Too hot to compete?

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lara b

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Please could I just garner everyone's thoughts on competing in this weather? Am due to be at a show on Sunday and it's forecast 28 deg and sunny here, show is a good hour away and it's showing so will be a most of the day affair. Cob is a hairy/heavy type and am a bit worried to might be too hot for him.. thoughts anyone?
 
I entered a competition last weekend and it were 39ºc - entry time was noon. It was hard, but we survived. Just make sure if the horse stays overnight, you have a few fans and stay on top of the water consumption.
 
Im off for a jump lesson at half 2 on sunday, im going to be a mess! :o I have no plans to cancel, just make sure i have lots of water to wash him down with and to drink. His hay is soaked for the journey (hour each way) and he will have electrolites in the evening. Other than that i wont do anything different.
When i had my old mare who was a cob i still competed even in the heat, i did the above and made sure i found somewhere shady if there was any hanging around, did only what i needed to warming up (we showjumped) and made sure i cooled them down as much as poss, normally sponged down and stood in the shade.
You will be fine im sure just keep an eye on him and offer him water often :)
 
As long as the horse is fit, kept well hydrated and in the shade as much as possible it should be fine, if you are showing do your classes then go home as soon as you can, possibly do less classes so it is not an all day thing, if the horse gets too hot it will not go well if you do more than one or two.

Take plenty of water, some speedibeet or similar feed to help with hydration and let them have a haynet so they are able to keep something in the guts which will also help with hydration. Electrolytes given before and after will also help.
 
Thanks everyone, he is a swine for not drinking at shows which is one of my concerns but good tip about taking a wet food to help keep him hydrated, thanks, will see what my friend wants to do and make a decision tomorrow. Must admit would be a lot happier if it was a set time (like dressage) as it's the hanging about in the heat that's the pain with showing. :)
 
I think so, then if it does get too hot for him I'll pull up. He is fairly fit, not as fit as I'd like him to be but we'll take plenty of water to wash him and let him drink between phases :)
 
Take plenty of water, try & keep him in the shade when not on & just see how he copes. Maybe get some electrolytes too just to pop in his water. We went to poys a few years ago & it was 34degs!! Poor little fat cob had a stable that had no shade so we just made sure he was out of it most of the day & took him to graze under a big tree when he wasn't in a class. Have fun & good luck :) xx
 
Don't know if this has been mentioned but make sure you scrape away excess water when hosing or bathing to keep them cool. Excess water left to sit will in fact form a layer that heats and therefore not good for cooling out. You're heating them up more.

Terri
 
When you have got rid of the excess water, thats the best time to stand in the shade. Really helps with cooling.
I think like Irishbabygirl said we are just not used to it, more so this year as it was so cold for so long. I remember as a kid spending all day up the yard, leading ponies for lessons in the heat all day, riding when it was hot and didnt think about it. Now i dont enjoy being sweaty! :D
 
We're competing Sunday too - daughter riding a friend's pony in 2 FR classes. Fortunately they should be over by lunchtime, then pony will be done for the day, and show is only about 10 minutes drive away.

Going to be very hot for tweed jackets - very grateful daughter is no longer on LR!
 
Plenty of water for horse and you. Mine doesn't like drinking away from home either, so we will take wer feed and have got some quenchers to add to water. I'm doing dressage, got good times, will be done before noon, but then have an hours drive home.

Good luck.x
 
Lots of good and useful tips for the horse, but imo they cope better than the humans!

So don't forget to rehydrate the rider, especially if young. My friend's daughter passed out at a show some years ago due to heat exhaustion after riding several sj rounds.

Where rules allow warm up without jackets, drink lots, and spray yourself with water as well as the horse :)
 
In order to rapid cool, cover horse with water (using sponge, jug, bucket) then scrape off (removing now warmed water), reapply cool water, scrape etc for as long as needed for them to return to normal. It is a myth about not putting cold water on hot horses, in endurance to rapidly bring down the heart rate (& cool the horse), ice is added to the water & it is poored all over them. They do 100 miles, at speeds around 25km per hour in the desert. Unless your horse is particuarly heavily built (muscle mass generates heat when working) or fat then don't think temperatures in the uk an issue.

Remember the record breaking temperatures about 9 years ago? I did an endurance ride around cirencester the hottest day of the lot, some did 100 miles that day. My horse finished with heart rate of 45bpm, so she wasn't in the slightest distressed by the heat. Granted she is an arab, but still believe it's only the chunkiest/fat horses who will have an issue. I would however always seek shade, as bright sunlight must be as uncomfortable for them as us.

Fluids are essential in heat, as are electrolytes. Give as much fluid as they want. Endurance horses not only drink before/after but during races. It is a myth not to let them drink before work. If they aren't denied access to fluid, they wont overdo it when offered. If they wont drink, make up grass or beet water. This is water with some grass nuts or sugar beet in, equivalent to our squash. Many take this when they wont take plain water. Also take water from home, venue water will taste different & may put them off drinking.
 
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Horse Quencher is a brilliant product my eventer wouldn't drink anything at events but since introducing horse quencher we will now happily drink half a bucket and then ask for more. It took a couple of go's to work out his favourite flavour and its best introduced at home so they get the idea but he will be eventing on sunday in the heat of the day and I wont be worried at all as I will drink happily now at events so long as i dont forget the quencher. And plenty of water to cool him down after xc
 
Well, didn't go to show in the end but did box up and ride around our local forest in the shade, really enjoyed it and by lunchtime we were done and sat with horses in the shade having some grub and making sure we scraped them after washing off! Also used apple thirst quencher to get them to drink a bit :-) so thanks everyone, we still got out and enjoyed our day but managed not to bake!
 
Was competing in a Derby yesterday. Horses were fine but they insisted show jackets were to be worn and I actually felt ill after my round with BP and hacking jacket!!
 
I went to the event, it was based at an old air field so fairly breezy, still very hot however we coped, gave him electrolites and lots to drink. He loved every minute of it :)
 
I opted out of show jumping today - horse unfit and wouldn't be fair. Took my little ones for a trip out which they loved!
 
I think the first few days of heat are the worst as the horses and people have not had time to acclimatise to it. My pony seemed to struggle yesterday in the heat but was not so bad today. He was hosed down both days but I also washed his mane today and I wonder if that helped.

I had a lesson booked in for 11.00am but cancelled as there is no shade in the school and it was already v hot at 9.30 and I felt it would have been unpleasant for pony, instructor and me. My instructor seemed relieved when I called and cancelled.

I think showing can be quite tricky as if the class is big and no shade you can be in the full sun for an hour where as at least with dressage and SJ it is over quite quickly.
 
What do you all think North Americans do?

They usually waved jackets..... when it got to about 100F. There was nothing as fun as riding in a black, woollen dressage jacket when it was 90F. Oy.

Good advice on this thread about cooling, of course, and what we all did as a matter of course.

(all meant in good fun... and to keep things in perspective)
 
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