Let’s Beat The Heat When Hauling Horses
- August 3, 2015
- |
- Lynn Kohr
Posted in: Featured, Horse Supplies, Horse Training
Take off the Plexiglas, open up the vents, leave the windows down…let the air flow through! Hauling horses in the summer has its challenges, especially in the middle of a hot summer day!
Any horse covering keeps their body heat in, even mesh flysheets. For those hot, daytime hauls in the summer, fold up the flysheets, turnout sheets and Back on Track sheets and let the air blow over your horses’ hair to wick away the heat. Horses have natural guard hairs that stick up just a bit higher than their shorter hair coat. These guard hairs catch a breeze and funnel that air right down to their skin, cooling them. Also, as horses sweat, the air flow dries the sweat and significantly cools them off.
Turn on the hose! Spraying horses off is refreshing and very cooling. Unloading mid-day and giving your horse a good soak or a big sponge off and loading them back up will restore and refresh them.
A nice bath works wonders.
Always offer water at every stop and I often hang a small bucket of water in the trailer during the day for them to sip on. I also installed fans in my trailer to help move air through. The fans are especially effective if my horses have to stand in a still trailer for any length of time.
Electrolytes are in season! Add electrolytes to your feeding plan. Read the directions and be aware that, yes even electrolytes can be overfed! Usually just a scoop added to your normal feed ration is a great boost. If you find yourself with a dehydrated horse, making an electrolyte paste is helpful…check with your veterinarian on their recommendation of when and how much to give in a paste. Over the counter electrolyte pastes are available as well and are handy to have in the trailer for extenuating circumstances.
With the air flowing freely through your trailer (and maybe add a fly mask for eye protection), frequent stops for water, a good soak, and electrolytes on board, may you beat the heat in your summer hauling!
Make sure windows are open on all sides for maximum air flow.
Related Posts:
Posted in: Featured, Horse Supplies, Horse Training
About Lynn Kohr
I am a barrel and pole horse trainer, giving springtime barrel racing and pole bending clinics and workshops, competing in barrel racing and pole bending futurities while marketing our horses for sale. I am a Mom of 3: Sage, Cedar, and Stratton. And wife of...