Heat Index

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room for this summer. Winter was cruel, cold and long on the northern half of this beautiful and diverse country. But now, the summer heat has arrived!

After spending a long winter waiting for the fun summer season to begin, everyone is excited about the warm weather. Well, not everyone. Most people I ask, would say that the weather cannot get hot enough. We humans might enjoy the heat but unfortunately for our 4-legged besties, it can become a life-threatening issue if we do not protect them. Therefore, many equestrian associations have taken the time to send out warnings and try to educate riders in the heat index.

Because horses have and endure temperature differently than we humans do, it is very important to understand how the heat and cold affects our horses. We can always hide in the AC cooled rooms, but our horses cannot. Most of them are pretty stuck in the heat and the shade doesn’t always cool enough.

This is the heat index that the USPA has sent out to its members. Here is an illustration of when to ride and when not to ride.

The heat index calculation is simple math. Add the current temperature with the humidity to get the heat index.

As shown here on the heat index, it is not advised to ride and play during 180 and up. The horses cannot cool down fast enough and risk potential life-threatening situations. With a heat index over 180, normal cooling down procedures is ineffective towards cooling down the horse.

Another warning is the method of cooling down a horse. Horses don’t regulate temperature as well we do. This means that they adapt slower to temperature changes. Cooling down a horse too fast can cause the heart to stop. The rapid change in temperature can make horses really sick, especially if the horse goes too fast between hot and cold in a small time frame.

Heat index between 150 – 180 is advised to ride and play with caution. Monitor your horse and evaluate its overall health. How is it breathing? Where and how much is it sweating? Make sure the horse doesn’t get overheated and cool the horse down thoroughly after a ride.

Mad Barn has created an amazing sweat score sheet that I would like to share with you.

It is very important to keep an eye on your horses sweat score to keep them safe.

I personally do not recommend riding or playing a horse with a sweat score over 4 or any horses that has started face sweating.

Like humans, horses sweat out the heat. They also lose a lot of salt and sugar and might need some help. In really hot days make sure:

a) They have plenty of fresh water available to drink. This means check the water and refill extra during hot days.

b) Make sure that the horses have plenty of shade. The air is already hot, some shade will help them cool a little bit down. If possible, keep them inside to get them out of the hot sun.

c) Horses who tend to sweat a lot benefit really well from getting electrolytes. Like we humans do when we drink electrolytes infused water. Same reason, to avoid dehydration. There are different electrolyte types that can be used for horses. Some are in the crunchier pellet form and some are powder. Personally, I prefer the powder as that is easy to mix a scoop into their water on hot days.

Some people use sheets in the summer to cover up against the sun. This seems to work against getting sunburns, but I am not sure about the overheating.

There is sunblock for horses that can be very helpful for those with pink areas. Pink areas on horses are more sensitive to the sun and tends to get burnt as the hair is not as thick and cannot cover as well.

Fans in the barn and stalls help keep the horses cool during hot days. Just the moving air is enough to help your horses cool down, while air conditioning can make your horses sick. There are multiple options in the market for all budgets. I personally prefer the smaller fans with solar panel charging as I can install them directly in their stalls and ensure that they can choose how much they need by moving in and out of the blowing range. Some people will use large fans they setup up in the barn halls to cool down the air in the whole barn.

The most common cooling method is to hose the horse down after work. This can be very effective if the horse is not already overheated. When hosing a horse down, make sure that you get everywhere. Especially all the sweaty areas and tack areas. It is very important to start the hosing from the bottom up, never from the top down. It can shock a horse’s body and heart to start spraying the horse randomly on their body. Start with their legs and work your way up to their body and neck. Take your time hosing down the horse, a quick rinse will do no good. Once the horse is thoroughly cooled down, let it dry off preferably in the shade. If you dry your horse in the hot sun after you cool them down, you are just reheating them again. If needed cool them down again during the hottest temperatures of the day to help keep them from overheating.

I heard that some people will use water from their ice buckets with ice in it. This would concern me as the water is very cold and is being poured down on the backs of a very hot horse. This is a huge temperature change for the horses.

Cooler blankets can work also, but the horse needs to keep walking while the blanket slowly cools the horse down. Can be a great pre hose down procedure if possible.

If the horse has a 5 in sweat score after work, walking the horse until its breathing has slowed into a more relaxed breathing is highly recommended before hosing down and potentially after the hose down to help its body.

Summer polo is the highlight of the year, but our horses’ safety always comes first. Stay cool, keep a close eye on those sweat scores, and enjoy the season responsibly!