Hot. Hot, Hot

It seems that I'm always one step behind the changing seasons. In Ohio the joke is that we go from heat to air conditioning in the same week. In the past week we have gone from spring to the heat of summer and that always requires extra measures with horses. Trail riding becomes buggier, horses can become fatigued more quickly when they cannot cool themselves due to high humidity, and having the right supplies becomes more important.

Water is the obvious and I start to carry enough water for my horses and for myself, particularly for my Fox Trotter who doesn't want strange water. Bug repellent for myself and the horse as well as fly masks are a must; I favor the human bug repellents that also have sun screen in them (less goop to apply). I carry a small spray bottle of bug spray in my saddlebag for "touch ups".

Cooling horses after a ride with water applied to their bellies ,chests and legs helps as well. Save the hose for when other large muscle groups have cooled. Squeegee to get rid of excess water which can trap more heat according to my friend.

We've been taking more rests on trail to be sure that the horses are not getting stressed by the excessive heat. but it's all fun no matter how you slice it. Speaking of slicing, many horses love watermelon as a way to rehydrate at the end of the trail. My Fox Trotter curls up her lip at watermelon but the Haflinger loves it.

Keep your cool, Kathy, Horsedrivensite.net