HOT Weather Riding

I used to be a safety manager for guys (and gals) wearing chemical protective clothing from head to toe, including respirators, working on haz waste sites, so I'll throw in a couple of pennies worth on heat stress for humans and horses.

Acclimating to heat stress conditions takes about two weeks. Important factors in speeding up that time frame include: sensible work/rest periods, drinking plenty of fluids (amen to the person who said to drink more volume, and more frequently, than your thirst demands -- the ol' thirst mechanism has a couple of defects), avoiding caffeine (a diuretic), alcohol (even a glass of wine or two the night before a big day -- also a diuretic) and sugar (which tends to do lousy things to the digestive system under heat stress workouts!).... Also, last but not least, getting enough rest. The reason you feel more tired when you're heat stressed is, well, you need more rest. Listen to the ol' bod on this one -- its not lying!

Re: your horses. All of the above basically holds true. Conditioning in heat is critical for your horse, just like for you. So don't pick that first hot day to do a more challenging than usual workout. You'll both feel lousy.

Heat exhaustion in humans is marked by flu-like lousy feeling symptoms, clammy skin, sweating, nausea, dizziness, and near-fainting. It's not an emergency (unless you're mounted) but should be a wake up call that you need more fluids, rest and more time to acclimate.

Heat stroke is the biggie! That's when the body gives up sweating, you turn beet red, and your skin is hot and dry. Basically, as your body temp rises (106 is pretty typical in heat stroke), your brain stops functioning. Oftentimes, the temp rises quickly, and since a symptom of fever is delirium, they've no idea they're in trouble. It is quite likely to be fatal, so riding instructors and riding pals need to watch out for one another, and if someone stops sweating, it's time for an emergency call (9-1-1 in many parts of the country) and getting that person cooled down pronto.

Ways to help hydrate your horse: Allow him to eat grass, then offer it water. The grass is loaded with both moisture and electrolytes, so it will encourage him to drink. Even feeding hay helps to keep the horse 'plumped up', maintaining fluid in the body. Your horse should pee pretty copious quantities, and a nice clear yellow -- lack of urination, or dark urine signifies some metabolic woes from dehydration. If you'd like to try electrolytes, you need to get your horse use to them. We tend to syringe electrolytes (one dose per syringe --we use Enduralytes 'cause they're low sugar and quickly absorbed --blended with applesauce) during endurance rides after the horse has tanked up on a good drink, and only when we know more water will be available. You can also add electrolytes to your horse's water -- it will take them a little while to get used to it, and some horses just don't. We also like to feed "slushies", which is just really, really wetted beet pulp with added electrolytes.

If your horse does not sweat in hot/humid weather, or during work, you may have a problem called "anhydrosis." Stop working and call the vet. Cool the horse down.

To cool off you and horse, as many have mentioned, is the good ol' hosing off after, during, or before the ride. Just like you love to run cold water over your wrists to cool you off (pulse point), your horse will benefit most from a cool hosing (or sponging if you're trail riding and come across a creek) of his upper inner legs (hinds and fronts), chest and neck. Some horses even love to have their head cooled off -- depends on the horse. What most folks don't know about hosing their horses off is that they should remove the water as well. So you hose/sponge, scrape off the warm water, and move on. If you don't do so, the warm water can actually insulate the horse's body, leaving him warmer longer, and defeating your original purpose in hosing him off.

Sorry this got so long and boring, but I hope its helpful. We've learned a lot about dealing with warm weather and demanding rides by doing competitive trail rides and endurance. There is an excellent website at www.endurance.net which has a BB called "Ridecamp." If you search the archives on "electrolytes" or "cooling" and topics like that, you'll be inundated by excellent information. Look for posts by Susan Garlinghouse (a nutritionist with a wicked sense of humor) or Heidi (CMKsagehill) who is a vet and doles out excellent advice...

Good luck and stay cool.