A diagnosis of asthma used to mean retirement for performance horses, or in some cases, euthanasia. But with advancements in research, good management, and the development of products that help coughing horses perform, now many riders can keep their wheezing horses comfortable and extend their lives. Asthma — also known as inflammatory airway disease (IAD), heaves, broken wind, COPD, and recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) — is one of the most common respiratory ailments in horses, whereby the horse’s air passages narrow and normal breathing becomes onerous.
