For healthy horses working during the summer, Dr. Becky McConnico of LSU says adding a salt containing potassium chloride—which horses lose more often when they get dehydrated—to the feed will encourage water consumption and help recover elements lost during sweating. Horses become more at risk for dehydration (loss of body water at a rate greater than the body can replace it) on hot summer days.
McConnico adds that owners should know how much their horse drinks normally and consult the heat index before riding. If adding the humidity percentage to the outside temperature
value (in degrees Fahrenheit) results in a figure above 180, she advises skipping
your ride.
Otherwise, cooling down your horse after a summer ride is important. A 2020 Study from The American Association of Equine practitioners has shown that applying tap water continuously took about 2 minutes to achieve normal body temperature compared to walking a horse which averaged 25 minutes. Click the link below for more summer time equine tips.
Author: Ginger Schouest, LEC Board Member & Marketing Chair