When is it too hot to ride? How can you determine the best weather for horseback riding? What steps can you take to help beat the heat? Keep reading to find out!
What weather conditions create an environment that is too hot to ride your horse? We’ll share a few different things you can look at to determine whether or not the weather is ideal for horseback riding.
How Heat Affects Your Horse
Before we tell you how to determine when it is too hot to ride, you must first understand how heat affects your horse.
When a horse begins to feel too warm, they simply increase their respiratory rate. The more air they can bring in and out, the quicker they can cool down. When this mechanism is not enough, horses also sweat to cool themselves just like people. The sweat evaporates into the air, effectively cooling the horse.
However, when humidity increases, less evaporation occurs and the horse has a much more difficult time cooling themselves naturally. This is where the heat index comes into play.
Understanding the Heat Index
In order to determine the weather conditions for the day, it is important to look at the heat index. What is the heat index you may ask? Well, according to the National Weather Service, the heat index is a measurement that tells you “what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature”. From now on, we will refer to this measurement as HI.
There are different ranges of the HI that show when an individual should use caution and when they should avoid strenuous activity. It is important to discern between the HI ranges for people and the HI ranges for horses. The concept is the same but the levels are quite different. Even as I did the research for this post, I found a few websites that had the correct levels listed but were using the human HI chart.
So what levels of the HI should you pay attention to in regards to horses? Luckily, there are a few simple guidelines for when you should work your horse.
If the sum of the percent humidity and the temperature (in Fahrenheit) is less than 130, you should be able to exercise your horse comfortably (granted that your horse is in good enough condition to complete the work you are asking them to do).
If the sum is greater than 150, you should use caution when exercising your horse as their ability to naturally cool themselves properly is decreased. At this point it is also important to pay attention to the humidity level. If it is greater than half of the total, more caution is required.
If the sum is greater than 180, your horse’s ability to cool itself naturally is virtually ineffective. Your horse is very likely to overheat with minimal exertion.
Reference the chart below from Kestrel Instruments for more details on HI levels for equines.
Of course, horses can acclimate to working in higher temperatures/humidity. Horses need to be gradually worked to get used to more uncomfortable temperatures. All horses are different and as a horse owner, you should learn how to determine that your horse is near or at their limit.
What to do if conditions are potentially unsafe?
So, let’s say you really want to ride but the HI is not ideal in your area. We would like to suggest that you first recognize your horse’s health is more important than your desire to ride. If your horse is not in the best of conditions, its risk of overheating and heatstroke is much higher. We are a big proponent of opting for groundwork or bonding activities on days where riding might pose a risk to our horse’s health.
If you determine you absolutely must ride in unfavorable conditions, check out our tips below.
Ways to Keep Your Horse Cool As the HI Increases
Luckily, there are multiple ways you can help your horse stay cool when the temperatures rise.
Before you begin your ride, make sure your horse is hydrated by checking their gum color. A healthy, hydrated horse should have moist, light pink gums.
You may also want to feed some electrolytes before a particularly humid ride. This will help your horse replenish any nutrients lost during sweating.
If you have a horse that sweats frequently or is a slow shedder, you may want to consider clipping your horse to aid in heat loss. Often, just shaving the chest and shoulders can help a lot.
When riding, be sure to go easy on your horse and don’t expect a ton of strenuous activity from them. Allow plenty of walking breaks and try to keep the activity level low.
Ride in the shade when you can – we all know how hot it gets in the direct sun. Riding during the coolest part of the day can make a huge difference as well.
The quickest way to cool off your horse is to sponge or hose them with cold water. When you are finished, make sure you scrape off the excess water and allow for shaded drying. If you leave them soaking wet and let them back out into the direct sun, they are very likely to heat up again.
A tip I learned from Pro Equine Grooms (one of my favorite blogs) was to mix rubbing alcohol and water 50/50 in a spray bottle and spray that on your horse’s body. Rubbing alcohol evaporates much faster than water and can help cool your horse down quicker.
Allow your horse access to cool, fresh water within 15 minutes of the end of your ride (especially when the HI is high). If your horse doesn’t want to drink, there is no need to force them. If they are thirsty, they will drink.
Ways to Keep Yourself Cool
Keeping your horse cool is very important but let’s not forget about you! Here are a few ways you can beat the heat as well.
Remember to stay hydrated. The more hydrated you are, the more you can sweat and cool yourself off. I always like to make sure I carry a large stainless steel water bottle to keep my water cold.
Wear breathable clothing. I personally like athletic clothing that features lightweight or mesh panels. Any chance to get more air flow is my jam.
I also love to carry a mini squirt bottle with me to spray myself and aid in evaporative cooling. Feels super refreshing on a hot day!
My secret weapon for staying cool has to be using a cooling towel. There are many different types on the market and many are super affordable. Just search ‘cooling towel’ on google or check out my favorite type here.
Remember to wear sunscreen as well! I personally really love Sun Bum’s cruelty free sunscreen (not sponsored just love their product).
Finally, remember to have fun and stay safe out there!
Be sure to check out our YouTube channel where we have a video version of this topic!
Thanks so much for reading! We post new content every Thursday!
Sources referenced in this article and bonus reading material
- National Weather Service – What is the heat index?
- University of Minnesota Extension – Caring for horses during hot weather
- Kestrel Instruments – Using Kestrel DROP to Measure Heat Index for Horses
- New Mexico State University – Help Your Horse Handle Heat Stress
- Equus – How Horses Keep Cool
- Pro Equine Grooms – Cool Out Your Horse After Exercise
- Pro Equine Grooms – Thermoregulation and Heat Stroke in Horses
- Pro Equine Grooms – Is it Too Hot to Ride Your Horse?