# What should I do? (keep or sell the horse)



## aquariusw (Jun 16, 2014)

Long story short - I'm finally an owner of a horse that I've known/ridden for 6 years (he was my family member's horse, there were other people riding him as well at times but I've always kind of been there). Now that I'm the owner and the horse is at a new barn & I see him almost every day, I see how bad his health actually is. He's got heaves (I saw the first symptoms ~3 years ago but the last owner didn't take them seriously so it has kind of progressed from there). Right now he has clear heave line & you can see him breathing with his abdominal muscles, at winter time he coughed as well during training, now that he's outside 24/7 again you can only see heavy breathing, no coughing. But there's some nasal discharge & sometimes after training you can hear noisy (only when you listen closely) breathing. Actually I haven't done any hard training with her for months, only flatwork 2-3x per week, if even that. Some days he seems totally fine but the others he just stops and won't move, probably because it's hard to breath, so then I just end the lesson If i see he's having a hard time. It might be that he's got seasonal heaves because usually during summer time he's been better. But the fact is that he's never going to be healthy and it's only a matter of time when things get worse.

I absolutely love him and it would be really hard for me to sell him BUT i've seriously started thinking about it. Why? because I pay rent for him & only get to ride him less than 10 times a month because of his condition. For the same amount of money I pay for her I could get lots of riding lessons at some barn or could get a lease horse that's healthy. Don't get me wrong, riding is not the most important thing for me. I've spent these past 5 months barely riding him, most of the time just brushing or hand walking & spending time at the barn. But to just brush a horse and handwalk him for the amount of money you have to pay every month.. often it just seems it's not worth it. Maybe I should move on.

If you were in my shoes what would you do? Of course if I had a chance I would keep her as a paddock/easy ride horse and then find myself another horse for training but the fact is that I can't afford both..


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## jenkat86 (May 20, 2014)

All feelings and emotions aside, the truth is you are going to have one heck of a hard time trying to sell a horse like that. In fact, you will probably have a hard time even trying to _give_ a horse like that away. 

I would start looking around for a place with cheaper board. Even if that meant I needed to do more (like rough board.) And then I would start looking for people that need pasture/ companion horses. 

Either that, or fork out the money and time to manage the heaves.


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## aquariusw (Jun 16, 2014)

Thank you for your reply.

Maybe i described his situation too roughly. Like when you look at him in the paddock or ride him at his better days, it's not that bad that right now the only thing he'd be good for is just to be a paddock horse. But yeah sure the truth is he has heaves & at some point it will get worse. Acutally the barn where he's at right now is the cheapest around here that I've found so changing boards myself wouldn't really be an option. I know that it's hard, if not impossible to sell a horse like this. I wouldn't definately do it for money. If I was to "give up" on him I would find an experienced person who is, like you said, looking for companion/pasture horse. So I know he'll get a good home with those conditions that are best for him.


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## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

How old is he/she (you kept changing the horse from a 'he' to a 'her')? Depending on the horses age and training, you may be able to find a new home. But I would be completely honest about this horse's condition. If the horse is well-trained it may be suitable as a beginner lesson horse or something. 

My horse has heaves, but it isn't that bad. He coughs once in awhile when we ride, but he doesn't have a hard time breathing. He is on pasture and any hay he gets is loose (I never just let him eat out of a round bale). 

There really isn't enough information here to give an educated response. Sounds like you just recently got this horse but have known about the heaves for 3 years.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Not to be overly harsh, but you're going to have a hard time finding anyone to _take_ the animal, much less_ buy_ him. No one would willingly pay you money to take on a high maintenance, health compromised horse.


Pasture puffs are a dime a dozen, and most folks don't need or want any. I have a 30 y/o with CHF and arthritis. I got him when he was 19, and he's been retired now about 8 years. I have the means and ability to keep a pasture puff but many people don't, and like you, only want a healthy horse they can actually ride.


My suggestion is to put him down if you can't/won't spend the money to keep him comfortable. A horse with health issues is going to end up in a bad place if you decide to get rid of him, so your options are take him to a low-end auction and turn a blind eye to what will happen to him, put him down, or keep him and give up your dreams of riding seriously until either he passes or your financial situation improves to where you can afford two horses.


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## Rain Shadow (May 1, 2014)

You don't mention if a vet has seen this horse. Are you just guessing its heaves or do you know because a vet said so?

What does the vet say on work?

Is the horse on meds?


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## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

I think you need to figure out what your goals are and decide based off that. Are you willing to forgo your goals in favor of this particular horse and his needs?

Either one is fine. I think you'll find a lot of support here whichever way you choose.

For myself, I had a mare with ERU [Moon Blindness] for 5 years and, despite my wish to do more than trail ride, I chose to stick with trail riding [the thing she was most comfortable with] because I adored her and I got a lot out of caring for her.

She passed away and I got my current gelding a few months later [I had worked with him while my mare was still alive and we formed a bond]. He's ended up having some kind of muscle myopathy [thought it was PSSM for a long time, but he tested negative for both types, now it's looking like it might be Myofibrillar Myopathy which is MUCH more severe].
Due to that, he has never been reliable undersaddle [mentally] and I'm lucky if he's physically well enough to be ridden once a week. His body just doesn't tolerate weight-bearing very well. So far, in the month of May, I've been on Fabio's back twice, for a combined total of 10 minutes.

For myself, I've chosen, again, to put my goals on hold. 
My horse's comfort and happiness is the biggest joy I get out of horse ownership. For me, it's more about the relationship than it is about progression in any actual direction.

For me, I'm a nurturer to my core. I get the most "soul food" from caring for things and 'nursing' them into health [or near health].
I still have dreams of showing and doing other "normal" horse activities, but, for now, my dreams are on hold. There's plenty of time in the future for that. Human lives are so much longer than horse lives, I'm ok with waiting if that's what it takes. 
Maybe my gelding will be the one that holds the key to his disease and maybe he'll be my partner in these 'normal' horse activities...or maybe he won't. Maybe he'll be the one teaching a future horse how to drive me nuts, while being insanely cute. Who knows. And I'm ok with whatever the future holds.



Some people choose horse ownership because they want to compete and they want to enjoy doing that with an equally driven equine partner. That's great, and absolutely valid. There are horses out there that are perfect for that sort of lifestyle.

It's just a matter of deciding what is important to you and figuring out how to make that a reality.
Nursing a chronically ill horse is no fun and it really is not easy, but it can be so rewarding. It's also not for everyone. You just have to decide what you feel comfortable with.


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## aquariusw (Jun 16, 2014)

cbar said:


> How old is he/she (you kept changing the horse from a 'he' to a 'her')?


Sorry, english isn't my first language so I make mistakes sometimes. 

It's a "he" and he's 12 years old. He was my aunt's horse which means I've known him for about 6 years. But I haven't been the only rider, there's been times during those six years where other people have ridden him as well.

Yes I started worrying about his health about 3 years ago when I first heard him cough during training. I asked my aunt to call the vet, just to make sure. So the vet checked the horse and said it's nothing serious and suggested a cough syrup. Then whenever the horse started coughing again, my aunt just gave the same syrup and didn't call the vet anymore. I didn't know much about heaves back then and other people who were around said it's no big deal. So it started slowly progressing and has now gotten to this point as I described above.

He's never really been in super heavy training. He's competed a couple of times through those years but other than that he's been more like a pleasure ride type of horse. Although he had a huge potential to be a successful show jumper. He still loves to jump (haven't jumped him for about a year tho) and is quite sensitive and rather a fast than slow horse. That's quite upsetting to watch how he's eager to move but then has to stop to catch his breath.. 

How long has your horse had heaves for? Can you still ride him like you used to or do you have to do slightly lighter work because of the heaves?


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## aquariusw (Jun 16, 2014)

Rain Shadow said:


> You don't mention if a vet has seen this horse. Are you just guessing its heaves or do you know because a vet said so?
> 
> What does the vet say on work?
> 
> Is the horse on meds?


The barn manager has had horses with heaves and when I moved to the new barn last fall, he said right away that my horse has heaves. For the past 1,5 years I've thought that because of the way the horse was breathing etc. but I wasn't too sure because I didn't have any previous experience with a horse with heaves.

As I said before, when he belonged to my aunt, there wasn't much I could do. For her it was "just a cough" and nothing serious. So now when i'm the owner, I can look at the horse's situation realistically and find a solution. The vet has seen the horse for other purposes (vaccines etc) but haven't said anything then. I'm planning to call two different vets next week to plan an appointment and get more information and see what they think. Right now the horse is not on any meds. The living conditions are better than they were before (24/7 outside, no dusty environment etc).

I don't understand that some people say it's good for a horse with heaves to be in light work and when you see the horse is breathing well and is feeling good, it's okay to ride him. And that seems to work for me right now. Some days I can ride him like I used to, no problems, the horse is happy and well. At the same time others say when you have a horse with heaves the only options are to put him down or keep him as a companion horse. And that's how I feel on some days as well where when I try to ride him he just stops every now and then and won't move at all and I can see him breathing heavily.. then just end the lesson and usually when I see him breathing really heavily during tacking up, I won't even think about riding him. I guess it depends on the horse and his situation but that's just confusing.


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## aquariusw (Jun 16, 2014)

Speed Racer said:


> Not to be overly harsh, but you're going to have a hard time finding anyone to _take_ the animal, much less_ buy_ him. No one would willingly pay you money to take on a high maintenance, health compromised horse.
> 
> My suggestion is to put him down if you can't/won't spend the money to keep him comfortabl or keep him and give up your dreams of riding seriously until either he passes or your financial situation improves to where you can afford two horses.


I'm not even aiming for money if I was to sell him. I know no one would pay to buy a horse like this. I wouldn't either. If i didn't kow the horse and found out it had heaves, I wouldn't even look towards it. But because i've know this particular horse for years, he means a lot to me and I just don't want to give up on him that easily. It's really hard for me. I personally think his situation is not yet that terrible that putting down should even be an option. I understand when things get really bad then this can be the best you can do for the horse but for this particular one, not yet. I guess he could have a good few years of happy life in the right environment as a companion horse. But we'll see. Thanks for your reply.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

No one will care for him more than you. Someone else may make him work when he's suffering to do so.
I think he's better off with you than being sold. You have his best interest at heart & will make decisions based on that. 
Could you send him back to your Aunt's place to retire?


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## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

aquariusw said:


> How long has your horse had heaves for? Can you still ride him like you used to or do you have to do slightly lighter work because of the heaves?


My horse was tested for heaves....oh, maybe 10 or so years ago (he's 18). He tested positive for it, although his is not very severe. He's not on medication or anything...just has a cough once in awhile when riding. It goes away and he doesn't keep coughing through our ride or anything. And he never struggles to breath. 

Yes, I ride him as if he were 'normal'. It's never really prevented us from doing much. With that said, this horse is not in super heavy work. I pleasure ride mostly, and have dressage lessons once a week with him.


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## Regula (Jan 23, 2012)

I think that if you truly care, selling him or giving him away should be out of the question. Your question should be keep or euthanize.

I board too, and had a stretch of about a year where I couldn't ride due to my horse's health (laminitis). For a long time, it was unclear whether he would ever be rideable again. I understand how frustrating, heartbreaking and expensive a chronic health condition can be. 
For myself, I resolved that the most important thing for me is my horse's well-being. I am not in a position to board two horses, so it would have meant I pay board and am not riding. Luckily, my horse recovered again, but if he never had, I still would have kept him as long as he could have had a good quality of life.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

I am sort of in your situation.

Between my current health status and the age/condition of my horse, I cannot ride him. He is fully retired (has been for the past year or so). 
Would I like a horse that I could ride? Yes. 
Has my horse earned his retirement? Yes. 
I will continue to fund him for as long as he is happy and comfortable, regardless as to whether I can ride or not; regardless if I can afford another horse--or even lessons--or not. Should his health ever deteriorate or he is no longer comfortable, I will do what is humane.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

The most important thing for a horse with heaves, is management. That can be hard to do, if you board. The horse should be on full time turn out, and if fed any hay, it should be well soaked
He should be ridden outside, not in arenas, which can be dusty, even at the best of times-not enough to affect a normal horse, but certainly one that is sensitized, needing only a small amount of irritant, to have another episode
Since you board, thus have both that expense, plus lack of total control of management, I would advise to try and find him a home, and buy a horse that you can have full use of, and which is not a management problem.
I manage my IR horse quite intensively, and don't know what I would do, if I had to board her, as I would worry constantly. I also have other horses to ride, so not the same!


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## Chasin Ponies (Dec 25, 2013)

He basically has no future except the slaughter pen if you sell him out on the open market. Now, if you could give him to a trusted horse owner who wanted a companion horse or pasture pet, it might work especially if he can be outside most of the time. Fresh air can be very beneficial to a horse with heaves.

A client of mine was able to use her horse with heaves for many, many years even for trial rides by getting a equine nebulizer with steroids that she took everywhere she rode. It was a little strange seeing that thing on the back of her saddle but it eased the symptoms enormously. Just like a person with asthma or other lung problems. Ask your vet about them-there are a lot more treatments available for heaves than there used to be.


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## Country Woman (Dec 14, 2011)

I would have not have bought that horse 
if you have known this horse for 6 years and knew he had heaves, that is your fault sorry 

now you nay be stuck with him 


good luck trying to sell him


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

aquariusw said:


> The barn manager has had horses with heaves and when I moved to the new barn last fall, he said right away that my horse has heaves. For the past 1,5 years I've thought that because of the way the horse was breathing etc. but I wasn't too sure because I didn't have any previous experience with a horse with heaves.
> 
> As I said before, when he belonged to my aunt, there wasn't much I could do. For her it was "just a cough" and nothing serious. So now when i'm the owner, I can look at the horse's situation realistically and find a solution. The vet has seen the horse for other purposes (vaccines etc) but haven't said anything then. I'm planning to call two different vets next week to plan an appointment and get more information and see what they think. Right now the horse is not on any meds. The living conditions are better than they were before (24/7 outside, no dusty environment etc).
> 
> I don't understand that some people say it's good for a horse with heaves to be in light work and when you see the horse is breathing well and is feeling good, it's okay to ride him. And that seems to work for me right now. Some days I can ride him like I used to, no problems, the horse is happy and well. At the same time others say when you have a horse with heaves the only options are to put him down or keep him as a companion horse. And that's how I feel on some days as well where when I try to ride him he just stops every now and then and won't move at all and I can see him breathing heavily.. then just end the lesson and usually when I see him breathing really heavily during tacking up, I won't even think about riding him. I guess it depends on the horse and his situation but that's just confusing.


You need a vet out, not for a diagnosis, because it does sound like heaves, but simply to help him!! What's the point of knowing what the problem is if you don't treat him? Have the vet out, for the horses sake. That is a non negotiable first step, imo, then the vet can talk to you about long term care and if you are worried you can talk to the vet about selling or even euthanizing.

There are medications and the BO/vet should help you set up a management plan (I like to think this part has already happened with the BO at least). Like not having dusty hay is good, but there is dust in even the best hay so are you soaking it? There are a lot of "extra steps" which are a pain but make a huge difference.

Odd that heaves is worse in the winter. Is he inside more?

Let us know how it goes with the vets, that will make a huge difference.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

If he could be outside all the time, away from dust, on grass, and any hay he was fed is watered to kill the dust (you have to only feed what they will eat so it doesn't go bad), he might do just fine.

Heaves is often a management issue. Breathing dusty hay, dusty barn dust, ammonia from an unventilated barn, or any other irritants set it off. 

If I had to sleep and live in the barn and breathe the dust off of hay, I couldn't breathe either.

Get a good evaluation by a veterinarian. If there is something that can be treated, then treat it if you can. 

You might try moving to a pasture board situation. It would probably be cheaper and might solve the problem.

Smilie's advise above ^^^ is good.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

You're in a boarding situation and not able to afford two horses. The vet bills and meds on this horse will be costly.

The horse has no future once he leaves your care. My grandad had a pony with heaves so I know how it can progress no matter what is done for the horse.

If you know for fact the horse has COPD and is in an advance stage, do the right thing and have him euthanized.

It isn't easy. Nobody wants to do it but it IS the humane and ethical thing to do. 

I have had to lay five horses to rest in my lifetime - I was in a boarding situation when I had the first two PTS'd from cancer and ringbone at ages 29 & 27. It isn't like I don't know what I am talking about.


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## ShirtHotTeez (Sep 23, 2014)

walkinthewalk said:


> You're in a boarding situation and not able to afford two horses. The vet bills and meds on this horse will be costly.
> 
> The horse has no future once he leaves your care. My grandad had a pony with heaves so I know how it can progress no matter what is done for the horse.
> 
> ...


:iagree: Selling this horse will subject him to the possibility of a miserable end. Often people don't want to make the decision to have them PTS, and especially because its not free.

Your choices are to throw money at him to make it comfortable for him until it is cruel to keep him alive, or to have him PTS in which case you know he has been cared for till the last, and gone peacefully. 

Have the vet out, and get advice as to his long-term prognosis/care and when vet thinks is a point of no-return.

It is a hard decision, but only you can make it.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

"throw money at him to make it comfortable for him until it is cruel to keep him alive" it doesn't need to be that expensive. Most horses don't even need medication just management. The end could be quite awhile do. Pro's and cons but the vet will be able to sit down with you and go over that. I know plenty of horses with heaves that are like any other horse. This guy sounds pretty advanced but hence the vet, don't think worse case until talking to the vet.


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## ShirtHotTeez (Sep 23, 2014)

> "throw money at him to make it comfortable for him until it is cruel to keep him alive"


I can see now how that could be taken wrong. I just mean that even basic care of any horse (barn, feed, feet etc) is not cheap to start with and add to that regular vet visits and it adds up, not to mention any ongoing special dietary needs the horse has.

And sooner or later someone will have to make the inevitable decision.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

Some horses live productive lives for years if you can figure out what they are allergic to and get rid of that.


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## aquariusw (Jun 16, 2014)

natisha said:


> Could you send him back to your Aunt's place to retire?


No, she's not able to take care of the horse anymore.


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## aquariusw (Jun 16, 2014)

Smilie said:


> The most important thing for a horse with heaves, is management. That can be hard to do, if you board.


The place where I board him right now is kind of like a home stable. There's only 4 other horses and the barn manager lives there himself so the horses are taken care of as they were his own. There's also grass arena's available and the horses are outside 24/7. The barn manager is avare of that my horse has heaves but he has said so far it's nothing too serious and the horse seems happy. But of course he doesn't ride him. I see most of the symptoms when I try to ride him. But yes I couldn't wish for a better boarding stable for him right now, it's great compared to the one he was at before or other boarding stables available where the environment wouldn't suit his needs at all.


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## aquariusw (Jun 16, 2014)

Yogiwick said:


> I know plenty of horses with heaves that are like any other horse. This guy sounds pretty advanced but hence the vet, don't think worse case until talking to the vet.


I think too that his situation is actually not that serious yet that the only option would be to only keep him as a companion horse or to put him down. I will talk to the vet but for me it seems like there's two ways of how it could go. 

I can either get some meds from the vet (not sure what are they called in english but you give them every 6 months or so and they make the heave symptoms dissapear) and ride him like normal for about a year or more, but when the effect of the meds dissapears, all the symptoms come back even worse than they were before. So there's no point in that really but I know many people have used this option. I wouldn't definately do it because i'd rather be honest with myself and the fact that I can't ride than to give meds and pretend everything's alright and then watch the horse in pain afterwards..

So it seems to me whatever the vet says if I keep him as a paddock/really light work horse, then there's hope that he will have a longer and happier life.


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## aquariusw (Jun 16, 2014)

Yogiwick said:


> .
> 
> Odd that heaves is worse in the winter. Is he inside more?
> 
> Let us know how it goes with the vets, that will make a huge difference.


I will. He used to be inside more during winter time at the old barn. Now this winter he was a little bit better due to being outdoors more but there wasn't a massive difference. Could still hear him cough quite often at his worse days. He's always been better during summer time.


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## Country Woman (Dec 14, 2011)

please keep us posted with your horse

make him comfortable 

take care


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## aquariusw (Jun 16, 2014)

Country Woman said:


> I would have not have bought that horse
> if you have known this horse for 6 years and knew he had heaves, that is your fault sorry
> 
> now you nay be stuck with him
> ...


Okay let's make this clear. Although I'm the owner now, I didn't buy him for money. I got given him. My aunt wasn't able to keep the horse anymore so the only options for the horse were that she would sell/give it away herself to some stranger or I would take the horse and start taking care of him myself. So of course I took the horse because I love him and have been knowing him for years. I didn't want him to end up at some bad place because I was aware that he's not healthy and at that point there wasn't enough time to find a loving home for him right away so if she were to sell him, she would have literally given it to the first person interested. 

So I'm glad I got him. At first I thought I'd be able to keep him as my own and ride him etc. because all these past years people who have been riding him have done so. But when I started seeing the horse every day and riding him more often, I noticed he might be in a bit worse condition than I thought he'd be. Now I just have to face the reality and see what to do next and what's right for me and best for the horse.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Atlanta equine has some daily medications that may work for you. Check this it there website. They have some newer methods for respitory issues. 
AEC Clinic Pharmacy - Respiratory / Allergy Medications


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## DannyBoysGrace (Apr 6, 2013)

I have only read the first page. I think this is interesting:
Horse Heaves Symptoms and Treatment | Horse&Rider

My old horse has Heaves/COPD/RAO, he hasn't been officially diagnosed or anything but my granddad recognized it when he visited and so did my instructor a few years later. He gets worse in the summer so it must be the pollen. It would only really become obvious when cantering and much more so when he's unfit. The fitter he is, the easier it is for him to breathe. 

I'm sure somebody has said this already but don't feed dusty hay, if you want to be extra cautious, soak his hay before feeding. You said your horse is worse during Winter? Would you be able to work out a fitness program for him that you start asap. Exercising is good for your lungs, it makes them function better. I have breathing difficulties myself and I am much worse if I'm not fit. So try exercising but away from sand and irritating particles like that.


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## DannyBoysGrace (Apr 6, 2013)

I would also talk to your vet about medication.

I'm not sure but I remember hearing that breathing over steamy water is good for you, maybe look into that?


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

You don't need to sell your horse. Heaves needs to be managed! Just like asthma. 

My horse had a cough two years ago. First vet immediately assumed heaves. He wanted to do a transtracheal wash for $400. He put her on a medication that had sat in his hot truck for weeks. The medication did not work. Didn't do anything. $100 wasted. 

I took her to a second vet. That vet spent an entire hour examining her. First at rest, then at work. Checked her lungs and said this is probably allergy related. We started dexamethasone. A single $6 bottle lasts me 3 months. We lowered the dosage and tapered off. The next summer we treated with zyrtec 10 tablets.

I have not even needed the dexamethasone this year.

Why not? Management. I soak or hose her hay. Every day. I check the hay for mold and dust before buying... She is not stalled. If the trails are dusty we ride in front away from the dust.

My vet suggested if it gets worse or if symptoms start to increase we do allergy shots. It is a big upfront cost... $1000 the first year for the shots and skin testing. But it can stop the progression of the disease. It gets cheaper after that as you only need to pay for the shots.

You can also use inhalers. 

Not treating is the biggest mistake an owner can make, as it allows the disease to progress. I think doing allergy shots is probably the best for your case if you can afford it... if you can't I would try a combination of the dexamethasone (for $6 a bottle) and an inhaler. You use the inhaler every time you ride. Check ebay for the inhaler device. The device itself is expensive but assuming you don't break it, you can always resell it later on.


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