Is your horse too hot?

If you think your horse is over hot, what can you do? and how do you know if it IS too hot?

Dark horses overheat more quickly than lighter coloured horses.

Horses that are not fit also overheat much more quickly. How do you kow if your horse is too hot? Is it dangerous ?

Heavy sweating, or heavy sweating followed by: a drop in sweat production fatigue stumbling rapid breathing

Are all warning signs that your horse is too hot – and could be suffering with heat stroke.  Get the thermeter out.

If you think your horse is overheating, stop work immediately, remove all tack, get him/her out of the sun, offer water (about a gallon at a time, at five-minute intervals) and run water over the horse constantly. Do NOT SCRAPE water off – it is the cooling of the water which aids the cooling of the horse

Danger zone:  If his body temperature does not drop back to a normal of 100 or 101 rapidly within the first few minutes, call your vet immediately.

Heat exhaustion/stroke is a medical emergency. If your horse’s stable is too hot, consider insulating the roof against the heat.  Take note of the type of roof you have now – then ask at a DIY/hardward/builders yard / shop what you could use.