Management of Horses and very hot weather

[pistolpete]

I’m lucky ours always seem to have a slight breeze across their field. Bleak in winter. Loads of natural shade and they spend lots of time there. Dusty as anything but they roll regularly as they like the fly shield the dust gives them. No one’s felt sweaty yet. I do have an Aussie rug I could soak if needed. Muzzle staying on and plaits in mane. Sloppy feed for extra liquids and a new salt lick went up today.

 

[southerncomfort]

My carrot ice cubes were very popular yesterday. Bo took one from my hand and had a good old crunch, then I tipped the rest in to his water bucket and he had a lovely time bobbing for bits of carrot. He definitely drank more yesterday so it did the job!

I brought them out twice to wash them down with cool water which they also enjoyed very much.

I would normally bring in at 9am and pop them out at 3pm but I'm leaving them out this morning while it's still cool and probably won't put them out until about 8pm.

I usually curse the constant breeze up here but I'm very grateful for it at the moment!

 

[Goldenstar]

Mine are stabled during the day and the ones in work will be exercised they are clipped H who is in very light work will be clipped today .
They will get hosed .
Fatty has partial anhydrous he does not sweat normally if at all he’s very dark day (black to the eye ) we have to be careful with him .
IMO the combination of flys and biting insects and heat make it intolerable for horses in the field during the day .

 

[Fransurrey]

Oh gosh poor girl, hope she's okay without it - right decision though!

Also thanks for the tip, sponging's the only way (short of standing her under a permanent hosepipe) I've found to stop her overheating.

Well she's had it off for about 36 hours and we already have two wounds (one on wither, one on tail dock). On the basis that heatstroke is life threatening and a hole in the skin mostly isn't, it's stayed off. SI is such a bitch. I really want to open up their winter grazing for a bit so they aren't scoffing all the hay, but long grass means a lot more bitey things and I think it'll be torture for her.

 

[Goldenstar]

My carrot ice cubes were very popular yesterday. Bo took one from my hand and had a good old crunch, then I tipped the rest in to his water bucket and he had a lovely time bobbing for bits of carrot. He definitely drank more yesterday so it did the job!

I brought them out twice to wash them down with cool water which they also enjoyed very much.

I would normally bring in at 9am and pop them out at 3pm but I'm leaving them out this morning while it's still cool and probably won't put them out until about 8pm.

I usually curse the constant breeze up here but I'm very grateful for it at the moment!

We have a breeze atm too I usually curse it but it’s nice in this weather .

 

[meleeka]

Mine are having the wooded part of the field today. It’s not been used since winter and normally there’d be too much grass, but the small amount there is is brown and dead looking. It’s always breezy there so I’m tempted to stay with them today!

 

[marmalade76]

Mine is spending most of his time under a big oak tree ATM. I've moved his water under the tree so it's in the shade with him, putting out soaked hay under the tree and feeding sloppy feed with added salt plenty of succulents (speedibeet, apples & carrots). I remember a hot summer a few years ago a vet said cases of impaction colic went right up.

 

[throwawayaccount]

mine are in during the day-- my gelding has the end stable in our barn, lovely and breezy. he still gets hosed/sponged off, however, to keep cool.

my mare unfortunately is near the other end and gets hot, so she is being hosed off and kept as cool as poss. they're both getting ice lollies too and extra water.

turned out late as poss, in before the heat. turned out wet and fly masks only, no fly rugs.

 

[nikkimariet]

Just bringing in a bit earlier and doing a late check to ensure all got plenty of water (once in I normally don’t go back to the yard).

Horse is young, fit and healthy though and it’s a couple of days of high temps.

 

[windand rain]

Well mine have decided cooking is far preferable to standing in the shade although they have the option to. Wet hay gallons of fresh water all soaked and Hazel had a bath as she had grease patches so didn't want her to fry

 

[WandaMare]

Mine are standing in today, with fans positioned just outside nibbling distance in front of their stables. Once the sun comes round later this afternoon the stables will probably get too hot even with the fans so they will get hosed off and turned out with lots of fly spray instead of their rugs. We have taken some planks off the back of the field shelter so the air can pass through and they have been using it a lot more since. I really struggle in this weather, I can't do much because of the heat so spend most of the day sitting inside and worrying.....a bit sad really!

 

[Goldenstar]

It’s 29/30 here with a light breeze worked two just finished a few minutes ago minutes showered them and they are back in their stables and fine .
These horses will compete in August and one in particular was struggling in the heat he’s now much better but you need to acclimatise them to work when it’s hot if you will require it of them .

 

[SEL]

It's 36 here, but not as humid as I feared. Just checked on them. Hosed down the Appy and pony who I was worried about but they both seem pretty perky.

Decent breeze across the fields which is much nicer than our house right now!

 

[dominobrown]

move to Cumbria…
I have been bringing in during the day though turning out last night it got really windy and tad cloudy so dare i say it in short and sandals I was actually a bit cool. It’s warmer today and my afternoon lessons are all cancelled though it’s staying under 30c
The old stone barns are only 19c inside.

 

[palo1]

It's 36 here, but not as humid as I feared. Just checked on them. Hosed down the Appy and pony who I was worried about but they both seem pretty perky.

Decent breeze across the fields which is much nicer than our house right now!

Yes, my mare with asthma is actually quite frisky today bless her - she clearly didn't get the memo about the 35 degrees we are currently experiencing. I thought she might struggle as she is very dark coated although she has been in great form lately. The breeze helps enormously!! I was very relieved to get home from work at lunchtime to find that she was not remotely huffing and puffing. I gave her a cold hosing and she blooming well cantered off into the hottes, sunniest part of the field. Oh well!!

 

[Petmurf]

Mine is in now, was out first thing as it was cloudy and a nice breeze but YO brought them all in once the sun came out and breeze dropped. they are all in a big airy barn, I went up at lunchtime and plaited up his mane as it’s really thick and he was sweating under it, he’s had a hose down and I left him with a horsey ice lolly which he was waiting for it to melt, kept licking it, walking away, then going back every now and again to look at it ??.

I‘ll go up again after work and hose him down if he’s sweaty again

 

[milliepops]

I went to check the field gang at lunchtime, 35 deg here and they were all out in the middle of the field quite happy. The stabled ones were warmer, as their stables are hot, but they weren't uncomfortable i gave them a shower to make myself feel better!

the sun worshippers! although it's hot the flies seemed less troublesome than yesterday.

 

[BBP]

We are now 38 degrees in the shade. 2 of mine are convinced they are solar powered and are recharging happily in the sun. The other two are more sensible.

 

[pistolpete]

Ours are all super happy out grazing in 33 degrees. No drama here.

 

[Chippers1]

Just been to check Buzz and his friends, car said 37 degrees...they're all out grazing ??‍
Buzz is a bit sweaty where his girth goes but no way near as much as I was expecting considering he has his sweet itch rug on.

They can shelter under all those trees, which go the full boundary of the field so plenty of shade!

 

[Btomkins]

Farmer reckons it is reading 37.8 here 4pm. All four are in as there is little shade in their fields. Their stables are big and airy and brick built so not too bad. Extra sloppy feeds with electrolytes, plenty of water and regular hosing down seems to be keeping them happy! Good job my boss is happy for me to work funny hours and go as often as needed.

 

[Daughter of the Moor]

My two oldies are wearing fly rugs which I am pouring a bucket of water over every couple of hours or so. The rugs stay wet longer than their own coats. There has been some research which suggests this. I wear a wet shirt outdoors in this weather and it works for me!!

 

[tda]

Apparently (seen on fb) flies give up above 38° and also (seen on itv news) pollen also gives up at that temp too
Little wins ??

 

[Barton Bounty]

I couldnt possibly cold hose BB a few times a day, did you see his face after just one ? he would be raging ? he will be out most of the morning, he has a field shelter he can go in , i finish work at 1.30 so just in time for the scorching weather to come in and ill pop him in for a wee while…

Horses are clever, if they are too hot they will find shelter ?

 

[Barton Bounty]

Apparently (seen on fb) flies give up above 38° and also (seen on itv news) pollen also gives up at that temp too
Little wins ??

Yay to the flies effin off ???

 

[pistolpete]

Too cold to get rid of flies here only 33 ?

 

[Barton Bounty]

Too cold to get rid of flies here only 33 ?

I did notice there wasnt as many today, maybe thats the secret or maybe its the fact I honk of fly spray ???

 

[Cortez]

Horses do quite well in high temperatures. As someone who's kept horses in the Deep South of America (100°F/35°C + and 100% humidity), they prefer to be out, sweating is a normal and natural way to regulate their temperature, they don't need help. Horses kept in stables will sweat, so we either turned them out or set up fans. I used to work them from midnight to 4am, the coolest time. Heat peaks from 4pm - 6pm.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Hi, I wondered what everyone is planning to do with their horses over the very hot weather period as I’m a bit concerned for my two elderly mares that live out.
I will be removing their fly rugs and just leaving fly masks on and ill give them a good spray. I have wooden stables but I was thinking of bringing them in during the morning when I know the stables are in the shade and cool, then hosing them down and popping them out when the stables heat up. I’m lucky that they are at home and I have plenty of trees for shade. My bay horse has ems so can’t really go out for long in the grass field but he is muzzled and can go in his chipped patch which has a big tree and I’ll put his water and hay there to keep him out of the sun and can hose him down from there which he will hate.
im sure they’ll be fine and I’m worrying about nothing but I’d be interested to hear what you are planning in case there is anything extra I can do to make them comfortable. I have a big bath on wheels for soaking hay so I might just sit in that until it’s all over.

we have half in half out

the daytime group are out no fly rugs but spray, plenty of tree line shelter, the night time out are in and they go out around 5.30pm. Not lunged today as I was too tired and hot, prob just shuffle her exercise routine for this week.

The daytime group I hosed mine off when they came in and did not scrape it off.

 

[BBP]

Not sure if it’s the heat making them cranky but 2 of my 4 have kicked the other two tonight and meant it. I would never normally think of any of them as kickers.