Ensure fresh water is always available.
Just like when you are overheated and would like a drink, horses rely heavily on cool, fresh water to regulate their body temperature. Make sure you are always checking the water level in your horses’ tanks or buckets and keeping the water clean and desirable.
If you suspect your horse may be dehydrated, perform a skin pinch test. Pinch the skin in the area where the neck meets the shoulder. The horse’s skin should bounce back in 1-2 seconds. If the skin fold remains up, your horse is dehydrated and needs attention.
Provide plenty of options for shade.
Direct sunlight is killer for horses that are turned out. Consider setting up some temporary pop-up canopies if your pasture lacks trees or adequately sized shelters. Shade helps block the sun’s radiation from heating your horse up, which keeps your horse cool.
Keep feed in shady areas.
Move your horse’s feeders to shady areas so that they can stay cooler while they eat. If your feeders are not moveable, consider constructing a temporary or permanent shade structure over the feeder.
Ride during cooler times of day or forego riding altogether.
Check out our previous post, Too Hot to Trot? – How to Determine Ideal Weather for Horseback Riding for more information on this tip!
Provide free-choice salt.
When horses sweat, they lose water and electrolytes. Providing free-choice salt replenishes these lost electrolytes and encourages horses to consume more water.
If horses are inside a barn, provide fans and increase airflow.
Horses produce heat through their natural biological processes. When you put them into a box stall, that heat can begin to collect. Providing fans into the stall as well as aisle or ceiling fans can keep that hot air moving and keep your horse cool.
When using box fans as stall fans, I recommend purchasing some furnace filters to mount to the back of them. These affordable fans are not designed for dusty environments. Ensure the fans are regularly cleaned to prevent creating a fire hazard.
Thank you so much for reading about how to keep your horse cool during a heat wave. Let me know if anything in this post surprised you! I’d love to hear from you.
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