As I am sitting here, sweating, in mid June, I thought it might be helpful to go over some tips and tricks to keep your horses cooler this summer.

The most important thing to know is that horses are much more suited for coping with cold weather than heat, and especially heat and humidity. Be careful out there!

First, if the temperature (in fahrenheit) plus the humidity is greater than 150, it isn't safe to work your horse. Horses cool themselves primarily through evaporation, and humidity greatly interferes with your horse’s ability to cool himself.

Where does that leave you? Well, you can work early in the morning, or later in the evening if it cools off. Consider investing in some lights so you can ride after dark. Groundwork, in the stall or the shade can be done, especially if there is a fan to blow on both of you. Consider this a good time to work on that bridling problem, or the way he jerks his left hind foot when you pick it up, that you always want to sort out but never have time.

To keep the horses cool, make sure their water is clean, cool, and fresh. I try and fill my troughs with a minimum amount of water so I am putting cool, fresh water in there multiple times a day, and also not wasting much when they inevitably need to be scrubbed out from the algae. Of course, there needs to be enough water to easily last them however long I may be away from home, so it is a careful balance.

Horses need free access to salt. I know that himalayan rocks and other assorted salt licks have become popular, but horses don't often get all of the salt they need from a lick. Licks are designed for cattle, who have rough tongues like cats and are able to get the salt off the lick. Horses have soft tongues, like dogs, and many horses don't like licking salt long enough to get what they need. Free running, or granulated salt is better for horses.

I also hose, sponge off, or spray the horses with plain water on hot days, so they don’t have to work as hard to cool themselves. I have fans, even in my run in sheds to keep them cool and give respite from flies. Wetting their feed gets a little more water into them, as well as ensuring they get their electrolytes and supplements without having to breathe all of those powders.

Horse ice pops can be fun for them, if they are into it. They are basically some sort of water, gatorade, or molasses water mixed with something the horse likes (cut up small), and frozen into a large block of ice. You then put it in a feed pan, or freeze a string into it and hang it up. I use chopped hay, beet pulp, and/or alfalfa pellets, since I have them around. There are a ton of posts about these on the internet if you want more ideas.

What about trailering?

If you have to trailer in a heat wave, the first thing is to try and do as much as you can to do the driving in the cooler hours. Use your GPS to try and keep you on a route where you can keep moving, the air flow in the trailer stops when the trailer stops, so sitting in traffic is a really big problem in the heat.

I try to dose the horse with electrolytes starting several days before we need to travel so they are nice and hydrated. Bed the floor with shavings or straw, and dampen them with water right before you load. Not enough to make the trailer slippery, but this will keep the dust down and help cool the trailer.

Wet the hay, it keeps the dust down and increases the moisture, and if you are feeding grain before or during your travel, wet that too.

You will want to skip the shipping boots or bandages, or at least wet them down, because they will hold heat against the horse.

And last, but not least, hose the horse down before you load him.

I have a wireless thermometer in the trailer, and I have the readout in the truck so I can keep tabs on how hot it is in the trailer. It isn’t perfect, as the metal in the wall of the trailer makes it read hotter than the horse’s seem when I check, but it does give me a way to note changes in the temperature.

There are many battery powered fans these days, and some of them can even mist from a bucket of water. If you can figure out how to secure one in your trailer, go for it.

Once on the road, there are a few things you can do. Most importantly is to try and keep moving. Stay out of traffic in the heat. When you stop, try hard to keep it to a minimum and get the trailer in the shade. Offer the horses water at every stop. There are products like hydration hay, horse quencher, and others to add to the water, and I often use a 60cc dosing syringe or picnic squeeze ketchup bottle to rinse my horse’s mouths if they don’t drink. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to get them thinking that might be a good idea.

You can buy and throw ice in the shavings to help cool down the trailer. Sponging the horses or spraying them with water from a spray bottle will also help.

Don’t forget to look after yourself, pre-hydrate before starting your day of barn chores. Make plans for things to do inside during the heat of the day. Wear a hat, sunscreen, and carry water with you. Take breaks at the first signs of feeling overheated, and especially if you work with other people, brush up on the signs of heat distress and what to do about it.