My horse, you see, has asthma.
In the equine population, it's referred to as "heaves", which is a descriptor for the way a struggling horse breathes when they are having a bronchospastic event.
When a horse goes "heavey", they need to be treated with steroids and bronchodilator medications and antihistimines for whatever allergens may be triggering the disorder.
Didn't used to have this problem.
She used to be healthy, healthy as...well..... a horse.
But the environment is warming up.
The moisture of the region has increased, which has increased the amount of mold that grows, it has increased the amount of pollution saturation that hangs in the lower atmosphere, the heating has allowed the winters to be milder, which allows pollen counts to stay higher for longer.
And then there's the part where my neighbour, this kanky old lady just uphill from me, burns the cheapest damn coal she can buy in the winters.
The smoke from which drifts downhill to where my barns and pasture are.
On a snowy day, you can walk out behind my barn and see the snow covered with grey and black speckles of coal dust.
I don't even get why coal burning is still legal, honestly.
Well, yes, I do,(moneymoneymoneymoneymoney), but it's no longer rational.
I mean.
There are HUMANS, CHILDREN, who are spiraling into bad asthma in increasing numbers every year.
Entire USA towns of HUMANS,(and almost the entire population of China, now), who, by virtue of their location adjacent to coal burner power plants, have BAD, DYSFUNCTIONAL asthma.
The Bryant Gumbel show had an episode about it, so it must be true.....
So forget about my horsie for a minute.
And let's just not even consider the possibilities for the many other species that might be affected.
Let's just worry about the HUMANS.
If we even BOTHER to do that much, then, well.....
..............maybe someday my horse won't have asthma any more.
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