When is it too hot?

S

Sarah1

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 February 2006
Messages
2,273
Visit site
Hi

When do you think it's too hot to ride?

On Saturday I rode in the morning, was warm but not baking until we were on our way home then it did get a bit uncomfy, when I got back in the car after hosing his lordship off it was 22/23 deg but I'm a wuss when it comes to the sun, I hate it too hot!

Yesterday, however, I didn't ride at all, we had something on in the morning so it meant I couldn't ride early doors & by 7:30pm it was still 26 deg!

I'm sure it's just because I'm not used to the temps, I'm sure they ride when it's much hotter abroad so perhaps horse would cope fine? He is a very 'hot' horse & even in winter with a full clip isn't bundled up. I noticed last night when I went up he'd been sweating between his back legs.

So when do you think 'hot' is too hot?!
 
Move to Scotland this problem never seems to happen!!!! LOL

Although i did work in newmarket in one of the racing yards and if it had been forecast to be hot we used to pull out 6.15 - 6.30 so then horses would only be getting exercised until around 10..30 - 11ish
 
I always try to ride very early or very late in this weather and hose down afterwards.

If I bring them in and they are a bit sweaty between legs etc I wipe them over with a damp sponge.

Personally if its too warm for me I won't ride as I'm sure my horses are feeling the same way, and i never show in this heat as I couldn't stand him having to wait around in the heat
 
Was too hot for mine yesterday (did xc around midday though!). But mine will sweat in the field in the summer, which is why he gets fully clipped in summer and winter ;)

I will wash him off before riding if needed, and yesterday after my SJ I took his saddle off and washed all his girth and saddle area, between legs etc and face before going xc :)

I sponged him off 3 times after finishing xc, then after boxing home, hosed him off for a good while before turning him out sopping wet. He was dry again within 10 mins or so though..... :)
 
Keep an eye on the horse's breathing, and excessive sweating (sweating is normal though). If the breathing appears to be laboured, then stop what you're doing and put the horse somewhere cool and shaded.

My shire x can not cope at all in heat, and he has to be hosed down twice a day and is currently in a brick stable during the day and out at night.

My TB on the otherhand was fine out hacking this morning at 10am. I think it was about 26 degrees. It was too hot for schooling though IMO.
 
it was too hot for us yesterday. after a 2 hr walking hack, altho we bounced most the way home, i looked like a tomato and pony was soaked from ears to toes. we went out about 11, should've gone earlier but was waiting for friends to come along. but then it wasnt too hot after for me to sunbathe for 3 glorious kid-free, work-free hrs!!
 
Hahaha..umm..during summer here when its in the high 30's I try to ride around 8/9am or 3-4pm. Its not pleasant riding in about 36C, but its doable..I prefer to ride when its no hotter than low 30's though
 
JustMe22 said:
Hahaha..umm..during summer here when its in the high 30's I try to ride around 8/9am or 3-4pm. Its not pleasant riding in about 36C, but its doable..I prefer to ride when its no hotter than low 30's though
Click to expand...

so agree! (too short)
 
To hot for me,also have 19 month old labxcollie who has epaliptsy and the hot weather over heats him and he has fits, so out early morn for walks, but when it comes to the horses, turn out and they stand in the shade,old mare with sweet-itch had a Mark Todd flysheet on 2 days as she'd ripped the Boett and I wanted to wash and repair it, she came in tonight dripping in sweat, has anyone else had the same trouble with a flysheet.:(:(:(:(
 
too hot for me today and all weekend! Milly was stood in the field looking hot and fed up when i got there after work this arvo so i brought her in, gave her a shower and a hay net in the shade, then her tea. She went back out about half an hour ago now it is cooler. I hate schooling in the heat as i can't concentrate, and i have a major hacking issue at the moment in that all my friends horses are broken and i have noone to hack with which is rather depressing! Need to either get Milly to chill out hacking alone or find a local hacking buddy, as i'd be quite happy hacking out in the evening when the heat of the day has gone a bit.........
 
Last edited:
I give up riding when it gets to mid30's - so pretty much never in UK, although I have to say that 25 here feels like 35 back home... it's the humidity I think...
I tend to ride either in the morning or lateish in the evening, more to avoid strong sunshine than high temperature.
 
About 25C is my cut off point! I find anything above that is too hot although if there is some breeze I might find it bearable. I would only go for a quiet hack along shady routes, if possible, though in this kind of heat - schooling would be too much.
 
In our lesson yesterday we took a lovely break in the middle, so us and the horses could have a rest - then sent one of the parents off to get some water :D We all rode up to the fence, got our paper cups full, gave the horses a drink and a splash too. We did pop a few jumps after that, but only teeny ones, and none of the pones were sweating. Was rather nice not to be drowned in mud!
 
I was showing yesterday, and I think that it's safe to say that, dressed in wool tweed, hat, shirt, tie, long boots and gloves - I was hotter than she was! :D
 
I think you will know! at around 12pm it was really too hot to ride today, I bathed the horses but it wouldn't have been fair to ride them so I rode in the evening at 6pm.
 
Interesting post - I got up and rode at 5.30am on Saturday because it was going to be around 28c and the flies are really bad at the moment. However the local BHSAI and her husband set off on a 25 mile ride at about 10am!!
 
i had 2 lessons on sat and went around somerford park on sunday...
was very hot...about 27.
mine coped fine, just sweated up alot so i washed her off really well and then walked her in the shade for inhand grazing after....i also put some water on her belly and legs before i rode....
i try to ride early or late to avoid the heat but i do ride in it on occasion as most of the comps are during the daytime when its hottest....
 
although it may be uncomfortable to ride in the heat of the day, i doubt its ever actually *too hot* as in dangerous, to ride, at ANY time, in the UK!

any half fit horse should be able to cope with a medium intensity work out well in to the 30's. i would say dont go galloping round/jumping a course over and over again etc but that just common sense.with correct after care, no harm will come to the horse.its the rider who is more likely to get burnt/dehydrated etc!

i do try to avoid the heat and will ride before 8am or after 8pm when its really hot, but thats a comfort issue and i do sometimes ride in the middle of the day as 1) its impossible to always ride early or late and 2) you cant pick your times for shows so need to be prepared for it.

my previous horse was schooling all the GP moves, and was happy to and able to do a full work out incl changes/piaffe etc in the middle of the day in summer. yes she sweated, but she was never distressed.
 
I was a working pupil on a dressage yard in the USA the summer I left school. The temperature during the day was rarely below 35, with 90% humidity common. It was beyond hot. Our routine was: all horses worked, on the walker or hand grazed before 8.30am or after 6.30pm, which involved a 5am start, and a 10pm finish. The rest of the day the horses spent sleeping under fans in their stables, and the humans went to the beach!!!! Actually it was quite a nice way of working.

Going to shows or outside lessons was different, but I found that the horses coped better working in the heat than the humans did. I learned to put on a soaking wet shirt before riding, and the benefit of ice in a baseball cap. :p
 
I think that, for a competition rider, it is essential to be able to ride at absolutely any time - what if you go to a show and you have to ride a test at 1pm?

For the pleasure rider then it's a different issue but I still think it's due to personal (human) comfort, as any moderately fit horse should be more than able to cope with even the hottest UK temperature.

Having said that when it's really hot (28+) and I have to ride around lunchtime I do often end up riding in the indoor, but that is purely because I tan really easily and I can't afford to spend that long in the sun or I end up a darker shade of brown than my horse :D
 
lol FB-im the same, i never burn, but have to wear factor 50 if im riding/teaching in the sun or else i end up with all sorts of bizarre strap/t shirt/glove marks, like a skewbald!!!!
 
i had a lesson - in scotland - on sunday afternoon in 25.5'C!!

we gave up after half an hour though :o she'd done some good work - jumped a 90cm track nicely (our highest yet lol!) and the sand school was quite deep to i was happy to stop then - we both had a good sweat on but she got a cool wash down before i trailered her home without a rug on - by the time we were home (about 4 miles!) she was mostly dry and was nicely cooled off

the previous day she'd gone for a hack (with friend riding) in 26.5'C mid afternoon adn bearly broken a sweat as we'd not gone far or asked much of her - mostly jsut pottering about on a loose rein with a few canters.

both days had a nice breeze though and were not high humidity - and i think that makse quite a difference
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
lol FB-im the same, i never burn, but have to wear factor 50 if im riding/teaching in the sun or else i end up with all sorts of bizarre strap/t shirt/glove marks, like a skewbald!!!!
Click to expand...

I KNOW! It's a curse and nobody understands :( And it's not just the sleeve marks etc, it's the darkness of the shade itself. I can't stand it and have to be really careful, esp at the beach - I can't really sunbathe! (And I LOVE going to the beach!).

I envy my English OH who has really pale skin, I *love* pale skin :(
 
Ahahaha agreed...we have one big agricultural show here where I swear to God its ALWAYS boiling. And it runs throughout the day, so yes, you have to ride at 1pm in high 30 degrees :) In full on show attire too...they never excuse jackets here, not for any discipline. I guess they just assume people manage with the heat :)

But yeah..I don't think in the UK, it will ever get too hot for horses to actually work and be harmed by it :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top