It's a glorious summer day. Your horse's hooves tap out the beat of the trail as you trot along, the stillness of the day punctuated by an occasional puff of wind ruffling the leaves. Beneath your helmet, your head feels hot and sweat drips off your face. Your horse's neck is soaked, your reins slippery and lathered.
But suddenly, the more effort you ask of your horse, the lazier he seems. It feels as though he's mired in deep footing, the ground holding him down. In fact, he's run out of steam, or rather, his body is boiling over with too much heat. He's nearing a dangerous state of exhaustion. You pull him up, yet his muscles remain quivering, his breaths come quickly, and his nostrils are flared. Could you have foreseen this development? Could you have prevented your horse from pushing the red line into the hot zone?
Although most trail rides don't require extreme exertion bordering on catastrophe, heat and humidity conditions or taxing terrain may push your horse beyond his ability to cool down on his own. And all horses will need some assistance with cooling in the summer.
Here, we'll explain how heat builds up (and what you can do to prevent it) and how to check for signs of heat stress. Then we'll give you several cooling techniques. We'll also outline two heat-related conditions and tell you how you can keep cool on hot days.
Heat & Your Horse
Below are six ways your horse can become overheated, and what to do to help him stay cool.
Hot weather. Hot weather, particularly if it's also humid, makes it harder for your horse to shed heat from his body.
What you can do: In summer months, head out in the early morning hours; allow your horse to stand idle during the heat of the day. Offer him plenty of water. Use less body-covering tack than usual to expose as much of his skin as possible to cooling airflow.
Overexertion. Heat is a byproduct of muscle exertion. As your horse's muscles push him forward, they contract and strain with the effort of each stride. Over half of the energy used in muscle exertion is converted to heat. If you ride your horse at too fast a speed for his level of condition, he'll overheat, stimulating a decline towards exhaustion and muscle fatigue. Loss of muscular control and strength can lead to accidents; a tired horse may stumble and fall, placing both horse and rider in jeopardy.
What you can do: Avoid pushing your horse too hard. If you plan to go on a strenuous trail ride (especially one involving hills), first condition your horse. On hard rides, allow him to take frequent breaks in the shade, preferably at a stream or other water source. Cool him with water soaks of the head, neck, legs, and chest. During breaks and after your ride, immediately loosen or remove the saddle.
Dehydration. Your horse sweats to remove heat generated by working muscles. When he sweats, he pulls heat from his body in a process known as evaporative cooling. In doing so, he loses body fluid and electrolytes (minerals essential to his body's chemical processes). If you ask too much of your horse for too long, he'll become dehydrated as he sweats to cool himself. Even a well‑conditioned horse loses as much as two to three gallons per hour exercising in high heat and humidity.
What you can do: Follow the tips for avoiding overexertion, above. Offer water frequently. Encourage your horse to drink unfamiliar water by flavoring it with apple juice. Give him a dose of electrolytes ahead of your ride, and make sure he always has water available.
