Horses and heat

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I am going away for a week in August, not a time of year I usually holiday. I am concerned that horse will be out in a paddock with no shade at all for a week. Someone is keeping an eye on him and poo picking but I usually bring him in during the day on hot days, however cant really ask lady to do this as it will mean two trips plus stabling etc, and the fact that the horse will not be caught!
Am I worrying unnecessarily ?
 

Honey08

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No I'd worry too. Can you rig up some form of shelter for the field between now and August, just so there is shelter from August heat/flies/rain and so you can relax.
 

impresario08

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I would be a bit worried to leave my horse out all day in the field in August as it's usually quite hot by then. It would be nice to know I at least had the option to bring him in out of the heat/away from the flies. x
 

casspow

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Could the lady in question keep an eye on him/her and do the poo picking - and then pay a professional type person to do the bring in of a day time? - We are in England... in August it could also Torrential rain! :D
I would do this just to stop you worrying if it were me i'd be on the phone the whole of my holiday making sure the pony was okay! :D
 

MagicMelon

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It rarely gets "hot" in the UK when you think of what horses are out in elsewhere in the world, so personally I don't think its an issue, I'd just make sure the water was being checked/topped up.
 

aussierider

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It rarely gets "hot" in the UK when you think of what horses are out in elsewhere in the world, so personally I don't think its an issue, I'd just make sure the water was being checked/topped up.

This is true, it gets hot where I am. I have gone to check the horses in the middle of the day when its 42°C and found them out in the sun when they could be in the shade or shelter. It surprises me as one is black and her coat gets so hot, but it doesnt seem to bother her.
 

Garnet

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To be brutally honest, summer is usually over by August! The hottest weeks are generally in late June and early July, so I would try not to worry . . .
 

twiggy2

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horses in warmer climes are acclimatised to the higher temperatures, it can be hot in the UK in August and I would not be happy to leave mine living out with no shade. I would not be happy with a living out horse only being checked on once per day regardless of the weather though to be honest.
why can't you ask lady to do 2 trips?
 

stencilface

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This is true, it gets hot where I am. I have gone to check the horses in the middle of the day when its 42°C and found them out in the sun when they could be in the shade or shelter. It surprises me as one is black and her coat gets so hot, but it doesnt seem to bother her.

I've seen horses out in WA with no shade all day (and these weren't horses in fact but highlands and welsh ponies) and they seemed fine. Certainly none had dropped dead.
 

MyBoyChe

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The one certain thing is that the good old British weather will do whatever it feels like, regardless of what it should be doing. Tbh I wouldnt be happy with any one part of the arrangement. An awful lot can go wrong in the space of 24 hrs, I would be wanting a minimum of 2 checks a day, I would also want to know that if we had torrential rain or a heatwave the horse could be kept comfortable, whether that means popping him in for a few hours or using a fly rug or lw rain sheet if the paddock has no natural shelter. Im assuming you are calling in a favour, I think paying someone trustworthy so that you can pay for what you want would be a better option if at all possible.
 

Jaffa

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A lot of horses owners only check and are happy with one check every 24 hours, chances are if you are on a yard anyway there is always another set of eyes that will spot an emergency problem. Being out without shade wouldn't bother me to much, I'm from Perth in WA as well (now live in Hampshire!) and many many horses were out in the summer but to be honest I would always want access to shelter/shade for the heat like they have out there. My TB's were often seen under the shade of a gumtree or jarrah tree.

August here is warm, but for a week it might rain as well sometime in the week and I wouldn't be to bothered about it personally the horse has someone checking on him/her every 24 hours so I would be happy with that plan as well.
 

freckles22uk

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I agree with Aussierider, I have known it upto 62'c here in the sun in August (Spain) and Ive popped out to check the horses and they have been stood in the sun despite having lots of shade, and mine are horses from the UK
 
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Am on a yard so there would be eyes on but not hands on as it were. Someone is coming in from outside to do basic visit as we are totally diy
Main problem is uncatchable so and so. Ill just hope it wont be a very hot August, we do get them sometimes !
 
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