In every issue of Horse & Rider you'll find articles on training by the country's leading experts, the latest on equine health care from top veterinarians, trail riding tips from savvy back country riders, and much more!
WHEN SUMMERTIME ROLLS AROUND, the sun is blazing, humidity is high, and the temperatures are close to being in the triple digits, it’s hard to think about a long training session with your horse. When he’s sweating just from standing in his stall or pasture it seems like it would be impossible to keep him hydrated if you actually put him through a workout. While this can be a difficult task, there are ways you can keep your horse cool and hydrated through a long ride. Here are a few tips to put to use when the weather is extra hot this summer, plus a recipe for a healthy, electrolyte-filled treat. Take Water Breaks When your horse starts sweating, that means you need to help him replace the water he’s losing.…
SUMMER IS SUPER FOR RIDING, but it also brings potential health challenges. Here’s what you need to know and do to protect your horse. • Heat. Avoid riding in extreme heat, especially combined with high humidity to avoid the risk of heat stroke. If you do ride when is hot, supply frequent rest/water breaks, and consider splashing water over your horse’s chest and flanks. • Sun, shade. Make sure your horse’s living area has shelter from the sun. Provide as much ventilation in your barn as possible (fans help). Apply sun block to your horse’s pink-skin areas, especially around the face. Consider UV-blocking fly masks and sheets for extra protection. • Hydration. Your average 1,000-pound horse may drink as much as 10 gallons of water a day. Exercise can increase…
It’s as hot as a tin roof, and you’ve got a day-long trail ride ahead. How can you tell if your horse gets too hot? Here are six heat-stress signposts you should never ignore, and some tips for cooling your horse quickly. Heat-Stress Signposts SIGNPOST 1: Elevated Respiratory Rate Why it happens: Hard breathing forces air to flow past vessels in your horse’s lungs and airways, which helps cool his blood. Risky: When your horse’s respiratory rate is more than 40 to 50 breaths per minute, and/or he’s breathing shallowly, and his breathing doesn’t return to normal after two minutes’ rest. SIGNPOST 2: Elevated Heart Rate Why it happens: A pounding heart transfers blood to your horse’s skin surfaces to be cooled by outside air. Risky: When his heart rate…
Horse people offer all kinds of advice about how to cool down an overheated horse. And much of that advice is steeped in centuries of tradition that’s hard to break. But science tells us that many of those traditions simply aren’t correct. Here, I’ll give you a short quiz to see how your own cool-down routines stack up against solid research. Then I’ll explain the science behind each current recommendation. You might be surprised by what you discover. COOL-DOWN QUIZ Take this quiz to test your cool-down knowledge, then see the answers on page 70 to see how you fared. QUESTION #1: When your horse is hot and sweaty, he’ll need hosing down. What’s the safest approach? (a) Wait until he dries, then hose him down to remove the crusty,…
Here are the underlying mechanisms your horse uses to cool himself down. By knowing how they work, you’ll have a better understanding of current cooling recommendations. Convection: Heat (thermal energy) is carried away from your horse’s body as air flows over his skin, as in response to a cool breeze or fan. Radiation: Heat is lost into the environment because of a difference in temperature between your horse’s body and the surrounding air. Evaporation: Heat is lost when a liquid (sweat) is converted into a vapor. Conduction: Your horse’s warm body comes into contact with something cooler, such as a spray of cold water or an ice bag. The heat then conducts (transfers) to the cooler object. So how do these mechanisms work? Here’s what happens in your horse’s body…
