If you’ve stepped onto outside this week, you already know the score. The UK is seeing a massive surge in temperatures, and while we’re all feeling hot and bothered at work and at home, our horses are feeling the heat just as much.
When a weather alert hits, keeping our equine partners safe, comfortable, and healthy becomes the number one priority. To help you navigate the soaring temperatures, we’ve rounded up our top practical tips to keep your horse cool and happy as the thermometer climbs.
1. Water – everywhere!
It sounds obvious, but a horse can drink double their usual amount in hot weather. To ensure your horse stays hydrated, you need to make sure he has water everywhere he is – the stable, the field, the yard… and ensure the buckets or troughs are clean too. You don’t want him to refuse to drink because it smells funny and tastes weird. Also…
- Automatic drinkers – make sure they’re clean, working properly, and refilling quickly
- Clean – get your bucket brush and scrub buckets and troughs. Algae will grow well in warm weather.
- Extra – you might have a trough in your field, but if there are a few horses out together and there’s a dominant one who sees the trough as theirs, take some buckets out too and position these somewhere different, away from the trough.
2. Turnout
When the sun is beating down, your horse can still go out in his field, but it’s really important he has constant access to shade, whether this is due to a field shelter, trees, hedging, or something else. You might also consider…
- Night turnout – if your horse is hating the heat, the stables are cool, and/or shade is in short supply, consider bringing in during the day and turnout out at night, as long as it’s actually cool in the stables!
- Check shade – You might see your horse has shade first thing in the morning, but as the sun moves, does he still? Make sure he does…
3. Hosing
Hosing your horse down is the ultimate way to bring their body temperature down, but there’s a right way to do it.
- Don’t scrape – Do you remember being told to scrape off water after washing? Well, it turns out that this is an old myth and allowing the water to evaporate has additional cooling benefits.
- Keep it running – if your horse is really hot, continuous cold running water is what said to be the best.
4. Sunscreen
Not just for people – make sure that any pink bits have a layer of sunscreen applied before turnout and during the day as needed. Your horse’s skin can burn, just like ours, but sunblock is a highly effective way to prevent this. Remember…
- High factor – your horse isn’t trying to get a tan, so get the highest factor you can. Many people use factor 50+ sensitive/children’s sunscreen. Equine versions are also available.
- UV fly masks – a full-face fly mask with UV protection does double duty, keeping annoying flies away from irritated eyes while protecting delicate skin from sun damage.
5. Hard work
Just no. Your horse won’t miss a hard training session when it’s beyond hot outside, honestly. You could do a lot of harm by making him work, and sweat, during extreme heat. Remember…
- Scale back – Opt for gentle, early morning walks if you absolutely must ride, and aim for places with good shade out of direct sun. And if you can, just give them the time off!
- Heat stress – Keep a close eye out for signs of heat exhaustion, which include excessive sweating (or a sudden lack of sweating), lethargy, rapid breathing, and flared nostrils. If you’re worried, call your vet immediately.
How are you keeping your horses comfortable this week? Do you have a secret weapon for beating the heatwave? Let us know on our socials!
-ENDS-
Prepared by: Rhea Freeman