Protecting your horse from wildfire smoke comes down to monitoring the Air Quality Index (AQI), matching every level of work to the current AQI band, and giving the equine airway four to six weeks to heal after the smoke clears. Fine smoke particles under one micron reach the deepest airways in the lung, so waiting it out without a plan is not a welfare strategy.
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What does wildfire smoke actually do to a horse’s airways?
Wildfire smoke damages the equine airway because the particulates are typically less than one micron in diameter, small enough to travel past the upper airway and settle deep in the lung, according to UC Davis Veterinary Medicine. The respiratory injury can range from mild irritation to severe smoke inhalation-induced airway or lung damage.
Nasal breathing filters most particles larger than five micrometres, but mouth breathing bypasses that filtration entirely, which is a key concern for hard-working horses, according to University of Nevada, Reno Extension. A University of Calgary study of polo horses at maintenance fitness found every horse coughed at rest and during exercise, with lung wash showing respiratory tract inflammation in all of them.
Airway damage from smoke takes four to six weeks to heal, even after the air clears, according to UC Davis Veterinary Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno Extension, and EquiManagement.
How do you read the AQI for horses?
The Air Quality Index runs from zero to 500, with higher values signalling greater air pollution and greater health concern, according to University of Nevada, Reno Extension. The scale is divided into six colour-coded bands: green (0–50), yellow (51–100), orange (101–150), red (151–200), purple (201–300), and maroon (301 and higher).
PM2.5 is the fine particulate matter under 2.5 microns in diameter that reaches the deepest airways of the lung, according to University of Nevada, Reno Extension. Australian readers should note the local AQI is calculated differently from the US EPA scale the research literature references, so the colour band, not the raw number, is the practical guide for daily decisions.
Mad Barn publishes equine air quality guidelines created by Alta Equine Sports Medicine that translate those bands into work recommendations for horse owners.
What work is safe at each AQI level?
Work recommendations shift by AQI band, and the safest approach is always to reduce workload before a horse shows visible distress. At orange (101–150), light work only is recommended, and less again for horses with existing respiratory issues, according to University of Nevada, Reno Extension.
At red (151–200), horses should do a slow walk or no work at all, and Mad Barn classes this band as high risk. At purple (201–250), no work is recommended under working-horse guidelines, and Mad Barn classes 201–300 as very high risk with all activity postponed. At maroon (251+ and 301+), no work is recommended, and relocation should be considered at 301 and above.
The United States Equestrian Federation advises event organisers to consider cancelling or suspending competition at AQI 151 or above, according to UC Davis Veterinary Medicine. Strenuous events such as trail riding, outdoor horse shows, and cutting or sorting should be avoided during long-term smoke events, according to University of Nevada, Reno Extension.
When should you call the vet?
Contact a veterinarian if a horse’s respiratory rate is consistently above 30 breaths per minute at rest, according to UC Davis Veterinary Medicine. A typical equine respiratory rate is 12 to 24 breaths per minute, and breathing should never look strained or laboured, according to Mad Barn.
Smoke-affected horses may be treated with IV fluids, DMSO, flunixin, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, pentoxifylline, and oxygen under veterinary direction, according to EquiManagement. Horses with pre-existing conditions such as heaves need a lower threshold for rest and earlier veterinary involvement than healthy herdmates.
How long should a horse rest after smoke exposure?
Allow four to six weeks for complete healing of the airways after air quality returns to normal, according to UC Davis Veterinary Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno Extension, and EquiManagement. Return to exercise no sooner than two weeks after the atmosphere is fully clear of smoke.
If the AQI never returns to the good range, treat the four-to-six-week recovery window as starting from the last sustained clean-air period, and extend rest accordingly. Prolonged low-level exposure at AQI 51–100 over multiple weeks still warrants reduced workload and monitoring, even though no formal threshold exists in the current literature.
What can you do around the barn to reduce smoke exposure?
Barn ventilation and indoor air filtration are the practical levers during smoke events, though peer-reviewed equine data on their effectiveness is still limited. Avoid exercising horses during smoke events, since mouth breathing during work bypasses nasal filtration and lets both large and small particles into the airways, according to University of Nevada, Reno Extension.
Provide clean, dust-free forage and fresh water to reduce the total respiratory load on already-irritated airways. Smoke from structural fires carries plastics and building materials and may differ in health impact from vegetation-only wildfire smoke, so treat structural smoke exposure with extra caution.
How does Equine Salt Therapy support equine airway recovery?
Equine Salt Therapy offers Licensed Business Opportunities and Master Licenses for Equine, Poultry, Swine and Companion Animals, with territories sold under license and Master Licenses available across various modalities under US Patent 11,497,593 and CA 3019046. The patented dry salt aerosol delivery system creates a microclimate that supports high performance, rapid recovery and wellbeing, and reduces the pharmaceutical footprint of training centres and reliance on medically important antibiotics.
Treatment takes fifteen minutes, is recommended over three consecutive days, and is natural and non-invasive. Licensees are known as Practitioners, and their horse and animal clients are known as Salties. Pricing for Licensed Business Opportunities ranges from $110,000 to $1,000,000.
Key Takeaways
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Wildfire smoke particles are usually under one micron, small enough to reach the deepest airways of the equine lung.
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Airway damage from smoke takes four to six weeks to heal, and horses should not return to exercise sooner than two weeks after the air is completely clear.
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The AQI runs from 0 to 500 across six colour bands: green, yellow, orange, red, purple and maroon.
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At AQI 151–200 (red), horses should do a slow walk or no work at all; at 201+ no work is recommended.
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Call a veterinarian if a horse’s resting respiratory rate stays above 30 breaths per minute.
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A normal equine respiratory rate is 12 to 24 breaths per minute and should never appear strained.
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Equine Salt Therapy’s patented dry salt aerosol system supports rapid recovery and wellbeing, with Licensed Business Opportunities and Master Licenses available under US Patent 11,497,593 and CA 3019046.
