Sponsored by FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips
“I think FLAIR® Strips are crucial for hazing and the bulldog horses, especially when they have a lot of runs. My mare can have anywhere from 1 to 8 runs at a rodeo. I’ve noticed the fatigue is a lot less, she’s always calmer and she doesn’t have to work as hard… I feel like it has helped her mentally because she doesn’t have to work quite as hard to breathe, especially that sixth, seventh haze.” —Dirk Tavenner, 2xNFR Steer Wrestler
What is unique about the horse’s respiratory system?
Unlike humans, horses can only breathe through their nose during intensive exercise. The horse’s respiratory system extends from the nostrils to deep within the lungs. It is divided into the upper airway (nostrils, nasal passages and larynx) and the lower airway ( trachea, bronchi, bronchioles and alveoli). The only way to bring air into the horse’s lungs is through the nose.
How do FLAIR Strips work?
There is a region of the nose a few inches above the nostrils where the soft tissues overlying the horse’s nasal passages are unsupported by bone or cartilage. As breathing intensity increases, this unsupported tissue collapses inward during inhalation, reducing the diameter of the airway, resulting in increased resistance to airflow. In fact, during exercise, more than 80% of the resistance to inhaling air into the lungs occurs in the upper airway and more than 50% of the upper airway resistance is in the nasal passages.1
FLAIR Strips reduce airway resistance during exercise to make breathing easier.
The physics principle of Poiseuille’s law tells us that for each incremental increase in the size of a tube, resistance to flow decreases by 16-fold. FLAIR Strips improve airflow by supporting the nasal passages to reduce the soft tissue collapse that occurs in all horses during intensive exercise.
Using a FLAIR Strip can be compared to drinking from a large straw rather than a regular straw…it’s much easier to get what you need.
“When I started using FLAIR Strips, I could tell a big difference. I can tell that he [HIGH VALOR] breathes in and breathes out better using FLAIR Strips.” —Dona Kay Rule, 4x NFR Qualifier
It’s about the science.
Clinical studies at leading research institutions show that by reducing airway resistance, FLAIR Strips make breathing easier, reduce fatigue, reduce lung bleeding, conserve energy, and quicken recovery.
Visit flairstrips.com to learn more, shop online or find a retailer near you.
1 Art, T. et al. “Effect exercise on the partitioning of equine respiratory resistance.” Equine Veterinary Journal. Volume 20: Number 4. 268-273. 1988.
2 Holcumb, Susan J. VMD, PhD. et al. “Effect of Commercially Available Nasal Strips on Airway Resistance in Exercising Horses.” American Journal of Veterinary Research. Volume 63: Number 8. 1101-1105, August 2002.
