When is it TOO hot to Ride?
* It only takes about 17 minutes of moderate intensity exercise in hot & humid weather for you horse to overheat.
* Beware of Humidity! Moist air mixed with high temps, can be dangerous since it will slow the rate at which sweat evaporates. This will make it much more difficult for you horse to cool itself.
* Temps & Humidity: Add the temperature with humidity and that number will tell you if it’s too hot for you horse. I the total is 130 or more, there is serious risk of overheating your horse.
Below 130 – Good to go! Your horse can cool themselves properly assuming adequate hydration.
130-170 – Caution! Your horse’s ability to cool themselves is only partially functioning.
170 or above – Stop! Your horse’s ability to cool themselves is serious hindered. Extra cooling procedures should be used.
* I can be very serious if a horse’s body temps raise from the normal 100 degrees to 205 degrees.
* Horses suffering from excessive heat stress can experience Hypotension, Colic, and Renal Failure.
* Working muscles can reach temps of nearly 110 degrees which is the temp at which muscle proteins begin to cook.
* Horses can sweat up to15-20 liters per hour in cool/dry conditions and up to 30 in hot/humid conditions.
* Only 25-30 percent of the sweat you horse produces in effective in cooling them, as opposed to 50 percent in humans.
* The salt in a horse’s sweat is 4x more concentrated than n humans. So they lose more salt when they sweat. That will be replaced.
* The best way to cool your horse is to rinse them in cool water, Scrape off excess water and repeat. You can lower your horse’s temp by 2 degrees every 10 minutes by using this method.