Prodney’s Blog: Tips for keeping horses safe and well in hot weather
I’ve heard stories of riders at some stables complaining when their ride was cut short or at a slower pace than usual because of hot weather. Honestly, even with my extraordinarily highly developed sense of intuition, there are still humans I just don’t understand.
Luckily the humans we live with are wonderful at prioritising our needs, and riding is cancelled in very hot weather. But I like to think that my celebrity status means that I can help spread the word about how to keep us horses safe, whether you own a horse, or just enjoy riding at a stables.
Essential horse care in hot weather
Access to plenty of water. It’s so obvious, but this means enough of it (one horse typically drink up to 55 litres a day), and it needs to be clean. All of which means it needs checking at least twice a day.
Access to shade. Again, it’s obvious, yet you often see horses standing in a field with no shelter or trees. Where there is shade, on hot days horses will generally gather there to keep their temperatures down.
Limited exercise. A fast ride on a hot day may be fun for the rider, but could be dangerous for the horse. Light exercise during cooler times of day for most horses will be fine, followed by water to drink and a cool down.
We’re prone to sunburn just as much as you are, especially if we’re fair-skinned with pink noses, so a child-safe factor 50 sunblock is a good idea.
Horses rely on sweating to cool ourselves even more than you humans do, we’re much sweatier! But that means we’re prone to dehydration – and that can be fatal. We LOVE being hosed down with cold water (and on a hot day most humans enjoy it too).
Horse licks taste delicious but are also essential to replace the salts we’re sweating out.
You can find more advice about caring for horses in hot weather on the RSPCA website
Horse licks are always on our Amazon wishlist because the horses love them and they’re so good for them, especially in hot weather, and all year round for our retired horses who benefit from mineral supplements. Gifting us a horse lick costs around £8 and at least one of our ponies will be very appreciative!
Prodney is Chief Equine Officer (CEO) at Park Lane Stables, and achieved celebrity status following the TV coverage in 2021. And yes, he really is a bit of a star on YouTube and TikTok. Just search for Park Lane Stables and do follow us!