Using natural remedies for allergies

Everyone (well, almost everyone) loves a trip to the seaside. Bracing breezes, salty air, soft sand, and cooling water make it the perfect place for stressed-out humans to cure their aches and pains, mental stresses, and other issues that plague them – like allergies.

Racehorses, especially those seeking to be at peak physical condition, are no different. A change of scene can be as good as a rest, and as a horse cannot tell you what is bothering them, a trainer has to consider every possibility when trying to assess what might be wrong. Physical stress is usually obvious, but things like allergies, increasingly common in the human world, are not always as apparent. Humans suffer allergic reactions to climate, atmosphere, foodstuffs, and all manner of products that can produce nausea, headaches, stiffness, or skin problems. Horses can be no different, but as they can’t talk, the remedies might not always be so apparent.

Trainer Ciaron Maher, who has invested in a bucolic training facility at Fingal on the Mornington Peninsula, has found a way to make horses happy at the seaside and clear some of those allergy problems, the
most common of which are respiratory issues caused by environmental factors. The Maher-trained galloper Pintoff, a six-year-old son of Toorak Toff, is a recent addition to the stable, having joined from Carly Cook’s yard after a listed race win in his penultimate preparation in May 2023.

Maher’s assistant trainer, Jack Turnbull, explains that Pintoff, a fussy eater with weight and appetite issues, developed respiratory problems in traditional stabling situations. Life at Fingal has suited him well, reducing his allergy issues and improving his overall condition.
“I wouldn’t say he was allergic to hay because we feed him three different types of hay down at Fingal, but he had an issue with respiratory problems which triggered some other problems for him,” Turnbull explained.

Turnbull believes that the fresher air and time spent out of the traditional stable complex at Fingal have helped Pintoff recuperate.

“There’s no doubt that outdoor life suits him. At Fingal, they are outdoors, close by the sea, have fewer allergies, and there are fewer pathogens in the air.

We get them to live in groups of two, three, or four; there’s more of that herd environment, and they tend to do very well together. They are in the paddocks 24 hours a day. It’s a lot more natural and less tense mentally and physically.”

Leading Australian veterinary surgeon Dr Toby Koenig confirmed that respiratory allergies – where animals develop an intolerance for particles or substances in the air they breathe – are the most common in the racing industry. Dr Koenig, formerly chief vet for Racing NSW and Racing SA, has moved to the rapidly expanding racing industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as director of veterinary services. He explains that inflammatory airway disease is the most common issue, likening it to allergic air disease in people
or asthma in athletes.

“It’s a function of the way that we house horses and a function of the climate and environment,” says Koenig. “Think of kids in a school environment. You are introducing them to a new environment with other horses and the little sniffles, bugs, and viruses that go around. As they mature, so does their immune system, but a proportion of the population is more susceptible to this inflammatory airway disease, and it can be quite performance-limiting.”

Horses can develop various allergies from their environment, such as reactions to food, wood shavings in bedding, mould from damp hay or feed, hives from injections or insect bites, or pollen in the air.

Consider the case of Nature Strip, the world-champion sprinter, who developed hay fever due to an allergy to his straw bedding. Trainer Chris Waller solved the issue ingeniously by switching Nature Strip’s bedding to cardboard, effectively eliminating the problem

Dr Koenig explains, “Inflammatory airway disease can manifest as allergic airway disease, involving specific white blood cells that release histamine and other inflammatory substances. Dusty environments can exacerbate this, causing inflammation in the lower airways.”

He continues, “Horses can also develop allergies to skin conditions and food, but airway inflammation is a primary concern. Given their size and athletic performance, horses require optimal respiratory function. Even small compromises in air quality can impact their performance, as they require significant volumes of air during exertion.
“In veterinary medicine, allergy diagnosis methods like skin testing, common in small animals, are less prevalent in racehorses. Instead, managing environmental factors is key.”

Managing these environmental factors effectively can significantly enhance a horse’s respiratory health and performance, ensuring they perform at their peak during competition.