Cold weather (or airplane rides) cause physically dried out airways due to colder and less humid evironmental conditions.
If your airway dries out, you lose your nice mucociliary defense system to carry crap out of your airways, and your nose/nasal cavities dry out and the cells are more susceptible to letting something in.
Even though the four arms of your immune system are working 100% and you are 100% healthy.
Humans can spray saline nasal spray during an airplane ride, horses can't. Drinking alot of water helps keep your airways hydrated, too - so horses that don't drink when the weather changes , or when they are on an airplane, or when they travel, are more suceptible to upper airway infections and colics.
As are humans, who often get "colds" after airplane rides, especially if they have dehydrated themselves with alcohol, and not drunk enough water while traveling. Being stuck in a contained space with new viruses and bacteria doesn't help, either.
The concept of "weak immune systems" and "stress compromising your immune system" is mostly an exaggerated TV ad thing to sell product.
Unless one has a serious immune disease, the four arms of your immune system are working fine. It takes an incredible amount of stress (cortisol release, etc) to disrupt that. You can have an excellent immune system and be 100% healthy and still get sick.
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