{"id":4456,"date":"2020-10-05T18:50:58","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T18:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/castlehorsefeeds.com\/spring-feeding-tips-for-healthy-horses-copy\/"},"modified":"2022-05-15T02:54:08","modified_gmt":"2022-05-15T02:54:08","slug":"caring-for-horses-in-hot-weather","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/castlehorsefeeds.com\/caring-for-horses-in-hot-weather\/","title":{"rendered":"Caring for Horses in Hot Weather"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\r\n

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With the current\u00a0good weather that we are enjoying, you might be wondering how best to keep your horse comfortable and healthy in the heat? Follow these guidelines for the best care and nutrition when the temperature rises.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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Hydration<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

Water is easily the most essential nutrient<\/strong>\u00a0in your horse\u2019s diet and it becomes even more vital when we are experiencing hotter conditions. \u00a0When temperatures rise, research has shown that water intake can increase significantly and in hotter weather horses will sweat more and lose more water which then needs to be replenished. Therefore, it\u2019s important to ensure your horse has regular daily access to plenty of fresh, clean water, which is palatable and free from contamination. \u00a0Horses tend to prefer cool water over cold even in hot weather so if your water is very cold giving it a little time to warm up a bit should encourage your horse to drink more for optimum hydration.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Adding 1-2 tablespoons of salt daily to feed<\/strong>\u00a0can help encourage drinking for good hydration, but in warmer weather this should ideally be increased to at least 3 or 4 to ensure your horse drinks plenty.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

When horses sweat, they lose water plus essential mineral salts or electrolytes, including sodium, potassium and chloride. Working in hotter weather will induce more sweating, but most horses with access to plenty of water, salt and good-quality forage, will be able to replace these losses.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

However, if your horse shows a notable increase in sweating whilst working in hotter weather or is working pretty hard, it\u2019s worth\u00a0considering additional electrolytes<\/strong>. \u00a0Electrolytes can be offered before and after exercise and can be made using a combination of table salt and Lo-salt (at a ratio of 2:1), which will provide the key electrolytes sodium, chloride and potassium for optimum fluid balance and hydration.\u00a0Find out more about electrolytes here and follow our recipe to make your own<\/a>!<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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Exercise<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

Exercise is essential for both for you and your horse, but it\u2019s important to be mindful of the impact hotter weather can have on your horse\u2019s ability to work and their recovery. \u00a0If you do need to exercise your horse during a heat wave,\u00a0riding during the cooler parts of the day<\/strong>, such as early morning or evening, is the best approach.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

If you are lucky enough to live close to a beach where riding is permitted,\u00a0taking your horse for a dip in the sea<\/strong>\u00a0can be a great way of exercising whilst keeping your horse cool in the heat, plus the salt water will have a soothing effect on their limbs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

At the end of any exercise session or summer evening hack, it\u2019s important to have a\u00a0cooling down period<\/strong>, and this is vital in hotter temperatures. Always allow your horse to walk gently for the last 10-15 minutes of the ride, to allow heart rate and body temperature to start to return to normal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

After exercise, you can help your horse cool down much more efficiently by giving him or her a nice\u00a0wash or hose down with plenty of water<\/strong>, with a cooling wash added if necessary. \u00a0It\u2019s also important to\u00a0allow your horse drink as much as they want after exercise<\/strong>\u00a0to replenish lost fluids and restore balance. It\u2019s a myth that a hot horse shouldn\u2019t be allowed to drink water after exercise, it\u2019s much better that they regain full hydration than become dehydrated \u2013 which is a much bigger problem.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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Shade<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

Ensuring your horse has access to\u00a0plenty of shade<\/strong>, through a field shelter or trees when the temperature rises is vital to give them the opportunity to move out of the sun when they need to, which is likely to be most of the day if it\u2019s very hot (< 25 \u00b0C). \u00a0If your horse has sensitive pink skin, make sure you are applying plenty of\u00a0high factor sunscreen and consider a fly mask<\/strong>\u00a0with extension to protect the more vulnerable muzzle area.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

If your horse has limited access to shade or is really struggling with the heat and large volumes of pesky flies, it\u2019s probably best to\u00a0bring them in during the hottest part of the day provided you have access to a large cool stable<\/strong>. Treating your horse to a nice refreshing wash down when in will also help keep him or her cool and comfortable.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

If you do decide to bring your horse in out of the glaring sun, then it\u2019s important to\u00a0provide plenty of forage<\/strong>\u00a0so that he or she is not standing around all day with nothing to eat which could compromise digestive health.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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Forage<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

Grass is the best food a horse can get in hot, sunny weather as it has a high water content.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0So, provided your \u2018 field has plenty of shade he\u2019s probably better off being out enjoying the fresh grass with his field mates and getting some essential vitamin D from the sun!<\/p>\r\n\r\n

You may not be aware that forage (grass, hay or haylage) often holds a fair amount of water which gets released when broken down by microbes in the hindgut. This creates a water reservoir in the hindgut which can be drawn upon when needed, so try to\u00a0ensure your horse is getting plenty of forage for good hydration.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n

By keeping your horses cool and comfortable with the right care and feeding, you can help them stay happy and healthy throughout the heatwave.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Enjoy the sun and stay cool! And here\u2019s a great way to do that\u2026<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/smarthorsenutrition\/photos\/a.240492389623456\/935812920091396<\/div>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]   With the current\u00a0good weather that we are enjoying, you might be wondering how best to keep your horse comfortable and healthy in the heat? Follow these guidelines for the best care and nutrition when the temperature rises.   Hydration Water is easily the most essential nutrient\u00a0in your horse\u2019s diet and it becomes even…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/castlehorsefeeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4456"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/castlehorsefeeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/castlehorsefeeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/castlehorsefeeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/castlehorsefeeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4456"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/castlehorsefeeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4651,"href":"https:\/\/castlehorsefeeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4456\/revisions\/4651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/castlehorsefeeds.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}