Posted: 14th December 2018 | Back to news feed
The very first edition of the Global HorseTech Market Report profiles some of the most exciting, innovative and disruptive new technologies available to the modern equestrian or veterinarian in 2018. The objective of the report is to highlight these companies and their products, helping to educate the reader about the latest tools that will help them improve the lives of their horses and have the most successful partnership possible.
One of the companies featured in the Global HorseTech Market Report is Sam Murphy the inventor & founder of Equilux Performance Lighting. Equilux recognises the impact of the stable environment on horse health, with Sam commenting:
“In the stable the horse is exposed to many things that wouldn't be experienced in an outdoor environment such as ammonia, dust and fungal spores that can be detrimental to their respiratory health.”
A recent piece of research looked at the levels of inflammatory airway disease (IAD) in horses and found that a staggering 84% of the horses examined were suffering from an IAD, even though most of them had displayed no outward sign. The importance of good stable management practices to limit the potentially harmful effects of dusty forage and ammonia exposure is now more widely understood, and there are some brilliant tools are available for horse owners to help them ensure the very best respiratory health in their charges. Horse health company Haygain are leading the charge with their revolutionary range of hay steamers and more latterly with their innovative flooring system.
The Haygain Steamer
The majority of horse owners feed their animals dried forage, particularly during the winter months when it’s particularly difficult to source sufficient grazing to keep a horse happy and healthy. This means that not only is the horse confined to a stable, where ventilation is poor, they are also eating dried and often dusty forage. Traditionally, owners would soak hay to remove dust but it is now widely proven that soaking hay dramatically increased the levels of bacteria – meaning the forage is of poor hygienic quality and is also much less palatable.
Steaming hay has been shown to both remove the respirable dust particles in hay but also kills any bacteria and spores present – in fact, using a Haygain Steamer (from £695.00) to treat hay before it is fed lowers the dust in a horse’s personal breathing zone by 99%. Explore the Haygain Steamer range here:
https://haygain.co.uk/collections/equine-hay-steamers
The Comfortstall Flooring System
Comfortstall is completely sealed one-piece flooring system from Haygain, with tough plastic anchor strips holding the matting in place and snugly secured so that it is completely impermeable. The elimination of joins, seams and small gaps means that urine, bacteria and moisture are unable to penetrate beneath the matting.
Decomposition of urine and the resulting production of urea is the source of the strong ammonia smell commonly associated with deep litter beds and poorly-fitting rubber matting. Ammonia is an unpleasant smell to breathe in and irritates eyes, but more seriously it actually damages the airways of horses and people. The elimination of areas where spores and fungi can flourish and ammonia will ensure the best possible respiratory function and performance.
In addition, the Comfortstall flooring system also reduces the dust found in the stable by reducing the volume of bedding needed by up to 75%. Find out more about the benefits of using the Comfortstall flooring system here:
https://haygain.co.uk/pages/comfortstall
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