How the unusually hot summer is affecting every horse’s wellbeing
It’s been the longest and hottest summer the UK has seen in decades, and its impact on the equestrian industry is far-reaching. Rachel Williams finds out what this means for you and your horse
SUMMER IS A DOUBLE- edged sword for horse owners. Mother Nature provides more daylight, but she also gives us f lies. She lets us ride in T-shirts, and bestows us with ridiculous tan lines. This year, the heatwave has intensified these issues and brought with it a range of other, more serious concerns too — some of which we will probably feel the effects of in the months to come.
Hotting up
From pro riders to happy hackers, the heat has wreaked havoc with everyone’s riding patterns. Dressage rider Olivia Towers has been forced to give her horses some unplanned time off. “My horses seemed to cope to begin with, but then, when we were taking them competing and warming up in indoor arenas, I thought ‘this is ridiculous’. Warming up big movers for classes like the prix st georges is tough in this weather and, at Bicton Regionals, they just didn’t want to do it. I backed right off because I knew there was good reason for it. “The travelling and overnight stays in temporary stables, where there might be less shade or space than the horses are used to, all has an effect as well, so I decided to give them 10 days off. We’ve been dipping fly rugs in water, not turning out for as long and have had stable fans blowing to keep them cool and the flies at bay.” The consequences of the heat have been greater still for eventers, with several British Eventing fixtures being cancelled due to the ground conditions. Equine fitness levels have suffered for the same reason. Event rider and trainer Harriet Morris-Baumber has had to choose the events she takes her horses to carefully. “At the bigger events, ground preparation has been really good with a lot of watering taking place, but at the lower levels, the same hasn’t always happened. “Cooling down after a cross-country round is always a priority, but it’s been an extreme concern this year. I’ve been using ice boots and arnica, along with good quality joint supplements, to look after my horses’ legs.” Even going for a simple hack out has had its
difficulties this year. Cheryl Beech from Kent is completing Your Horse magazine’s Hack 1000 Miles challenge. “I don’t want to go to work myself in this heat, so why would I make my horse? Usually if it’s hot, I’ll get up to ride as early as 5am, but this summer, I feel bad making the horses get hot in what might be the only bearable part of the day,” says Cheryl.
Heatstroke
Sport horse agent Jo Linton took her sevenyear-old Gwendyame showjumping early one morning in July. When they arrived home, despite taking all the usual precautions, the mare began displaying symptoms of colic, even wanting to lie down on gravel. When the vet was called, he instructed Jo to begin cold-hosing and not stop until he arrived. “My vet knew it was likely heatstroke, not colic, and that was frightening because, by walking her round in the heat, we’d been doing exactly the wrong thing,” says Jo. “The whole event really shook me and I’ve been doing things very differently since. I cold-hose and scrape off repeatedly after riding and I only turn out overnight. “The vet said the heatstroke likely began during the 40-minute trailer ride home. Because of this, I’ll only compete if we can go through a lengthy cooling down process, without travelling home the same day.” Alistair Love, equine veterinarian at Clevedale Farm Vets in North Yorkshire, says there’s a spectrum of symptoms to watch for. “Signs of heatstroke occur on a progressive scale, depending on the horse’s temperature,” he explains. “Their normal temperature is 38.3°C and I would say that between 3°C and 5°C above this puts them in the danger zone.” First, the horse’s respiratory rate will go up (between 12 and 16 breaths per minute when at rest is normal). The pulse rate, which can be harder to monitor, also increases. Horses can appear lethargic and some may sweat. “Gums may appear a much darker red in colour,” adds Alistair. “At the furthest end of the spectrum, horses might display spasms, as though they are tying up, a reluctance to move, much like colic, wobbliness (ataxia), disorientation and even collapse. “They may also appear agitated and kick out, but this is a response of the nervous system to the heat, rather than the abdominal pain associated with colic.”
Keeping cool
“As a general rule, 25°C when travelling or standing in indoor stabling isn’t good,” says Alistair. “In these situations, I don’t really see a need for a horse to be rugged in any way, and owners should never put on a rug after applying water to the skin, especially post-competing when the metabolic rate is heightened. Scrape off excess water and then it must evaporate; that’s how the skin cools. “The exceptional humidity of this summer hasn’t allowed sweat to dissipate when exercising in the same way either, so owners should choose the conditions and time of day at which they ride carefully. “Access to shade in fields is necessary too and, especially for pink-skinned horses, protection from sunburn should be provided. Human sun lotion isn’t designed to withstand the activity of the horse and is also designed to be re-applied more regularly than owners can manage, so a thicker, stickier product is much better.”
“Scrape off excess water and then it must evaporate; that’s how the skin cools”