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Did you know horses are less heat tolerant than humans? So when you feel you’re getting overheated your horse probably feels the same way. As horse owners it’s important to know the normal vital sign ranges for your horse. The normal body temperatures range for a horse is 99-101.5F. Horses produce heat through exercise, digestion and metabolism. Many factors play a role in the horse’s ability to regulate body temperature and tolerate heat. The air temperature, humidity, wind, exposure to the sun, age, coat condition, body conditioning, fitness level and pre-existing health issues can affect a horse’s ability to thermoregulate. Senior horses, foals, obese and unfit horses can be less heat tolerant. During exercise a horse’s muscles contact producing a lot of heat. In hot, humid weather it only takes 17 -18 minutes of moderate exercise to overheat a horse. One way horses cool their body is with sweat. The evaporation of the sweat from a horse’s skin can help decrease 50-60% of their excess body heat. During strenuous work on hot days, a horse can lose 2-4 gallons of sweat per hour, depleting electrolytes and fluids. If not managed could lead to dehydration.  Heat Stress and Stoke: Heat stress or heat stroke can occur when a horse gets severely overheated. It is important to watch for signs of heat stress, so it doesn’t progress to heat stroke. Increase heart rate at rest  Excessive sweating with hot skin High Rectal Temperature 103-107 degrees Exhaustion or lethargy Rapid breathing and flared nostrils Stumbling and Incoordination Dehydration Agitation Collapse Shock If a horse’s core body temperature exceeds 105.5 degrees muscle proteins can break down and can cause colic, renal failure or low blood pressure.       What to do Stop all physical activities and get your horse somewhere cool and walk in shaded area Check horse’s temperature Start cooling immediately: hose or sponge with cold water If heat stroke is suspected use ice pack or ice water to cool head, neck, chest, back and inside of hind legs to cool major blood vessels Supplements can be added to water to help replace electrolytes loss from sweating Contact a veterinarian immediately if the symptoms do not improve or get worse. They may administer IV fluids to help replace depleted water and electrolytes. Tips to help your horse handle the heat Consider the heat index (air temperature + relative humidity) when working your horse Heat index below 130 considered safe to exercise most horses Heat index over 150 should avoid strenuous exercise Heat index above 170 or if the humidity is over 75% limit exercise-consider working during the coolest part of the day such as in morning or late evening During exercise take breaks to monitor your horse’s physical condition, you may have to modify your exercise program While hauling long distances: check horse frequently, offer water whenever you stop, be aware of increased temperature in the trailer because of reduced airflow. If possible, haul during coolest times of the day. When moving to a warmer climate allow your horse time to acclimate to warmer weather If a horse’s coat is long clipping it will help with body cooling Use fans to improve ventilation and air flow in barns and paddocks Give horses access to clean, cool water at all times Contact your veterinarian immediately if your horse shows signs of heat stress or heat stroke. It’s important to know the signs, what to do and how to minimize the risk of heat related issues with your horse, so you can have a safe and enjoyable summer with your horse!!

Spring is just around the corner! Now is the perfect time to prepare to get back in the saddle and getting back to riding your horse.  Some lucky horse owners get to ride year a round, but for many equestrians our horses don’t get exercised or ridden consistently during the winter months.  It might weather (cold, snow, ice or rain)or maybe nowhere to ride with safe foot (mud, frozen ground) or limited daylight hours. Over the winter months a horse is inactive, spends most of it’s time eating and standing around.  The same can also be said for many horse owners. For humans muscle used for riding maybe out of shape, from too much time spent out of the saddle due to weather, holidays or from spending too much time on the couch snacking and bing watching Netflix. Both horse and rider need to start out gradually building strength, and endurance to be prepared for the spring and summer riding season.  Your horse’s body condition should be addressed and feed adjustments may need to be made to ensure your horse’s nutritional requirements are being met. Feed Changes Any changes made to your horses feeding regiment needs to be done gradually. Horses are grazing animals, in order to process their feed they rely on the bacteria in their gastrointestinal tract. A sudden change in a horse’s hay or feed can upset the healthy bacteria balance that can cause digestive upset or colic. When changing hay or grain sources only 20% – 25% of the current feed should be changed every other day. Dropping a few pounds Horses just like humans can gain weight over the winter months. The best way to lose that weight for both human and horse is to eat less and exercise more. The amount of weight a horse needs to lose varies by horse and not all horses lose weight at the same rate. A horse should be gradually returned to regular work and increasing duration without a change in diet. If feed needs to be restricted decrease the concentrated feed first (sweet feed, feeds that have added fat) Put horse on a forage based diet, you can have your hay tested for vitamin and mineral content and give supplement for any deficiencies in hay or pastures. Adding body weight When trying to increase a horse’s weight all feed changes should be done gradually. Check with your vet if your horse has lost a significant amount of weight in a short period of time. Your vet can check for underlying medical conditions such as a dental issues. When feeding a horse a larger amounts of grain it is best not to exceed more than 5 pounds of grain in a single feeding. Large quantities of feed will pass through the GI tract faster than smaller meals resulting in less nutrients being absorbed and may cause digestive issue such as colic. Not all forage is the same the calories in hay differ depending on the source. Alfalfa has more calories per pound that most grass hays. To increase calorie density in feed you can add fat supplement (such as vegetable oil, rice bran), pre-formulated weight builder supplements or add highly digestible fiber options instead of just adding extra grain. Gradual buildup of training sessions Work sessions should increase over time: If your horse was performing at a high level, they will lose nearly all their conditioning due to inactivity. Start exercises and training at the lower level of work and gradually increase intensity and length training.  Many riders get excited about getting back to work and can feed off the excitement and eagerness of their horse and may over do the first ride back. Like their rider, a horse can experience muscular pains and aches several days later, and since they can’t tell us in words they will often show us through actions.  They may have gait stiffness, sluggishness and develop a bad attitude about working causing bucking, rearing or refuse to work. With an increase in work the horse’s water requirements will increase so there should have access to plenty of clean water.  A horse will also need access to the electrolytes and salt to replenish any loss due to sweating. Equipment check Before getting back to work check you equipment. Poorly fitting or damaged tack cause a safety risk for both rider and horse. Give it a good cleaning and look for any excessively worn areas or loose stitching. Is the leather dry rotted or damaged? Is the saddle pad and other tack in good condition? Does your tack need adjusting to account for body changes of the horse or rider (lengthen stirrups, change gullet in a saddle)? How do the buckles and Velcro look? Is the riders equipment in good condition(helmet, boots, vest)? With early planning you will be ready for the upcoming riding season!  

One way to monitor your horse’s health and weight is by using a body conditioning score.