Horses Were Designed to Live Outside. Why Is It Important to Make Adjustments to Protect Them from the Heat?
While horses were originally wild animals built to live outdoors, they're still living creatures susceptible to environmental extremes. In fact, when properly acclimated, horses naturally tolerate extreme cold better than extreme heat. The days of the truly "wild" backyard horse are long gone. Horses, as a species, have been domesticated for hundreds to thousands of years, and over that time we've changed so much about their natural lifestyle that today's domestic horse carries both genetic disadvantages and far more accommodations, research, and nutritional expertise than their wild ancestors ever had. To keep horses happy and healthy, it's our responsibility to provide the care they can't provide for themselves.
There are a variety of management practices you can put in place to keep horses cool, comfortable and hydrated during the summer heat, and they can be customized to fit your individual horses and barn setup.
Practical Management Adjustments to Prevent Overheating
Every barn and setup is a little different, but the following options give you a strong starting point for summer horse care.
Air Circulation
Keeping the air moving goes a long way toward comfort. Even a well-ventilated barn can have hot, stagnant days without a breeze. Never underestimate the value of a well-placed fan. Positioning fans in barns, stalls, run-in sheds and under overhangs, working with the natural direction of airflow, helps keep horses cool and comfortable. As a bonus, high-speed fans (like a windy day) also help keep biting flies at bay.
To regulate body temperature, most horses sweat when temperatures rise. As a horse sweats, circulating air helps that dampness evaporate off the skin, which creates a cooling effect. If your horse doesn't sweat, or barely sweats, in the heat, contact your veterinarian right away. Anhidrosis is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that stops the body from producing sweat. Without that ability to self-regulate temperature, a horse becomes highly susceptible to overheating and heat stroke.
Fans are an excellent tool for keeping horses cool, but they also pose a real fire hazard. Using ag-sturdy fans built to function in barns is the first step in reducing that risk. Check out more tips on barn fan safety.
Shade
Adequate shade is an essential part of any barn, pasture or turnout setup. Keep these questions in mind when evaluating your shade options:
- Is there enough shade for the number of horses you have? If more than one horse shares turnout, are there enough shaded spots for horses lower in the pecking order?
- Does the shade cover the horses at all hours of the day?
- Is the shade located in an area horses naturally travel through? Positioning shade where horses already want to be, near other horses or the gate that leads to the barn or feeding area, is key to it actually getting used. Providing water, free-choice salt or forage in shaded areas can encourage that use.
- What does the footing look like in and around the shade? Avoid rocky, uneven ground or spots that tend to hold moisture and turn muddy. If the shade is natural (trees), watch for exposed roots or low branches that increase injury risk. Rubber mats, pavers, stone dust and anti-mud footing systems can all help improve tough footing.
- Is there good air circulation in the shaded area? A securely fastened, well-positioned fan can help when shade lacks natural airflow from multiple angles.
Bathing and Alcohol Baths
A quick hose-down from head to toe can be a refreshing way to cool a horse down, but bathing in the heat comes with a couple of important disclaimers. The cold-water splash can bring real relief, but what you do right after the bath determines whether it helps or hurts.
Step 1: Scrape off the excess water. Water left to drip-dry on its own heats up quickly in a hot climate. That can undo the cooling effect entirely and actually put the horse at greater risk by raising internal temperature. Once you scrape off the excess, the remaining dampness evaporates and creates a cooling effect similar to natural sweating.
Step 2: Do not send the horse back into direct sunlight. Once bathing is done and excess water is scraped off, keep the horse shaded until fully dry. Leftover dampness under direct, scorching sun heats up fast, essentially creating a boiling effect that raises internal temperature and puts the horse at risk of overheating.
After a cool, refreshing bath: use a sweat scraper to remove excess water, keep the horse in a shaded area out of direct sunlight, and position them under fans to speed up evaporation and cooling.
On especially hot days, or when you need to lower a horse's internal temperature quickly, mix a 50/50 solution of water and isopropyl alcohol and saturate the horse's body. Isopropyl alcohol evaporates at a much lower threshold than water, which supercharges the cooling effect. Focus on the chest, neck, back, belly and between the legs, and avoid sensitive areas like the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and any wounds. This is a highly effective way to quickly bring down a horse's body temperature, but because alcohol can irritate skin, it shouldn't be used as a regular practice.
Fitness Level
Just like people, a horse's fitness level affects how well it handles extreme heat. Horses that stay in work and in shape year-round are naturally better equipped to handle the heat than horses in poor condition. If year-round fitness isn't realistic, easing a horse back into work before the heat sets in can still help. The fitter the horse, the better off it will be. For horses that can't be worked, such as seniors or those dealing with lameness or other issues, leaning on the other strategies here to keep them cool, comfortable and hydrated becomes even more important.
Turnout Times
A common summer practice is flipping day and night turnout schedules. As long as the "in" setup provides good airflow and protection from direct sun, this reversed schedule can offer real relief and improve overall comfort.
- Bring horses in during the day, when heat and fly activity peak. This gets them out from under the sun, which helps prevent overheating and reduces sunburn on light skin (common around pink noses, eyes and faces). It also limits physical exertion during the hottest part of the day, assuming the horse stays calm in a stall or covered pen, and gives protection from biting flies when the "in" setup includes fans for airflow.
- Turn horses out at night, when temperatures drop and flies settle down. Cooler temps encourage more natural physical activity, provide relief from direct sunlight, and mean fewer fly bites, less hoof stomping and less overall irritation.
Hauling and Training in the Heat
Whether your climate runs dry or humid, high temperatures need to factor into your planning for riding, training and hauling. Ideally, save these activities for the coolest parts of the day: early morning before the sun climbs high, or evening and overnight after it goes down. Like us, most horses would rather take refuge during the hottest stretch of the day.
Trailers, like vehicles, can turn into sweltering hot boxes fast. Between direct sun and poor air circulation, temperatures inside a trailer can climb to life-threatening levels quickly. Along with choosing the right time of day, making sure the trailer has plenty of airflow is essential.
Feeding Tips
Digestion takes energy, and energy generates internal heat. When temperatures climb, adjusting the feeding schedule can help keep horses more comfortable. Any diet changes should be made gradually, over one to two weeks, to avoid gastric upset. A few common summer feeding tips:
- Wait two to four hours after feeding before training or riding.
- Avoid large meals. Break daily rations into smaller, more frequent feedings. For digestive health, and to help prevent gastric upset and ulcers, don't let a horse go longer than three to four hours without eating. Keep forage in front of them for easy access, and for overweight or metabolic horses, use slow-feed hay nets to keep gastric acids in check.
- Use oils and fat supplements to add calories and energy when needed, rather than increasing hay.
Hydration and Electrolytes for Horses
Proper hydration matters every day, but it becomes critical in intense heat since hydration helps regulate body temperature and supports digestion. A horse working hard in extreme heat can lose up to four gallons of sweat per hour, and that sweat carries more than water. It carries essential minerals, most importantly sodium, chloride and potassium. That's why water alone isn't enough. Electrolytes are needed to replenish the minerals lost through sweat. A few practical guidelines for keeping horses hydrated:
- Provide more than one water source. Keep water fresh, clean and cool. Most horses avoid warm water, so keep sources shaded and refresh them regularly depending on trough or bucket size. Keep water sources clean, and use flow (automatic waterers or stock tank circulation pumps) to keep water from going stagnant.
- Provide free-choice salt and minerals in loose, brick, block or lick form. Keep salt and minerals protected from precipitation, which causes them to dissolve, and keep them away from grass, since salt kills grass. Position them in shaded areas near water sources, in spots horses naturally frequent.
- Incorporate salt and electrolytes into the daily diet by adding salt, potassium or electrolytes to feed. If adding electrolytes to water, always offer a separate water source without electrolytes as well.
- For targeted dosing, use a syringe of electrolyte paste, following individual product instructions.
- Remember that electrolytes can't replace fluids on their own. Electrolytes replenish the minerals lost in sweat, salt stimulates thirst, and water replaces the fluids themselves. In extreme situations requiring medical attention, IV fluids can help replenish fluids as well.
For more detailed tips on hydration and electrolytes, check out What You Need to Know About Electrolytes for Horses.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much water can a horse sweat out in hot weather? A horse working hard in extreme heat can lose up to four gallons of sweat per hour, which is why hydration and electrolyte management become critical during summer months.
What is anhidrosis in horses? Anhidrosis is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition where a horse loses the ability to sweat, which is its natural way of regulating body temperature. If your horse isn't sweating normally in the heat, contact your veterinarian right away.
Is it safe to give a horse a cold bath in hot weather? Yes, with a few important steps. Scrape off excess water immediately after bathing and keep the horse in the shade until fully dry. Leftover dampness under direct sun can actually raise internal temperature rather than lower it.
Should I change my horse's turnout schedule in summer? Many barns flip to night turnout and daytime stalling during peak summer heat, which reduces sun exposure, fly activity and physical exertion during the hottest hours.
