Minimising feeding behaviour interference: A hay-shaker device to assess dust exposure in horses.
Authors: Bouverat, Naef, Dolf, Lamon, Sage, Gerber
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Minimising Feeding Behaviour Interference: A Hay-Shaker Device to Assess Dust Exposure in Horses Organic dust from hay represents one of the most significant environmental triggers for equine asthma, yet assessing dust exposure has been hampered by the lack of standardised measurement methods. Bouverat and colleagues developed a novel hay-shaker device capable of generating measurable dust across all particulate matter (PM) size fractions—including the respirable PM4 particles most damaging to respiratory health—and validated it against dust measurements taken in 50 horses' breathing zones during natural feeding. Their regression models explained 69–73% of breathing zone dust variance, revealing that whilst hay dust generation itself is a crucial factor, feeding behaviour (quantified by a Hay Contact Score) emerged as the strongest predictor of actual dust exposure an individual horse experiences. Environmental conditions including ambient temperature and humidity also modulated exposure significantly, suggesting that stable management practices directly influence dust inhalation risk. This standardised hay-shaker methodology offers equine professionals a practical tool for quality assurance when selecting hay, enabling data-driven decisions about forage procurement with direct implications for respiratory health in stabled horses, whilst the prominence of feeding behaviour in the models underscores the importance of adjusting management strategies (feeding height, wetting protocols, ventilation) alongside hay selection itself.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Use hay quality assessment tools (like the hay-shaker device) to make informed hay selection decisions that support respiratory health in stabled horses, particularly for asthmatic individuals
- •Monitor feeding behaviour and hay contact patterns in individual horses, as these significantly influence dust exposure independent of hay quality itself
- •Consider environmental factors (temperature, humidity, stabling conditions) alongside hay quality when managing dust exposure, as these modify the relationship between hay dustiness and breathing zone exposure
Key Findings
- •A novel hay-shaker device reliably generates measurable dust across all particulate matter size fractions (PMT, PM1, PM2.5, PM4, PM10) for standardised hay dust assessment
- •Regression models explained 69-73% of breathing zone dust variance, with hay contact score showing the strongest positive association with breathing zone particle exposure
- •Environmental factors (temperature, humidity) and individual feeding behaviour significantly influence dust concentrations in the horse's breathing zone independent of hay dust generation
- •The hay-shaker device with PM4 measurement plus hay contact score, cohort, temperature and humidity predictors achieved robust accuracy (adjusted R² = 0.73) for assessing respirable dust exposure