Here in the UK we are having a heat wave with temperatures set to reach 37 degrees Celsius in places later this week. Needless to say, these temperatures can be challenging when it comes to managing our horses and you may need to think about changing your usual routine to help them cope.
In the past I have written posts about helping your horses cope with the heat. But when the temperature rockets like it will be this week, you might need to make more changes.
Since Scottie is still on rest, I don’t need to worry about when I am exercising him. But the other girls at the yard have already started riding early in the morning or in the evenings when it is cooler.
Your horses will probably be drinking more water, so you might want to make sure they have a bit more than usual, just so they aren’t left without. Also, a lot of you will be adding salt and/or electrolytes to your horse’s diet to help them cope with the extra loss through sweating. This might also mean they need to drink more water.
You should also think about if your horse should be out during the middle of the day. Scottie’s pen doesn’t have any shade really. So I have decided to keep him in during the day and turn him out over night this week. If you don’t have much shade or if your stables stay nice and cool, your horse might prefer to be in during the day and out at night. Plus it should also give them a break from the flies.
Finally, seriously consider using a fly rug. It’s going to be so hot this week that unless I had a horse who reacted really badly to the flies, I wouldn’t want to be putting a fly rug on. I think it will be far too hot for it personally!
Are you doing anything different with your horses this week to help them cope with the heat wave?
Last Updated on 14/01/2022
