LLC for summing this up! I know our girls are just living no extra activities so keep yours safe too! 📢📢
How to Keep Your Horse Safe During Poor Air Quality and Wildfire Smoke
If you’ve stepped outside lately and thought, “It smells like a campfire and the sky looks weird,” you’re not imagining things. Smoke from wildfires can travel hundreds or even thousands of miles, and unfortunately, our horses have to breathe the same air we do.
While a healthy horse can often tolerate short periods of mild smoke exposure, horses with asthma, recurrent airway disease, chronic respiratory problems, young foals, and senior horses are at a much higher risk of developing complications.
Why Smoke Is a Problem
Wildfire smoke contains tiny particles called particulate matter, including PM2.5. These particles are small enough to travel deep into the lungs, where they can cause:
• Airway irritation
• Increased mucus production
• Coughing
• Increased respiratory effort
• Exacerbation of equine asthma
• Decreased exercise tolerance
• Secondary respiratory infections in some cases
Think of it this way: if your horse already struggles to breathe on a good day, asking them to function during poor air quality is like asking someone with severe asthma to run a marathon while standing next to a bonfire.
Horses Most at Risk
• Horses with Equine Asthma Syndrome, including heaves, RAO, and IAD
• Horses recovering from respiratory infections
• Foals
• Geriatric horses
• Horses with underlying heart disease
• Horses exercising heavily during smoke events
Signs Your Horse May Be Struggling
Monitor your horse closely for:
• Coughing
• Nasal discharge
• Increased respiratory rate
• Increased effort to breathe
• Flaring nostrils at rest
• Exercise intolerance
• Lethargy
• Decreased appetite
If your horse is standing in the pasture looking like they just finished a cross-country course while doing absolutely nothing, that’s a problem.
What You Can Do
1. Reduce Exercise
This is probably the biggest one.
When horses exercise, they breathe deeper and faster, pulling more smoke particles into their lungs.
If air quality is poor:
• Skip intense riding sessions
• Postpone conditioning work
• Avoid long trail rides
• Consider giving your horse a few easier days
Your horse is not going to lose all of their fitness because they took a smoke day.
What not to do:
Do not decide today is the day your horse needs to set a personal best, complete a conditioning ride, practice barrels for three hours, or prepare for the Olympics.
Your horse cannot simply “push through it.” Their lungs did not sign up for interval training in a giant outdoor campfire.
2. Monitor Air Quality
Check local Air Quality Index reports regularly.
General guidelines:
• AQI under 100: Most healthy horses can usually continue normal activity
• AQI 100–150: Consider reducing strenuous exercise
• AQI 150–200: Limit exercise significantly
• AQI over 200: Avoid exercise altogether and closely monitor at-risk horses
What not to do:
Do not use the highly scientific method of looking outside and saying, “Eh, it doesn’t seem that bad.”
If the sun is orange, the horizon has disappeared, and your truck smells like it has been parked next to a bonfire, that’s a clue.
3. Minimize Additional Airway Irritants
The smoke is already irritating enough.
Avoid adding:
• Dusty hay
• Sweeping barns while horses are inside
• Arena dust
• Bedding with excessive dust
If possible:
• Soak or steam hay
• Improve ventilation
• Keep stalls clean and dust-free
What not to do:
This is not the time to clean every cobweb out of the barn with a leaf blower while your horse stands inside inhaling the dust cloud.
The smoke is already doing enough damage without us helping.
4. Provide Plenty of Fresh Water
Smoke can irritate the airways and increase mucus production.
Good hydration helps keep airway secretions thinner and easier to clear.
What not to do:
Do not assume they will drink enough simply because water is available.
Some horses approach water consumption with the same enthusiasm a teenager has for cleaning their room. Make sure fresh water is available and encourage intake when needed.
5. Know Your Horse’s Baseline
A normal adult horse typically has a resting respiratory rate of approximately 8–16 breaths per minute.
If your horse normally rests at 10 breaths per minute and suddenly starts running 24–30 breaths per minute while standing quietly, pay attention.
What not to do:
If your horse is standing quietly in the pasture breathing like they just ran the Kentucky Derby, do not convince yourself they are “just being dramatic.”
Horses are actually pretty honest when they are having trouble breathing.
What About Horses With Asthma?
This is where smoke can really create problems.
Many horses with chronic asthma are already operating with less respiratory reserve than healthy horses. Smoke, heat, humidity, dust, mold, and pollen can all combine to create the perfect storm for a flare-up.
Some horses may require adjustments to medications, inhalers, or management strategies during periods of poor air quality.
If your horse has a history of respiratory disease and starts showing signs of distress, contact your veterinarian sooner rather than later.
When Should You Call Your Veterinarian?
Call your veterinarian if your horse develops:
• Labored breathing
• Persistent coughing
• Flaring nostrils at rest
• Increased respiratory rate that does not improve
• Fever
• Nasal discharge
• Significant exercise intolerance
• Decreased appetite or lethargy
Bonus Dr. Kate Reality Check
If your eyes burn, your throat feels scratchy, your lungs feel irritated, and you smell smoke every time you step outside, your horse is experiencing the same environment.
The difference is that your horse cannot walk into the house, turn on the air conditioning, grab a cold drink, and complain about it on Facebook.
They are relying on you to make good decisions for them.
Final Thoughts
The good news is that most healthy horses tolerate short-term smoke exposure fairly well.
The bad news is that horses with underlying respiratory disease often do not get that luxury.
If the air looks bad, smells bad, and burns your eyes, there is a good chance your horse is not thrilled about breathing it either.
A few days off from work, extra attention to dust control, good hydration, and careful monitoring can go a long way toward keeping your horse comfortable until the air clears.
A Final Thought
As we navigate these smoky skies, let’s keep the people and animals affected by these wildfires in our thoughts and prayers.
Many families have lost homes, livelihoods, and in some cases beloved animals. Countless firefighters, first responders, veterinarians, animal rescue organizations, and volunteers are working around the clock to help people and animals stay safe.
None of them asked for this.
Please keep our neighbors in Canada, along with the people and animals throughout the United States who are being affected by the smoke and wildfires, in your thoughts and prayers.
Whether they are directly in the path of the fires or hundreds of miles away dealing with the effects of poor air quality, these communities are facing challenges that most of us hope we never experience.
Please stay safe, check on your neighbors, check on your animals, and extend a little extra kindness where you can.
After all, we are all breathing the same air right now.
Disclaimer
This post is intended for educational purposes only and should not replace veterinary examination, diagnosis, or treatment. If your horse is showing signs of respiratory distress or illness, consult your veterinarian promptly.
