So how are you able to prevent your winter schedule being disrupted by coughing? To start with, avoid feeding poor quality hay. Soaking it may help. The water damps down the dust and makes the spores swell. But it also washes the water-soluble nutrients out of the hay and so reduces the feeding value. (If there is any doubt about the hygienic quality of the hay, your veterinarian or feed merchant may be able to have a sample tested to see if it is safe to feed.) Think about feeding haylage in lieu.
Let your horse have as much fresh air as feasible. Turn out as much as the climatic conditions permit. Make definite there is adequate ventilation in the stable or barn. Avoid the temptation to close the stable up, even in the coldest weather. Keep the bed as dust-free, and as neat, as feasible. Do not muck out the stable along with your horse in it. Give the bedding time to settle - preferably an hour or more - before bringing the horse back inside.
Give your horse neat air to breathe, and hopefully you will both enjoy a cough-free winter.
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