“It changes the whole environment in the barn.”
That is Caroline Holmberg’s short answer when asked about the impact of Airlite cardboard bedding. A core member of Canadian Olympic show jumper Tiffany Foster’s team since 2012, “Caro” travels the world and sees the gamut of products purported to help horses.
When it comes to bedding, she hasn’t seen anything quite like Airlite cardboard bedding. Made of pre-consumer cardboard, Airlite contains no dust or contaminants. It’s super absorbent and neutralizes ammonia present in urine.
Based on the response of her fellow international grooms, Caro predicts Airlite will be be the next big thing in horse bedding on the show circuit.
Tiffany’s team began using Airlite when one of their top horses struggled with respiratory issues. Their veterinarian urged them to reduce dust in their horse’s environment. Steamed hay and Airlite were suggested to address the two biggest sources of respiratory dust in the stable and, especially, in the horse’s breathing zone…
Hay and Bedding
Caro always knew that dust was unhealthy for horses, and the true extent of its potential harm is scary. She aligns with equine veterinary consensus in recognizing dust as one of the worst things horses can be exposed to.
Respirable dust is hard to avoid in the horse’s habitat. Once inhaled, the particles settle on the lining of the respiratory tract. The body recognizes them as intruders and sends defenses in the form of inflammatory agents and mucus. These constrict the airways and make it harder to breathe.
Every horse benefits from easy breathing and performance horses need every bit of oxygen to excel in their jobs.
Seeing the impact of Airlite bedding and steamed hay on Tiffany’s top horse led to adopting those environmental improvements for several of her horses – even those without any signs of respiratory issues. Reducing dust significantly reduces the risk of respiratory problems – an area of horse health where prevention is especially important.
The health of the horses in her care is priority-one for Caro, but she’s also grateful for Airlite’s additional benefits.
“This might seem silly, but for me as a groom, I love how Airlite helps keep our horses and everything else so much cleaner.” That applies to their coats, blankets, bandages, etc. “Picking shavings out of everything is not how I want to spend my time. With Airlite, everything is just so much cleaner.”
Everything smells cleaner, too, thanks to Airlite neutralizing the ammonia odors from urine.
Tiffany and team started the year with a win of the $215,000 NetJets CSI4* Grand Prix in Wellington, Florida and the Olympics loom ahead this summer. It’s all-systems-go and with Airlite bedding supporting their horses on tour stops throughout North America.
