22/09/2026
AMMONIA—WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW🐴
Know the smell? The one that stings your nose, lingers & clings to air 🟰 Ammonia, it isn’t just unpleasant, it’s a respiratory hazard
High exposure over the ~12hrs a horse spends in its stable can trigger airway & sinus irritation 👉🏼 Stables should range 10-20ppm on average
A guide on ammonia odour:
• 0-5 ppm: Undetectable to most people
• 5-10 ppm: Acceptable, some may notice a smell
• 10-20 ppm: Detectable, potential for mild irritation if prolonged
• 20-25 ppm: Can clearly smell it & irritation becomes likely
• Above 25 ppm: Associated with respiratory issues
For context 👉🏼 human workplace exposure limit: 35ppm for 15 minutes
👍🏼 RULE OF THUMB: if you can smell ammonia at nose-height when standing in the stable, levels are likely above 20ppm – at this level:
1️⃣ remove the horse & clean out damp areas 2️⃣ leave ‘wee patches’ open to ventilate & dry 3️⃣ open barn up to airflow & 4️⃣ review your bedding type
🦠 Factors that push it over 20ppm:
• Poor ventilation
• Infrequent mucking out
• Urine-soaked areas aren’t cleaned or aired
• Stable occupied >12hrs in a 24hr period {high stocking density}
• Bedding type {some absorb urine much better than others}
• Bedding moisture & sanity level {when it’s new going in}
🖤 Why HERDD bedding?
Have you tried activating a 22kg of HERDD bedding? Try it & pretend the water is urine. Watch how fast moisture is absorbed.
HERDD is purposefully made into Pine bedding’s MOST dehydrated & clean form. It’s engineered for MAXIMUM absorbency from the HEART of NZ’s most dense pine trees, grown in the far North of NZ
For horses that wee a lot, simply use HERDD in a “litter” form—straight out of the bag, in the patches where they urinate most. You’ll go through a bit more of the bag, but you’ll be confident that your horses airway is being looked after
For the ultimate stable combo, use HERDD bedding with Fixine, FixCalm & Dryline DRYLINE. Add 1-2x a week as needed & enjoy a long lasting ‘Base bed’ that requires infrequent top-ups {1 bag/wk for the average horse}
Prevention beats cure when it comes to ammonia 🖤
