Ammonia in stables – Where does it come from and what effect does if have on horses?
I’ve just seen a post on bedding on another page and thought it would be good to clarify a few things about ammonia.
Ammonia is a colourless gas that is lighter than air. In stables, ammonia is produced from the breakdown of urea by bacteria. Urea is in turn a breakdown product of protein and is excreted in urine. The higher the protein content of the diet the more urea is excreted. The bacteria that break down urea are on the floor and in the bedding. Urine in healthy horses is sterile – it doesn’t contain bacteria.
Because ammonia is lighter than air it rises up from the floor into the horse’s breathing zone. Ammonia is a respiratory irritant and can contribute to equine respiratory diseases, such as equine asthma.
*** When you can smell ammonia that will already be at a level that will cause some degree of respiratory irritation. ***
Some beddings will produce more ammonia than others because they have higher counts of bacteria. We know. We tested bedding for bacterial counts. Some popular beddings are very high in bacterial counts. Some popular beddings are also very dusty. Some claim to be highly absorbent, and aren’t.
We test things so you can make informed choices rather than trust companies’ fancy marketing or random recommendations on social media.
If you have a horse with respiratory disease, then our tests will help you choose the best bedding. We are also about to add 12 new beddings to the testing this Autumn.
