Too hot to ride?

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10wardd

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At what temperature do you lot deem it too hot to ride? I don't ride at this time of day anyway as my horse despises any form of fly touching him but got me wondering when do people say it's just too hot? In countries like Spain they have temperatures like this most of the summer so must have to ride in it!
 
Unless global warming gets a lot worse, I don't anticipate any days in Scotland being too hot to ride. We used to have great fun showing dressage in 90+ farenheit with 90% humidity on the East Coast of the US.
 
If it's too hot for me, i.e. I'm feeling melted then it's to hot to ride! I know some will think me a wimp, but I always think that the horses are no more used to it than we are. If you are acclimatised to the heat like in hot countries then fine, but over here - no, we just don't get enough really hot days and I don't think it does anyone much good to get overheated.
 
3OldPonies said:
If it's too hot for me, i.e. I'm feeling melted then it's to hot to ride! I know some will think me a wimp, but I always think that the horses are no more used to it than we are. If you are acclimatised to the heat like in hot countries then fine, but over here - no, we just don't get enough really hot days and I don't think it does anyone much good to get overheated.
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Yep, pretty much this! Just been outside to pop to the shops on lunch break and it's not too bad, it's actually really nice temp (am in Bromley atm) so don't feel it's too hot at the moment.

Tomorrow will be different, if it gets to the 32C they are predicting it will for sure be too hot for me to ride - luckily Wednesday is lunging day, but will see how the horses are before deciding what to do.
 
I think it's all relative to what both you and your horses are used to. I'm currently living in Thailand and believe me it's a lot hotter and people still ride! Stables seem to shut between 12 -2pm here.
I'd do whatever you and your horses feel comfortable with....and don't feel guilty if they have a day off!
 
I will be riding later just after 1700 but will be indoors if the school isn't too hot which I don't think it should be! Will concentrate on some quality work for a short period of time rather than a long schooling period and then a lazy stroll up the driveway and back to stretch out followed by a nice hose down for us both :)

I'm on dog walking duties this week otherwise I would ride first thing tomorrow before work but we shall see how it goes. I don't have much on tomorrow evening so can always go back to the yard later in the evening and ride before dark or he can just have a free jump in the school .. or shock, horror maybe a day off ;)
 
I work outside most of the day so if it is really hot then I school early (7am) like this morning of ten I plan to ride late but at the end of a hot and muggy day I often don't feel like it. If it is like this and I can tride either end of the day I will hack in the heat but not school.
 
Ha! I love going XC in 36 degree temperatures here in Australia. It's the only time I don't have to fight to hold him the whole way round and have some semblance of control.
 
It's too hot for me to ride right after work at the moment (we're forecast upto 37C this week), so I'll be riding between 8 and 9pm once the temps have dropped back into the 20s.
 
I will see how it feels after ive mucked madam out after 5pm tonight, if its not too hot then we will do a short schooling session and then a gentle stroll up the drive and back, she's been in today out of the heat and the dreadful horseflies, she's actually been biting herself to get them off :( but a fly rug just makes her too hot and sweaty.

Tomorrow she will be in again out of the heat, as not natural shelter in the field which catches the midday sun, but as im having a family bbq tomorrow evening she will get the day off.

Sadly i don't have the energy to ride early AM before work, as i have to be left the yard by 6.45am to get to work in time, so a day off won't do her any harm.
 
I am just back from XC schooling , it was seriously hot I was just beginning to struggle at the end .
But it's not too hot when I was abroad we worked in much hotter weather as long as the horses are slim and fit and kept hydrated and given salts they manage very well.
The horse flys have appeared unfortunately .
 
I was hoping the heat and the flies wouldnt be too bad if I hacked out before work, but by 8.30am I was sweating just poo picking. We planned for a quick hack at 9am but 10 mins in we realised it was a mistake; my friend on her relatively new horse got such a fright at her horse's bad reaction to the flies that she decided to get off and her arms are going to ache from trying to hold onto him; she looked like she was flying a horse shaped kite rather than leading him! I myself will be (yet again) eternally grateful for my neckstrap....
We got home ok but a bit shaky, very sweaty and incredibly pink in the face!
 
its way too hot for me and my mare to be doing any kind of physical activity at the moment, especially as we are both unfit and overweight so i will be waiting untill around 6/7pm to ride when its cooled down enough to work her properly
 
Depends on the horse, the welshie is not a fan of hot weather his summer coat isn't bad though I have clipped in the past as it is an awful lot thicker than his TB mate has. He either gets the day off or I get up super early as the mornings are always cooler than the evenings.
 
I can't stand it being much over 22 degrees, and Saf hates it. I rode at 7.30 this morning and by the time I got off at 8 it was too hot for me. I don't think it's fair on Saf to ride after work as she's been out in the heat all day, if I ride in the morning at least she's been nice and cool overnight. You can't win with the weather, it's either scorchio or raining!
 
I rode this morning at 9, there was a nice breeze but neither me nor madam felt motivated so we did an obligatory canter on each rein then quit and had a wander round the fields and down our track on the buckle end. And very, very pleasant it was too, if getting a little bit toasty by the time I got off!

I will not be riding tomorrow (although I am going mountain biking, because I'm a fool).
 
for a fit, well hydrated horse AND rider, it is never too hot in the uk to ride(from a safety POV). you may not want to because you personally dont enjoy it but you could if you had to.

similarly it is never too wet, windy or cold either-we have it easy!
 
Well I cantered one at 7.30 this morning, flat schooled a couple and then gone to help with jumping the 4yo at midday. It's hot out there, but not unbearable. The horse flys make it more unpleasant.
 
We were riding in Montana during the day at 30 - it was hot but OK, but any more might have been too much.

I got up and out early this morning, before 7.00 but I wish it had been 30 minutes earlier. It was a nice ride, no flies, but just beginning to heat up.
 
its different if you dont compete but if you do, you owe it to your horse to have them fit and acclimatised to the conditions.

riding before 7am and after 7pm only all week then going to a show at the weekend is unfair-you need to work in it to build up tolerance over a period of time.

generally horses at low-mid level competition level in the UK are not fit enough, i see fat and i mean obese horses puffing round prelim/nov/elem classes every time we go out.

my vet says the best way most people could cut down on injuries and increase success is to trim a few KG off the horse and a few more off themselves!

but thats a tangent :)
 
I rode at 7 this morning, was a lovely hack, lively homeward bound down to flies and general giddiness, certainly didn't seem to be flagging but we were back inside by 8.30. The above makes a lot of sense though and if I was planning anything that required us both to be used to working the the day I would make sure we were both used to it,seems unfair not to. Did my first endurance training ride last weekend but thankfully it a was cool day, we would not have made 14 miles in this heat.
 
Another that it's never too hot :) I am thankful for this attitude every time we're at a three day in a heat wave (two years ago did 21km marathon on hilly terrain in over 30*C, and he finished very well) and the two times I've competed abroad it's also been pretty hot- high 30s. My ponies were fit and young and clipped if hairy then though. Our cobs are clipped this year and got ridden mid morning and hosed off after- only wet under their girths after 45 mins of working on not breaking out of canter. I'm only competing at a lower level now but I still want to know when we reach a final we're prepared. Plus who doesn't love a ride in the sun! I know it's different for older/fatter/unfitter/hairy without choice to clip/Ill horses, but for mine in work we push on :)
 
I intend to jump two horses and school a third - all outdoors - tomorrow starting at 12.30... Meant to be 35 deg C. I don't mind the heat at all myself but if the horses seem uncomfortable, we'll take it easy. I tend to be cold most of the time (sitting here with a blanket over me right now) so a warm day when I can actually be comfortable is a treat!
 
I had a lesson at midday and I feel really queasy now - completely overheated. Poor horse was getting eaten alive by horse flies too :(
 
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