Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot: Your Horse In The Sun

When the sun is out and it is a hot summer's day, there is a routine that should be followed to take care of your horse's needs. Your horse can become hot and sweaty in the sun or when you have been riding him. A horse that is sweaty will need to be dried and any sweat marks removed from his coat. Dry sweat is very uncomfortable for any horse, which could lead to scalding and attract flies. Hot horses enjoy a quick sponge down in the heat, but they must be dried thoroughly with a sweat scraper. You can use a sweat scraper by removing excess water from the neck and body with a sweat scraper. Next put a wicking cooler or fleece rug on the horse, then towel-dry his face gently. Do not brush a wet mane. Your horse's heels must be checked for heat and lumps, and dried carefully to prevent any irritation of the skin such as cracked heels - run your hands down your horse's tendons to check.

No horse benefits from riding him hot and sweaty; dismount and walk. This is good for the horse's training because associating going home with going fast, feeling hot and sweaty can lead to behavioural problems - this remedy will help your horse to cool off and relax, restoring his circulation in the meantime.

As you become more and more familiar with your own horses, you already know that there are so many things that you need to be aware of, and the different conditions that you have to watch out for and to check. There is only so much you can do for your horse out in the hot weather. For example if you owned a dog or a cat, you can take them inside when it is very hot or very cold, but with a horse this is different; you have to make decisions based on what you can do. A barn is one place to take them into, bearing in mind how the weather is affecting your horse, and watching for heat stress in your horse.

Horses can be affected by the extremely hot weather, so you must ensure that your horse always has plenty of shade, and plenty of water. If you are living somewhere that it is very hot, you have to ensure that you take precautions so that the heat does not affect your horse too much. There are several things that you can do to make sure that your horse handles the heat as well as he can. For instance, whether it is hot or cold day, any temperature is going to make a working horse hotter. Working makes your horse use all of his muscles and expand more energy. If your horse is working, he is going to get hotter. On very hot days, you have to ensure that you are resting your horse, and an idea would be to turn him out to pasture, because chances are he will not work any harder than he should. The best solution is to try and avoid riding him or making him do any work on very hot days, although it is a temptation for some riders. Going through your horse riding videos or books would be an excellent way to train until you are ready for the "hands-on" experience once again.

As we all know, horses need to have fresh and safe water that is there for them at all times. You have to be sure that you are refilling your horse's water, especially when it is hot, and that it is kept cool. Warm water will not be as good for him as cool water will be.

Finally remember that your horse depends on you to protect him from the heat. Be sure that you have done your research so that you know what the best ways are to keep your horse cool and safe when it is hot outside, and ensure that you follow through with these tips so that your horse remains healthy and happy.