Posted on

Hot Weather Help

Summer is the busiest time for riding and other horse activities. Although this is the best riding weather in most parts of the country, there are a few heat related dangers that could put you and your horse at risk. Learn what they are and how to avoid them with a few summer time tips.

I have been having a hard time recently adjusting to North Carolina summer time heat. I moved here from Colorado last fall and this is my first summer in a humid climate. It has been difficult to adjust at times and this got me thinking, “ If I’m uncomfortable how does the heat and humidity affect my horses?” So I did some research and found out to my astonishment that horses get hotter much faster than we do, and they are more susceptible to the negative effects of heat stress and related illnesses.

In a recent article I read Prof. Michael Lindinger, an animal and exercise physiologist, explained: “It only takes 17 minutes of moderate exercise in hot or humid weather to raise a horse’s temperature to a high level. Which is three to 10 times faster than in humans. Horses are larger and have a higher percentage of muscle than people do. During exercise the muscles of the horse produce a lot of heat. Over half of the energy a horse uses is converted into heat.”

Horses also rely on sweating to cool them off. “Only 25 to 30 percent of the sweat produced by a horse is effective in cooling by evaporation. Because so much more sweat is produced than can be evaporated, the rest just drips off the horse’s body,” Lindinger explained. “By comparison, up to 50 per cent of the sweat people produce is evaporated from our bodies during exercise and helps to cool us.” The quickest way to cool off a horse is to hose him, scrape off the water, and repeat. Scraping the water off is important, otherwise the water will become trapped in the horse’s coat and will heat him up instead.

The salt in a horse’s sweat is also four times more concentrated than human sweat.“Those salts have to be replaced,” he adds. “Just giving the horse water will not rehydrate a dehydrated horse. When horses drink plain water, it dilutes their body fluids and their bodies respond by trying to get rid of more water and more electrolytes.” To solve this problem teach your horse to drink an electrolyte solution which can be as simple as adding a small amount of Gatorade to his water.

It is also extremely important to acclimate your horse to warm weather riding before you take the horse to a show or competition that is held in the middle of the day, when you have only been riding him in the morning and evenings when the weather is bearable. When a performance horse is on a proper training routine it develops his cardiovascular fitness as well as prepares him to work more efficiently during warmer weather.

  • Know what is normal for your horse. Some horses sweat or breath harder than others; learn how your particular horse reacts to exercise.
  • Monitor your horse’s vital signs and give him plenty of breaks during a lesson.
  • Walk your horse after riding to allow him to cool before putting him away.
  • Offer clean drinking water at all times.
  • Make sure there is enough shade for each horse in the pasture.
  • Add fans to your barn to circulate air and keep flies away.