THE MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL President’s Letter


by Kimberly K. Egan MHC President If You Are Hot, Your Horse Is Hotter


As of this writing, heat waves are blanketing cold places like Norway and hot places like Phoenix. T is weather is hard on humans despite the fact that we are a tropical species. T is weather is even harder on horses, a spe- cies that evolved in colder, drier climes. If we feel hot, our horses feel hotter. Horses (and humans) cool themselves by sweating. When the humidity is high, sweat does not evaporate effi ciently and a horse can overheat. A high internal body temperature, if it continues for too long, can lead to soft tissue damage, heat stroke, brain injury, or death. New research in the last few years has looked at how we can best help our horses stay healthy in hot weather. T e results surprised many.


How Hot is Too Hot? Veterinarians recommend that you


avoid riding altogether in hot and hu- mid weather. If you must ride, ride in the early morning or late at night, and ride in the shade. In no event, however, should you ride when the combined temperature and humidity exceeds 150 – riding when the combined temperature and humidity is over 180 can be fatal to your horse. Remember – if you are hot, your horse is hotter.


T is chart shows the eff ect of heat and humidity on a horse’s ability to cool itself.


To Scrape or Not to Scrape? Many of us refl exively scrape our horses after bathing them. In 2019,


however, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) advised against this practice because researchers had found “no cooling eff ect of scraping following rapid cold-water application.” T e cold water started cooling the horse’s internal temperature im-


mediately, but the moment the water was scraped off , the cooling ef- fect stopped and the horse’s internal temperature began to rise again. Researchers saw the biggest cooling eff ect in horses that were bathed in 8 gallons of cold water every minute, for 5 minutes, without scraping. Continuous cold water, left to drip off the horse, is the best way to help a horse beat the heat. SOURCE: 22 Comparison of post-exercise cooling methods in horses: https:// www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0737080621001155?via…


Boots or No Boots?


Many of us assume that leg protection helps protect a horse’s legs when out and about. In fact, your choice of leg protection can aff ect your horse’s ability to keep itself cool during hot weather. Researchers at Middle Tennessee State University explained that the


bare limb is effi cient in part because there are no muscles below the knee or hock. Boots and bandages insulate the legs and raise the limb’s inter- nal temperature above baseline. Heat can damage the superfi cial digital fl exor tendon. T e researchers studied six diff erent types of boots: (i) a traditional neoprene boot; (ii) a perforated neoprene boot; (iii) a plant-based neo- prene boot made of Stomatex; (iv) a cross-country boot; (v) an elastic track bandage; and (vi) a fl eece polo wrap. T e study found that bare legs stay the coolest. None of the limbs wearing leg protection returned to base line tem- perature within the 180-minute recov- ery period, and “the hyperthermic eff ect of [all] boots and bandages” was enough to “cause chronic microdamage to the tendon.” T e most damaging leg wraps for hot weather exercise were fl eece polo wraps.


SOURCE: A comparison among equine boots and legwraps on leg sur-


face temperature during and after exercise. Luke Brock & Holly Spooner, Middle Tennessee State University (2021), available at https://thehorse. com/1101094/do-boots-and-wraps-overheat-horses-legs/


Trailering in the Summer Trailering a horse in the summer is harder on a horse than trailering


during cold weather. T e American Association of Equine Practitioners reports that “the balancing required during transportation puts continu- ous demand on your horse – a 3-hour long trailer ride roughly equals to cantering a mile.” Ways to reduce the strain on the horse include: (i) traveling with abundant water on board; (ii) keeping the trailer ride short; (iii) parking in the shade; and (v) traveling at night. Also make sure that all of the windows and vents are open during transit.


Thank You To Our Maryland Horse Council Sponsors! join.mdhorsecouncil.org www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580 THE EQUIERY YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION | AUGUST 2023 | 7


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