Caring for Horses in the Heat - Trusted Horse Articles

The Horse Information lives Here! ©
The #1 Horse Industry Information Advertising Directory! Contact Ann to include your company.

Extra Care for Horses in the Summer Heat

If you live in Texas, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico or almost anywhere in these last days of Summer, here are a few ideas for keeping your horse heat safe.

Is your horse dehydrated?
To check just pinch some skin between your thumb and forefinger, if the skin snaps back right away then your horse is just fine but if the skin goes back to normal slowly or not at all your horse is dehydrated.

When it’s hot your horse really needs:
Access to plenty of fresh cool water just like you do and a place to get out of the direct sun.

Minerals and salt – Most horses that have good quality hay and or pasture will get enough minerals but salt will need to be available or added. Most horses will take salt if a salt block is handy but some won’t. Some reasons a horse might not take it is his teeth hurt or maybe it has been contaminated by urine or laying on the ground in manure.
Plain white salt can be added to feed. Normally 1 ounce in winter and 1.5 ounces in summer will keep the horse healthy.

Shade or shelter like a run in shed, a breeze or fan. Like people a horse can sunburn and even heatstroke.
Consider bringing your horse in during the hottest part of the day with a fan directed at your horse. A box fan on the stall door is a pretty common way to help your horse cool off.

Do a turn out after 3 PM to dark - Dusk is a great time for a ride or a little exercise in the arena.

If you exercise your horse don’t forget to do a cool down.
This starts before you unsaddle your horse by simply walking your horse. Ten or fifteen minutes will help your horse get back to a more normal resting heart rate and remove the built up lactic acid from his muscles to avoid cramping. This is something that should be done all year but it is even more important when the weather is hot or humid.

Cool your horse off with a bath.
Your horse will look forward to being cooled off by you if you go slowly. Start slow by cooling from the bottom to the top.
Start cooling the feet then work up to the legs; then the sides and then the top.
Be gentle washing the face and avoid water in the ears and eyes for a good experience next time. The reason I cool my horse off this way is the same reason I go slow getting into a cold lake or pool. I know some people would just dive in to cold water but for me there is a little shock to the system when I just jump in and I think my horse might feel like I do about that experience. I go slowly because I want it to be a good experience for my horse and hopefully he will look forward to getting a bath this way.

Don’t feed too soon after exercise. After you have watched your horse after cool down you should wait at least fifteen minutes for feeding hay and if you feed grain it may be better to wait an hour since grain is concentrated energy.

I usually feel if I am hot then so is my horse. If I am tired then so is my horse and if I am thirsty then so is my horse. No more than two gallons of water when my horse is hot. Let your horse cool down before allowing free access to water. I know not everyone agrees about restricting water but it is what I believe.
Robert Pruitt writing for The Trusted Horse Newsletter - Sign up below.

Answers or opinions
We get information about our horses from many sources but we don’t really know what is true until our horse tells us. There are "horse experts” at our Stables, on television, on the Internet and right here in our e-mail folder. Bottom line is if my horse understands what I am asking without getting upset then the information was worth getting. Learning new things is good for us and for our horses, being skeptical and checking information out is just as smart. Trusted Horse

Send This Article To A Friend!
Your Name:
Your Email:
Your Friends Name:
Your Friends Email:
A Message For Your Friend:
Opt-In to The Trusted Horse Newsletter We all learn something when we spend time with horses, so we will spread the knowledge in a more personal way through the newsletter. Your information will be confidential and for the Newsletter delivery only. Special offers and fun in your email.

Have a Product or Service that would benefit Horse Owners? Contact Ann

Home, Articles, Academic Schools, Arena Maintenance, Animal Communicators, Barn and Accessories,
Barn Equipment and Tractors, Blankets Books and Videos, Breeders, Camping Gear, Career Schools, Carts and Buggies, Clinicians, Clothing, Dogs and Puppies, Horse Fencing, Fine Art & Furniture, For Sale, Fly Control, Foal Care, Footings, Gifts, Health and Nutrituon, Hoof and Leg, Horse Rehabilitation Farms, Horse Insurance, John Lyons Certified, Lawyers, Leather Care, Links, Health , Horse Property, Photography, Portable Stalls Areanas and Roundpens, Richard Shrake, Riding Schools, Schools, Services for Horses, Shipping, Skin and Coat, Software, Specialty Trainers, Summer Camps, Tack, Trainers, Trainer Educational, Trailers, Treats and Snacks, Truck Accessories, Trucks, Vacations, Western Lifestyle