Thursday, July 30, 2009

How to keep your horse cool in 30+ degree celcuis weather?

I havent been riding her because its too hot. Will they just keep cool naturally or do I have to do something to help them?
Answers:
I know this looks mad but I'm temporarily in Texas and they do things differently down here because of the climate. Everyone uses these and having tried them - amazing:
http://www.coolmedics.com/
Keep the horse walking every day because the hot weather can encourage a horse to just stand to keep cool, these can cause stocking up, just as if they were in a stall.
Hose them daily, just a little rinse down to keep them cool, don't use a sweat scraper, let the water evaporate.
We always ride early early morning before the sun has had a chance to heat the earth
Fans on every stall
Don't ride a horse much after they are dripping in sweat - this can cause anhydrosis, please see this link
http://www.nonsweater.com/index.php?opti...
Lots of water available, obviously
I feed electrolyte supplements such as http://www.jeffersequine.com/ssc/product... to keep them running despite the constant sweating
The stalls here are stocked with misters that mist a combination of water and fly spray to cool the horses and eliminate bugs.
Don't forget sunscreen on the white noses and bodies to keep them from turning into red horses!
Best of luck keeping cool!
I would recommend that you don't put her in situations that would make her over work herself, but she needs to still exercise.
Some species of horses are bred to be heat tolerant for example the Arabian.My mustang just wilts especailly in the early spring when nights are cold and days are hot.However the age and individual health of the animal should be taken into consideration.If your horse is old or very young just like us humans,they might be more stressed in extreme temperatures. They do sweat all over their bodies,if this is severe you may want to supplement electrolytes and always have salt available to lick and of course plenty of clean fresh water (not cold). Hope this helps
I don't think you can do anything to keep your horse cool, just as you can't control how you feel in the heat, either! But you can do things to keep her physically well in the heat, and that's what counts.
First, make sure she has access to clean fresh water 24/7. Also provide a salt block constantly. I also add a teaspoon or two of loose animal salt in my horse's feed everyday, this helps increase her thirst she she drinks alot.
Avoid riding hard in the hottest periods of the day. Make sure your horse has some access to shade during the hottest part of the day, even a tree, windbreak or pile of bales will do. Try to keep your horse free of blankets in this heat. A black or really dark horse will suffer more than a light colored horse, so be aware of that. And if your horse has a long hair coat (such as one from Cushing disease) you should body clip them.
Lastly, make sure your horse is in good general health, meaning her worming and shots are up to date. Good health is needed in stressful climates, whether it is excess heat or excess cold.
Good luck. Your horse should be okay. Remember that both people and horses have existed for generations and generations in the heat, even when often worked very hard. Your horse will be fine if she doesn't have underlying health problems and if you use common sense to care for her.
We had a heat wave last year to where we couldnt ride for a month or two. What we do to cool the horses we water them down but we put listerine in the water. So it cools them down. It acts as a cooler.
If your horse is in a stable, it helps to run fans to keep the air moving. If your horse is outside, shade is essential. If your horse is sweating profusely - or worse, is not sweating when she should be* - then hose her off with cool water and scrape off the excess water. Rolling in the dirt also helps to keep them cool.
*A horse that stops sweating in extreme heat may be suffering heat exhaustion and that can be fatal. Immediately cool down the horse with cold water. Concentrate on those areas where the veins are closest to the surface of the skin.
You can still ride, just don't overdo it, and make sureyou hose her off and scrape her down.
In their paddocks, be sure they have shade or shelter- and you can even set up a sprinkler if you want to! You'd be surpirsed how quickly horses learn to play in the water spray! It's really cute, just don't leave them unsupervised with a horse in their paddock for too long :)

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