Respiratory problems are shockingly common in active sport horses. But they have not been an issue for the horses in Alexandra Baugh’s program. The young professional eventer plans to keep it that way by being a stickler about their environment.
“I want to have the least number of chances that my horses will get sick, and so much of that is related to the environment they live in.”
Dust and allergens from traditional bedding are one of the biggest contributors to unhealthy animal environments. That’s why Airlite cardboard bedding has been Alex’s bedding of choice for the last five years.
The 2018 North American Young Rider Individual gold medalist was introduced to Airlite while based with the late Richard Picken and his wife and partner Joanie Morris’s facility in Lexington, KY.
“All of my horses went on it and I noticed immediate and exceptional improvements in their health,” she recalls. The benefits were especially clear with a horse who suffered regular hive breakouts, likely triggered by environmental allergens. With the switch to the dust- and allergen-free bedding made of pre-consumer cardboard, hives were no longer an issue for this horse.
Airlite Bedding For All
Campaigning developing horses at the moment, Alex continues to be a rising star in the USEF U25 program. The 23-year-old professional competes under the Altorac Eventing colors. It’s a reference to her parents’ Altorac Farm in Lexington, where she’s based.
Alex uses Airlite in all her horses’ stalls, in the trailer for the frequently long trips to compete, and at shows.
“When we used to ship our horses on regular shavings, I noticed how much they coughed when we stopped and let them put their head down during breaks,” Alex recounts. “When they travel on the cardboard bedding, they don’t cough like that. There’s no dust flying up in their face during the trip, and they don’t have a bunch of crud in their nose.”
Respiratory health is critical to any horse’s well-being and performance. It’s especially important and prioritized by eventers. The cross-country and show jumping phases require peak lung function for peak performance. And preventing respiratory problems is much better than having to manage them.
“You see so many horses that need nebulizers,” Alex comments.
Nebulizers deliver aerosolized saline solutions and/or medications to help clear and open airways inflamed by dust and irritants. While they are almost ubiquitous in home and competition management programs, Alex has not had to rely on them. Veterinarians’ top recommendation for preventing respiratory problems is addressing the equine environment and that’s worked for Alex.
She senses that more horse owners understand the importance of their horse’s environment and are looking for ways to reduce dust and allergens in them.
Cardboard Bedding Embrace
“People are getting more used to seeing cardboard bedding at a lot more shows,” she observes. “I get positive reactions and people are increasingly inquisitive about it. It makes sense because quite a few horses have respiratory issues or are hyper allergic to things.”
The benefits of Airlite’s no-dust nature are obvious in her horses’ health and in the barn. “It makes the barn so much cleaner,” she says. “When we used to use shavings at our home barn, there was always a layer of dust coating everything in the barn.”
That includes the horses. Airlite prevents dust build-up on coats and its cardboard pieces don’t stick to their coats or get stuck in their tails. “That is a saving grace at FEI competitions. When you’re prepping for the Sunday morning jog, you can shake your horse’s tail and all the Airlite pieces just fall out. You don’t have to comb through it like you do with shavings.”
Airlite has proven to be a labor and money saver, too. Its super absorbency, durability and coverage in the stall equates to spending less. Alex finds that every bag of Airlite does the work of at least a bag-and-a-half of traditional shavings.
When Airlite has finished its long life in the stall, soiled carboard pieces contribute to nice footing on galloping tracks. They are spread on fields, too, because they make great compost material. The cardboard breaks down relatively fast and helps to aerate the soil and maintain a fertile pH balance.
Peace Of Mind Practices
“I like the environmental benefits, too,” Alex adds.
Alex is a newer fan to Thymox botanical disinfectant, a complement to Airlite bedding in Green Horse Brands’ line of products that support healthy animal environments and a healthy planet.
“It’s another thing that gives me peace of mind regarding my horses’ health,” Alex says. She started with spraying her horses‘ water, feed and grain buckets with Thymox, knowing they’ll be free of disease-causing bacteria and viruses without worry of introducing toxins or harsh chemicals.
“In recent years, there is so much bacteria and things floating around horse shows, and so many horses going in and out of stalls,” she says of current biosecurity concerns. “You don’t really know where they’ve been or what they’ve brought with them.”
Building up her own business is “a bit daunting,” Alex acknowledges. “I finally feel like I know enough and have the connections to make it work.” Next on her agenda is the US Eventing Association’s American Eventing Championships over Labor Day weekend. The top horse in her developing string is Hubert des 3 Arbes and she has the CCI3*-L at Maryland Fairhill planned as their peak this fall.
Whatever her current horse power and latest competitive accomplishments, Alex has the ideal foundation for success – solid horsemanship that prioritizes her horses’ everyday health and well-being. From there, the sky is the limit
