Dr David Marlin is one of the equine world’s leading scientists, having worked at the forefront of equine research for over 30 years. A physiologist and biochemist, David has worked in academia, research and professional sport. As well as the equestrian and veterinary world, David has worked in human sport, healthcare, medicine and exercise science.
In 1989 David obtained his PhD from the UK’s leading sports university, Loughborough University, following a four-year study on the responses of Thoroughbred racehorses to exercise and training, undertaken at the renowned Animal Health Trust in Newmarket. David has always been passionate about equine welfare and as a result has been involved in many campaigns, projects and research programmes. He founded the website AskAnimlaweb.com to create a safe, reliable and science-based hub of information for all equine professionals and horse riders.
David is the current President of the UK National Equine Welfare Council and the President of the internationally established Sport Horse Welfare Foundation, and is behind one of the foremost equine information-sharing websites, Animalweb.
As a leader in the development of equine healthcare over the past 30 years, do you think that the UK is leading the way in understanding more about the problems in keeping horses healthy, and how we overcome those problems?
I think the UK is doing OK. Some countries are a little more pro-active than the UK, such as Sweden, Denmark and Germany. There are thankfully, a lot of excellent researchers, vets and organisations in the UK working hard to help improve equine welfare.
What would you say were the most important advances we’ve all made in keeping our horses healthy and happy in this country?
I think there has been a gradual change in attitude towards our relationship with animals in general over the past 20 years. And whilst we often blame the internet for false information, it has undoubtedly given people access to good information to improve education around how and what we should be providing for our horses.
Bedmax has obviously been concentrating on making better equine bedding for the past 25 years. From your point of view, what are the benefits or qualities you would look for in the healthiest possible bedding?
Bedding is obviously used to provide a comfortable surface for stabled horses to lie down on as well as helping to absorb urine and reduce the amounts of droppings that end up on your horse! Horses need to lie down to get their REM sleep, which is vital in horses as in ourselves, so a dry and comfortable surface is essential. But many beddings are high in physical dust and bacteria and moulds, which impact respiratory health. So for me, a very low dust (as dust free is just not possible) and a low mould and bacterial count is the most important consideration.
Our own priority, and our customer’s over-riding priority in every survey we’ve carried out over the past 25 years, has always been to minimise breathable levels of dust. You have carried out pioneering research studies in equine respiratory health, so could you explain why that is so fundamentally important?
If a horse or pony spends even a few hours a day in a stable with dust and high bacteria and mould counts, it will be continuously breathing that in at the rate of around 30-100 litres every minute (small pony to large horse). The dust, bacteria, and mould lead to airway inflammation. The effect of this is cumulative – the more exposure, the more inflammation. And just like us, some horses and ponies are highly sensitive. Prolonged exposure increases the risk of equine asthma, with irreversible structural changes to the lung and reduced quality of life, not to mention reduced athletic ability in performance horses. Horses also often don’t give clear signs that they have respiratory disease, unlike us. A horse with really dirty airways (mucus, inflammatory cells, bacteria, etc) may never cough. As a result, significant disease can go undetected for months or even years.
You recently carried out two studies comparing leading brands of bedding in terms of dust levels and other benchmarks of quality. Could you explain why and what you found?
We initially selected 12 popular horse beddings brands available in the UK. We then followed up with a second study of a further 11 brands. The brands tested were selected by the members of Animalweb. This investigation was an entirely independent test; we purchased the products and none of the companies knew their bedding had been tested until the results were published.
We primarily tested for dust levels, water absorption and hygiene using a total viable count (TVC) laboratory test. TVC refers to the number of living (viable) microorganisms in a sample, typically expressed as colony-forming units per milliliter (CFU/mL) for liquids or CFU/gram (CFU/g) for solids. TVC is an accurate indicator of hygienic quality.
The bedding brand with the lowest levels of dust, low TVC levels and high water absorption would indicate that the bedding was of a good quality.
What we found through our investigations is that some popular beddings readily available on the market were in fact extremely dusty, had high TVC and were not very good at absorbing liquids. We also saw that most manufacturers were making claims not supported by our testing, particularly claiming to be “dust-free” or “clean”.
AND I’m pleased to say that the Bedmax products performed very well across these tests.
Among the many differences between Bedmax and other purpose-made beddings, we have always used mostly pine timber, because it has unique antibacterial properties. In our most recent 2024 survey, 70% of the 850 respondents said that was important. Would you agree?
Absolutely. Bacteria produce a substance called endotoxin, which is one of the main triggers in equine asthma. Endotoxins are toxic components of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, primarily composed of lipopolysaccharides (LPS). They are released when bacteria die or multiply, triggering immune responses in horses and humans. Whilst bacteria can be killed by heat, this does not remove the endotoxin, so it is important to start with hygienic material and keep it that way in processing. A low moisture content also limits bacterial and mould growth so beddings that have been dried in production can have an edge.
Bedmax recently signed up to the BETA NOPS Bedding accreditation scheme that confirms we minimise the risk of contamination by Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances. Do you think there should be a wider industry standard for bedding that covers other key aspects of quality?
This is a tricky one. Of course consumers are already protected by Trading Standards law and Advertising Standards Association regulations as far as claims and safety. And looking for a brand that is a BETA member is another reassurance. But as we are the only ones undertaking independent testing at this stage this is the only reliable source. It would be nice to have a standard that meant any bedding with that approval would meet acceptable standards for dust and hygiene.
As you are the current President of the UK National Equine Welfare Council. What do you see as the most important areas of improvement you would like to see in equine welfare over the next 10 or 20 years?
It seems we have so many things to deal with at the moment, but whilst the vast majority of horse owners look after their horses incredibly well, abuse, cruelty and neglect occur at every level in every sport and in horses not used for competing. I’d like to see more freedom for riders to compete in simpler tack such as snaffles and bitless bridles, and sporting bodies to encourage and reward this. I’d like to see less obesity tackled more and laminitis identified sooner. I hope we also see the increasing tide of change in not viewing horses as “naughty” but rather understanding why they do certain things we don’t want or behave in a certain way, ultimately the reason is most likely to be pain related.
On a lighter note, if you had to choose just one horse, who would be your equine hero? And more seriously, who would be the human being who has impressed you most with their understanding and their achievements with and on behalf of horses?
King William (Mary King). I had the pleasure of working with him and Mary through Team GB. He was a real character and had an incredible presence. When he walked into anywhere he posed and bathed in admiration.
People are really hard for me to choose from. I’ve worked, and continue to work, with so many talented and enthusiastic scientists and vets who I admire greatly. Although I’ve only been working with her the past year or so, I think I would say Amanda Stoddart-West of the Great Yorkshire Show. Amanda has been leading the charge for change for horse and pony welfare at shows, initially Amanda has spearheaded the suitable rider weight initiative, and more recently with tireless work in training Welfare Stewards and collaborating on a number of welfare research topics.
