The Life Changing Story Behind our Respiratory Supplement UltraAir

Supplements for Horses with Respiratory Problems

All our supplements are crafted with purpose, using only necessary, premium ingredients in useful amounts but our respiratory supplement for horses UltraAir holds a place close to our founder’s heart.

Rachael had a 4yo mare arrive from Ireland that had very noisy breathing. She had a lot of mucus, heaved, was in poor condition and generally struggled to breathe even stood still in the stable, never mind the prospect of being ridden. Many tests were carried out including bloodwork, swabs, tracheal washes and scopes. There was no physical reason for the noise (such as laryngeal paralysis) and none of the tests came back with infection but it was very obvious that the mare continued to have unilateral nasal discharge, was struggling to breathe and was quite distressed as a result.

Over the next few months, Rachael spent thousands of pounds on veterinary intervention. They questioned whether it could be equine asthma, heaves or seasonal allergies as well as other much more serious medical conditions but none of them seemed to fit the scenario presented (or didn’t respond to speculative treatment). Many different medications were used including antibiotics, nebulisers and steroids, as well as ventipulmin, sputulosin and other respiratory drugs to try and alleviate her discomfort. None of these medications worked. The mare continued to struggle to breathe and was in poor condition as a result of her respiratory distress.

Things got so bad that when the mare came down with steroid induced laminitis, Rachael felt her quality of life was so poor that putting her to sleep might be the kindest thing to do. Determined to try every avenue before giving up on this lovely and very talented little horse, Rachael set to work with her team of nutritionists to create her own respiratory supplement for Equell.

As well as the many veterinary medications mentioned above, Rachael had already tried pretty much all the respiratory supplements on the market for this horse (including those recommended by vets and supplements for horses with asthma) and she either refused to eat them or they did not help – adding further to the money spent trying to find a solution to the mare’s problem! In light of this experience, Rachael realised that palatability was as important as effectiveness when developing the Equell respiratory supplement UltraAir.

Many different ingredients were considered and many were rejected! Rachael wanted to get to the root cause of the issue and support both the immune system and respiratory system together - the horse’s natural defence mechanisms against infection and inflammation - rather than simply using things like glycerine and menthol to temporarily mask the symptoms. Her team carefully considered a wide range of herbs for horses with respiratory problems.

After a lot of careful discussion and trial blends (whilst under time pressure of continual decline in her mare’s health), UltraAir was born - a 100% natural, herbal respiratory supplement for horses. The first test was palatability…. Passed with flying colours as the mare absolutely gobbled it up without hesitation in a very small base feed! So good news on that front. The next test was effectiveness and this was make or break for the little mare.

Later that evening Rachael went out to do late night checks on all the horses and noticed the mare standing quietly in the stable (previously she was quite agitated and distressed). She quietly worked around the stable next door finishing off but observing the mare through the internal grille and noticing that she was breathing “normally”. Not heaving with flared nostrils as she previously was. She went to bed quietly hopeful that it was not just a placebo effect.

The following morning the mare started to produce a large amount of mucus, more than she had before and Rachael was deflated thinking it was back to the drawing board. But something told her to just give it a little more time… Over the next few days the mucus continued to increase although the mare was actually less distressed and more relaxed, breathing less heavily than she had been. After about a week, the mucus began to stop. The mare’s breathing continued to stay normal, she started to put weight back on and she began to get a shine to her coat that hadn’t been there for months. Things looked very positive!

The following week the mare had a lung scan booked in (following return of more negative bloodwork) and when the vet arrived to see her, she was standing quietly in her stable breathing normally. The vet looked at Rachael slightly perplexed given the history and asked was this the same horse?! The lung scan revealed an old pleural pneumonia and resulting lung scarring which explained everything. Prognosis was guarded due to the damage visible on scans but having come this far Rachael wasn’t ready to give up on her!

Vets advised to continue with the supplement and all the stable management changes Rachael had already made to support any horse with a respiratory issue which included soaking/steaming hay (or feeding haylage), as much air circulation as possible when they have to be stabled, zero dust bedding (she uses cardboard), meticulous stable management including regular jet washing and rotation of bedding to remove spores/mould and not sweeping when the horse is in the stable. As much turnout as possible. It is equally important to remember that the management does not stop at the affected horse’s stable, if their neighbours are kicking up large amounts of dust or shaking hay nets around next to them – this will impact significantly on a horse with respiratory issues. Management is so important as a respiratory aid for horses, alongside the nutritional support to maintain healthy immune and respiratory systems that a respiratory supplement like UltraAir can provide. 

Fast forward 6months and the mare was back in full work, jumping courses of fences, living happily on a track system and eating hay again (which previously was an absolute no no causing immediate flare up). She continues to breathe normally - no mucus, no coughing, no heaving and no respiratory distress! An absolute transformation that changed this mare’s life. She has remained on UltraAir throughout and will remain on it forever! It has been nothing short of miraculous for this horse and we have had similar stories from customers who have used it on their horses.

A 100% natural, affordable supplement for nutritional support of a healthy respiratory system from just £1.49/day. UltraAir is BETA NOPS accredited and safe for competition use. Try it for yourself and let your horse show you what it can do! Breathe better for peak performance.