Provide shade and constant fresh water, ride in the cool of early morning or evening, cool a hot horse with plenty of cold water, offer electrolytes when sweating heavily, and never leave a horse in still, hot air.
Water, shade and airflow
A horse can drink 25 to 55 litres a day in heat, and more when sweating, so keep clean water available at all times and check troughs twice daily. Provide real shade in the field, and in the stable use a fan to move air, since still hot air is worse than open shade.
Ride at the right time
Work horses in the cool of early morning or late evening and keep sessions shorter in a heatwave. Watch for heavy blowing, excessive sweating or a horse that stops sweating altogether, which is a warning sign, and stop and cool the horse if you see them.
Cool a hot horse properly
Apply plenty of cold water over the whole body, especially the large blood vessels inside the legs and under the belly, and keep reapplying. Modern advice is that continuous cold water cools fastest, so there is no need to scrape between applications. Cooling boots can help ease heat and swelling in hard-working legs. See the best horse cooling boots.
Replace what sweat takes out
Horse sweat is rich in salts, so a heavily sweating horse loses electrolytes as well as water. A salt lick helps, and a measured electrolyte supplement supports horses in hard work or long travel. Always offer water alongside. Compare options in our best horse electrolytes guide.
Do not forget flies and sunburn
Heat and flies arrive together. A fly mask protects the face and pink-skinned noses can burn, so use shade and pet-safe sunblock on vulnerable areas. Keeping flies down also reduces the stamping and stress that add to the heat load.
