MAKE SUMMER A BREEZE
As much as we’ve been looking forward to the longer days and warm temperatures of summer, the season does present a few significant challenges for horse keepers. Whether summer in your area means high heat, stifling humidity or an onslaught of bugs---or the dreaded combination of all three---chances are you have a good idea of what’s just around the corner. Now is the time to prepare.
Summer is particularly tough on horses. You can manage the season’s extremes for yourself by swapping sweaters for shorts, stocking up on sunscreen and taking a dip in the pool. Keeping your horse safe and happy as the temperature climbs is more difficult. The trick is to identify potential problems and address them as early as possible. And even then, you’ll need to be ready to adapt and act as the summer progresses. Here are five key challenges to focus on now and all summer long to safeguard your horse’s health.
CHALLENGE 1: HEAT (AND HUMIDITY)
With their thick coats, efficient metabolism and large muscle masses, equine bodies are built to conserve heat in cool climates. That’s all well and good until the mercury climbs to 90 degrees with 80 percent humidity.
Sweating can help a horse stay cool, but in extremely hot weather even profuse perspiration can be insufficient to regulate his temperature, particularly if he’s been exercising. When humidity is high, sweating will be even less effective because increased moisture in the air limits the cooling evaporation of sweat from the skin’s surface. And if he’s physiologically unable to sweat much or at all (see page 52) this natural cooling process can be undermined.
Staying cool is about more than comfort, though. When a horse is unable to maintain his body temperature in the normal (99 to 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit)
