06/20/2026
With summer heat rising, here is some helpfully tips, We wanted to share with you. To keep your Equine friend safe from the heat.
When Is It Too Hot to Ride Your Horse?
If you are hot, Your horse is hotter: Horses overheat 10x faster than Humans! It only takes about 17 minutes of moderate intensity exercise in hot & humid weather for your horse to overheat.
Your horse’s natural radiator is a combination of skin surface and sweat. As your horse’s body warms up, his sweat glands release sweat: a combination of water and minerals. As the water evaporates off the skin it cools the body down. When the relative humidity (a measurement of moisture in the air) is over 75%, the ability of your horse to cool himself by sweating is greatly diminished. This occurs because the air is so full of moisture your horse’s sweat can no longer properly evaporate and cause cooling.
Temperature alone is not a good guide when it comes to deciding if you should ride on a hot summer day. It is the combination of heat and humidity that should be your major concern:
Temperature + Humidity: Add the temperature with humidity and that number will tell you if it's too
hot for your horse. If the total is 130 or more, there is serious risk of overheating your horse
For Example: 80'F + 50% Humidity = 130
Below 130- Good to go! Your horse can cool themselves properly assuming adequate hydration.
130-170- Caution! Your horse's ability to cool themselves is only partially functioning
170 or above- Stopl Your horse's ability to cool themselves is scriously hindered. Extra cooling procedures should be used.
• It can be very scrious if a horse's body temperature raises from the normal.
Horses suffering from excessive heat stress can cxperience Hypotension, Colic and Renal Failure.
Working muscles can reach temperatures of nearly 110°F which is the temperature at which
Muscle proteins begin to cook.
Horses can sweat up to 15-20 liters per hour in cool/dry conditions and up to 30 in hot/humid conditions. Only 25-30% of the sweat your horse produces is effective in cooling them, as opposed to humans 50%. The salt in a horse's sweat is 4x more concentrated than in humans, So they lose more salt when they sweat. That will need to replaced. The best way to cool your horse is to rinse them in cool water, scrape off excess water and repeat. You can lower your horse's temperature by 29°every 10 minutes by using this method.
When and where to ride during warm weather
You have checked the temperature and humidity and it is not in the danger zone, but it is still hot. There are choices you can make that will keep both you and your horse more comfortable during your ride.
• Feed an electrolyte daily during hot weather. It will stimulate your horse to drink and help keep him or her hydrated. Electrolytes also replace the essential minerals lost in sweat.
• Ride in the early morning or in the evening when the sun is not at its hottest.
• Ride in the shade, either in the woods or in an indoor arena, with good air circulation.
• Be aware of your horse’s fitness level. Whether obese or thin, unfit horses are less able to deal with the stress of exercising in hot temperatures.
• Cool your horse down properly after your ride and be sure an abundant supply of cool, fresh water is always available.
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