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.

Cribbing is a compulsive behaviour in which the horse places his upper incisors on a hard surface such as fence board or stall door, flexes his neck, pulls against the object, and sucks in air. He then releases the air all at once in a grunting or belching noise. Cribbing is a stereotypy or repetitive behaviour that appears to serve no practical purpose.

At CF Fence in southern Okanagan, BC, owner Alan Cossentine recognizes the value and importance of safe, reliable fencing for livestock on farms and ranches.