Allergies and Testing

Allergies

In Austria alone, 1.2 million people have allergies to animal hair, this equals 15% of the population of Austria, and the number of people with allergies is increasing at a rate of 5% per year. This demographic is reflected all over Europe. Allergies develop in differnt ways. Sometimes we are born with them, sometimes they develop over time and sometimes when we are born with them they go away with time. Allergy reactions to animal hair take on different forms. A person may have extreme asthma (breathing difficulty), or break out in a skin rash after contact with an animal. Some sufferers start sneezing and get watery, red eyes when an animal is nearby. For some, these reactions can be life threatening if they do not leave the vacinity of the animal or wash after being in contact with an animal. We at Curlies Austria understand all of these symptoms and problems. We are ourselves highly allergic to animals including normal horses.

The Curly Horse

The Curly Horse, with its unusual coat, has proven to be hypoallergenic to many allergy sufferers, including ourselves! The Curly Horse coat is suspected to have different proteins that make up the hair, skin and oils in comparison to normal horses, and these proteins are different enough that many people with allergies do not react to them. Not every person is free from reactions to Curly Horses. Some people react to particular Curly Horses, however even they have been able to find a Curly Horse that finally was not a problem. For these people, the search for the right horse does take time, but can be achieved. Often, an "extreme" Curly (a Curly with a very curly coat and often less tail and mane hair) is the solution. In our case, we are highly allergic to horses and get asthma and skin rashes from normal horses. These reactions are life threatening to the point we cannot go into a closed hall where horses perform without having asthma attacks. However, we are very lucky that our Curly Horses cause no such reactions in us.

Our Facility

Procedure

We take testing a step at a time in order that you feel comfortable and we can be sure no reactions will occur. We ask that customers coming by be sure to bring any necessary medications they may be taking or need. We begin with very small hair samples or by distance exposure. This means you are given a small hair sample to rub or sniff to see if anything occurs, or you are introduced to an area somewhat away from the horses to see if any reactions begin. Through these methods we can determine with a small exposure if there is a problem. If no reaction is observed, then we introduce you to the horse allowing you to be near by. If still no reaction occurs, then you can begin to pet and sniff the horse to see if a reaction will break out. If all goes well, you may lead and spend as much time as you wish with the horse as you like.