Two Sides to Every Season
Summer = longer days, a tan, nice smelling flowers, green grass, lots of yummy fresh vegetables and fruits cheap, sleek shiny coats, water that flows freely, and the convenience of feeling all of your extremities.. .all of the time.
Summer also = heat, humidity, sweat, sunburns, lots and lots of bugs, posion ivy, dust, and pollen.
I live in Virginia, however, about this time of year it feels like instead of living in a beautiful mid-Atlantic state that enjoys mountain showers and coastal breezes, you have been sent straight down to the Mississippi swamp land. Here you swelter and contemplate taking your chance with the alligators for a cool swim to rid your body of the ridiculous amount of heat trapped inside of it. The heat is one thing, but the humidity adds a whole new level of fun to the summer months. It feels like it was not too long ago that I was writing an article for you guys about winter riding tips. Well now that we have broken 100 in VA, I believe this article is a bit overdue, but could still help some of you trying to battle the heat wave.
How hot is TOO hot?
Photo of me with "Moonshine." Wasn't she a cutie?
This is a question I have also been contemplating lately as the thermometer has reached triple digits this past week. I remember back to when I was a child and I leased a cute, fat, pony name Moonshine. Moonshine is still very high on my list when it comes to favorite horses you remember in your life. At the barn where I leased Moonshine, they had this neat chart that told you when it was too hot or cold to ride or work your horse. It had some kind of formula that slips my mind now. I thought the formula may be outdated as well and I figured there was now a new one to follow. Well..there is a common formula and it is listed below. Remember this formula is just a guideline and should not be viewed as a hard and fast rule.
How to calculate Heat Stress Index:
Take the outside temperature in degrees Fahrenheit and then add the relative humidity. For example if it is 80 degrees and 60% humidity the number would be 140. Here is what the scale means.
130 and below – very small chance of heat stress
130-150 – Horse will experience sweating and need to watch water intake
150-180 – Chance of heat stress more likely, watch water intake and signs of stress, use judgement (you may not want to ride if you calculated this number with a very high humidity)
Over 180 – Good idea not to ride. Find a shady spot with lots of fresh water for your horse and do the same for yourself!
Many other factors need to be considered when assessing the well being of your horse buddy in the heat.
- Make sure to take into consideration the age and fitness level of your horse. An older more out of shape horse may not tolerate being worked in the heat as well as a fit, young, horse.
- Be very conscientious of your warm-up and cool down with your horse. You are always conscientious right? A good cool down will help your horse ride hot muscles of lactic acid build-up that may make him or her sore.
- If it is extremely hot, consider modifying your workout time and location. Ride early in the morning or late in the evening during the cooler times of day. A long walk down a shady trail may be a better option than a hot sand covered arena.
- Hose your horse off with cool water to help cool him or her off. The actual process of cooling your horse takes place when the water evaporates of their coat. Use this to your advantage. Make sure to scrape your horse to speed evaporation. If your horse is really hot, you can cool with water, scrape, then cool with water again until he or she starts to cool down.
- A must have is free choice salt or mineral available in your horse’s field or stall during the summer. Horses loose lots of valuable salts and electrolytes through sweating in the hot months and must put these back into their bodies to stay healthy
Hope these tips help you a little when you hit the saddle with those blazing rays outside. Remember horses are not warm weather animals. Most horses are more comfortable naturally if the temperature feels cool to us. That means when it feels hot out to us, it really feels hot to our horses.
Enjoy the long days of summer and STAY COOL!
References:
Moonshine!! aww…what a cutie.
I rode sully the other day when it was 99 degrees and extremely humid and it was 5:00 pm!! Not smart but I didn’t have any other time. I was dizzy after an hour of hard riding and sully was dripping sweat and panting. I was worried about him and worried about me! My entire body was like jelly. For some reason I have found that in hot weather my endurance is not as good. Luckily sully is in good shape and cooled down pretty quickly. I hosed him for 30 minutes, scraping and hosing, etc. It took me a little longer
Be careful out there… I don’t think anyone’s endurance is good in 99 degrees. Your body is too tired trying to cool itself off. Give Sully and Lilly a pat and a treat for me. I know sometime you wanted to test how Sully would do outside of a ring with Lilly. If you want a second rider sometime let me know. I can come ride Lilly while your on Sully (notice which one I chose
). Comparing Lilly to Kerry I think my saddle might be alright on her. Stay cool!