JUNE 2021 THE RIDER/ 9 INSIDE


Horses in Hot Weather .........9 Pro and Non-Pro Reining Series................10


In A Challenging Climate Management Of Horses In Hot Weather


This is an excerpt from


the March 2018 FEI Sports Forum Supporting Docu- ment “Session 6 – Optimis- ing Performance in a Challenging Climate: Man- agement of Horses in Hot Weather”, by Dr David Marlin & Dr Martha Mish- eff.


March 2018 Background Hot or hot and humid


environmental conditions are a serious risk to health and performance unless properly managed. Research into the effects of heat and humidity on horses during competition has been ongo- ing since the Atlanta Olympic Games. The fol- lowing is a summary of the most important points.


The effects of heat and


humidity are dependent on: • Workload • Amount of time in the heat • Hydration • Resting or working? • In sun or shade • Individual tolerance of heat How hot it feels depends on: • The shade temperature • The amount of moisture in the air (often measured as % relative humidity) • The strength of the sun • Ground surface (e.g. grass is cooler than tarmac) • The wind speed


How do we measure heat? The WBGT (Wet Bulb


Globe Temperature) index is a single “temperature” that takes into account the ef- fects of air temperature, hu- midity, sun, heat reflected from the ground and wind all at the same time. This is more accurate than simply looking at temperature or humidity alone. WBGT val- ues above 25 begin to feel uncomfortable and may af- fect health and performance. A peak WBGT index of 30 was recorded at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games and 28 at the Beijing 2008 Games in Hong Kong, but these peaks are manageable providing horses are accli- matised to working in hot and humid conditions, are fully fit, and the correct cooling facilities are avail- able and correctly used. (More detailed information is available in the Prepara- tion for and management during equestrian events held in thermally challeng- ing environments FEI docu- ment.)


Preparation • Acclimatisation - adapting equine and human athletes to heat by:


• Training harder and longer than normal at home to reach a higher body temper- ature • Scheduling training ses- sions at home for the hottest part of the day • Training at home on a treadmill in a heated room • Training at home using rugs • Travelling to a hotter and more humid climate to train in advance of competition


How often do I have to ex- ercise my horse and for how many days? The more you work


your horse in the heat the quicker and greater the ac- climatisation effect will be. One session per week for 3 weeks will have no effect. Exercise every other day for 2 weeks would have a good effect.


Does acclimatisation fully restore a horse’s capacity for exercise in the heat? No. Even when accli-


matised, your horse will not be able to do the same amount of work in the heat as he can in cooler weather, but acclimatisation reduces the risk of heat related ill- ness or injury.


Human athletes The effect of heat or


heat and humidity on human athletes can lead to fatigue, loss of strength and balance, reduced reaction times and poor decision making with significant health and wel- fare implications for both human and equine athletes, not to mention reduced per- formance.


Feed Any changes to your horse’s diet should ideally be made at least 4-6 weeks before traveling. Increased sweat- ing leads to loss of elec- trolytes, and increased electrolyte supplementation is recommended. Forage (hay or haylage) and fresh clean water should be avail- able at all times. The risk of colic can be reduced by feeding small amounts of concentrate feeds frequently (e.g. 3 or more meals a day).


Cooling If horses have not ex-


perienced being aggres- sively cooled before then it is advisable to try and intro- duce this to them at home prior to competition. Make sure horses are used to fans, being sprayed with water from hoses and having peo- ple working on both sides. Best Cooling Techniques (in order of effectiveness) • Application of cold water-


Applying large volumes of cold water all over the horses’ body is the most ef- fective way of cooling a horse. There is no advantage to concentrating on applying cold water to specific areas such as large blood vessels on the neck or between the legs. Cold water, even ap- plied over the large muscles, does not cause tying-up or muscle damage. • Take advantage of fans or misting fans • Move to shade


Aggressive cooling is


the most important factor in reducing heat stroke in horses, and greatly reduces the risk of collapse and po- tential injury.


Things that don’t work • Ice packs - Placing ice packs over large blood ves- sels, such as those between the hind legs or over the jugular is not effective • Ice or cold water in the rectum- is invasive treat- ment, is not permitted, is dangerous, and also ineffec- tive • Wet Towels - Placing wet towels over the horse actu- ally slows down heat loss.


Practical Tips For Daily Management • Water - should not be re- stricted at any time and can safely be allowed before and immediately after exercise • Recovery from transport - On arrival after long dis- tance transport, horses are at an increased risk of colic and respiratory disease (“shipping-fever”). They should be allowed to rest and recover for at least 3 days with regular hand walking (and grazing if available to encourage head lowering which helps clear the airways) before any sig- nificant training in the heat is undertaken. • Daily monitoring - Ob- serving behaviour, feed in- take, water


intake,


droppings (frequency and consistency) and basic clin- ical parameters


(body


weight, rectal temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate) are the best ways to identify and treat as early as possible any problems that might occur.


• Weighing the horse - It is advisable to establish the horse’s normal weight as a baseline prior to leaving home, and then weigh it on a daily basis after arrival at the venue. Horses can lose 1-2 kilos of bodyweight per hour of transport and can also lose weight after fast or intensive training sessions


in hot or hot and humid cli- mates. Weighing the horse is often the most practical method of assessing water loss/dehydration. Horses should be weighed at the same time each day and ide- ally before exercise or in the evening as weight can vary by up to 20kg throughout the day with lowest weight in the morning and highest weight


Weighing scales are pro- vided


in the evening. onsite


at


Olympic/Paralympic Games and FEI World Equestrian™ Games. • Sunburn - In climates with strong solar radiation, light coloured horses are at risk of sunburn, and may need sunscreen. • Flysheets - White flysheets will be cooler than darker colours for horses when out- side because they reflect heat from the sun


Competition Management • Warm-up - In hot climates horses’ warm-up more rap- idly but also tire more quickly. Breaks should be introduced during warm-up to allow cooling. Example: If the normal re- quired warm-up time is 60 minutes, warm-up 20 min; cool horse; warm-up 20 min; cool horse; warm-up 20 min; cool horse; com- pete. This will result in de- creased risk of heat related illness and better perform- ance. • Water - Horses should not have water restricted when training and competing in hot climates. Allow horses to drink during breaks in training. Water should not be restricted before or fol- lowing competition. Imme- diately following exercise horses have an increased de- sire to drink and early rehy- dration can reduce the risk of heat related illness.


Dealing With Heat Ex- haustion Or Heat Stroke How do I know how hot my horse is? • Excessive sweating – horse completely covered in sweat and or sweat running from the body • Horse feels very hot to touch • Blowing very hard (deep and laboured breathing) • Prominent blood vessels in the skin • A high rectal temperature – above 40°C


Call the vet if your


horse shows signs of poor recovery: • Unsteadiness (“wobbly”) – especially when stopping


Continued on Page 11.


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