Now we know we mention the Great British weather a lot… but that is usually in conjunction with wet days and never-ending winters. But every now and again, we are lucky enough to get a glimpse of summer for a few days, or weeks, a year. When those rare days do occur, it can be a bit of a shock for our horses- and us-, who are far more used to battling the winter elements than the summer elements. Hot and humid days bring out the worst of the summer flies, and in a country that rarely sees temperatures north of 15 degrees, our barns and paddocks aren’t really designed for the heat.

However, as we have been blessed with more than our usual quota of summer days so far, we decided to bring you a hand How To guide to managing the heat when it comes to horse management. For this one, we wanted to bring you the goods straight from the horse’s mouth (pardon the shameless pun) and have corralled our sponsored riders to bring you a roundup of their favourite summer hacks to make it through a ‘British Summer’ unscathed.

From fighting off the pesky flies and coping with sweet itch, to mindful exercise routines, here are PolyJumps sponsored riders’ top tips for handling the heat.

Water Sources

If your horse is still going out during the heat of the day, or perhaps they’re living out, make sure extra water sources are readily available. Try dotting extra buckets at intervals around the field so no matter where they might be grazing, a fresh and clean water source is never too far away. This encourages them to keep drinking periodically over time and avoid dehydration or a bout of colic.

The same goes for your stabled horses. Even if they have automatic water drinkers, having a few buckets in their stable is a good idea to encourage them to drink a little bit more, and gives you a good indication of how much they’ve been drinking throughout the day or night.

Soak Your Hay

We know a lot of you out there already soak your hay, regardless of the high temperatures. But if you didn’t, now might be a good time to start. Soaking hay is a super simple way to increase water uptake for your horse, and in weather like this every little helps! It also ensures there is no dust, and any excess sugars are drained away.

Feed A Mash

Feeding an extra watery mash is a good tactic for encouraging fussy horses to increase their water intake. A watery mash is a great incentive for them to drink the water on top and get to the yummy mash at the bottom, which will also be full of water and other nutrients. There are tonnes of mash options out there from all sorts of feed companies, and nearly all of them will contain all the essential nutrients, vitamins, and electrolytes your horse will need to replenish on a hot day.

Nip Sweet Itch In The Bud

Get ahead of the game when it comes to sweet itch prone horses and get them decked out in their sweet itch rugs or fly rugs from the get-go. Fly masks with ears and nose nets are also a must-have to keep the flies away from the sensitive areas on their faces and prevent any unwanted sunburns on their noses! Some fly rugs are even UV repellent which is even better for grey or pink-skinned horses that are more prone to sunburn.

With the temperatures climbing and flies coming out to play, it might be a good idea to keep them stabled during the day when the flies are at their worst and turning them out at night when it’s a bit cooler and more suitable for their skin. A constant dousing in fly spray is also a must with a sweet itch prone horse!

Hang Up Fans In The Stable

For those that really struggle with the heat and are happier stabled during the hottest parts of the day, wireless fans are a game changer. Hanging a fan up in a corner of the stable can help to keep the air circulating and a cool breeze blowing on your horse to help them regulate their body temperature and keep them a little more comfortable in the heat and humidity.

Managing Your Exercise Regime

For those who don’t need to acclimatise to working through heat, riding early in the morning or later in the evening is the best way to tackle a busy workload during a heatwave. Avoid the hottest parts of the day, typically between 11am and 4pm where the sun is at its strongest, and instead getting up early to exercise before the sun reaches its peak.

For those horses who are competing throughout the summer, or travel abroad to hot countries to compete, it’s important to utilise the hot weather over here whilst we have it. Training in these temperatures will help your horse acclimatise and ensure they can still perform at their best when they go abroad, or if a competition happens to fall on a particularly hot day in the UK. Whilst it’s good to get your horse used to working in these temperatures, it’s important to ease them in slowly so as not to do them any harm as they get used to it.

If you are going to work through the heat, short but effective sessions are the way to go. Prioritise quality over quantity to get the best out of your horse, so pick one or two exercises to work on and focus on those for a shorter but concentrated period. Incorporate lots of walk breaks to bring their heart rate back down and allow them to catch their breath properly before continuing. Ample cooling off time is vital at the end of your session!

Cooling Off Effectively

Once your horse is walked off and back in from their ride, your washing off and after care routine is even more important when it’s hot outside. Make sure to thoroughly hose off your horse to bring their core temperature back down to a safe and stable margin. If using buckets of water, concentrate the majority over their lower back area as this is where their internal ‘thermostat’ is situated. Once your horse is thoroughly doused, use a sweat scraper to get rid of excess water, rather than allowing them to drip dry. Repeated hosing and scraping is more effective than leaving water to sit on their body. Ensure the water you’re using to wash them off with isn’t too cold to avoid sending them into shock. At competitive level, research by Dr David Marlin suggests that volume of water poured over the horse is more effective than evaporation methods

Your horse will undoubtedly come back from their ride quite sweaty, so getting that off their coats before it dries is necessity to avoid it becoming itchy or causing sores on their skin. Wiping down your tack post-ride is also key to stopping a build-up of dried sweat, grime, and dirt from rubbing your horse the next time they wear it and to keep the leather fresher for longer.

Helpful Treats

Making your own homemade ice licks is a great way to not only keep your stabled horses occupied for ages but increase their water intake as well as replenishing things like electrolytes. An at-home concoction of water and electrolytes with added bits of carrot and apples (or any of your horse’ s favourite fruits or veggies) to make it tasty is going to be your secret weapon to keeping your horse feeling great inside and out. 

So, there you have it, our PolyJumps sponsored riders tried and tested summer hacks to making it through a British heatwave. Putting these tips and tricks into practice will certainly earn you a big thumbs up from your horse and ensure you avoid any nasty complications that could stymie your summer equestrian plans. Want to find out a bit more about what PolyJumps has to offer? Don’t hesitate to get in touch and see how we can help you have the best summer ever.