Horse Care Tips for Warm Weather

During the warm summer months your horse can suffer from the heat the same way that you can.  For horses, being out in the hot sun  or being ridden during the warm summer months can be dangerous. Here are some tips to help keep your horse safe from heat stroke or heat exhaustion during the warm weather:

1. Always have plenty of fresh cool but not cold water available
2. Set up fans in the barn to circulate the air but make sure that the fans are placed where curious horses can’t reach them with a nose or a hoof.
3. Keep your horse inside in the shade during the day and turn the horse out in the pasture at night when it’s cool and there are less flies buzzing around.
4. Make sure your horse has a salt block in the pasture and in the stall to replace salt and minerals lost during sweating.
5. After you ride, immediately loosen the girth or remove the saddle altogether and then walk the horse through a cool down
6. Ride your horse in the early morning or in the evening so that your horse isn’t working during the hottest part of the day.
7. If possible, ride in an indoor arena when it’s warm so that you and the horse will be in the shade instead out of in the hot sun.

If you are training for a competition or you are competing, add electrolytes to your horse’s water to help the horse regain important minerals that are lost through sweating. Think of it as a sports drink for your horse.

Always have shade available for your horse. If your horse is kept in the pasture make sure there is a run-in shelter, a large tree, or some other shelter in the pasture or keep the horse in a barn until the sun goes down.