TIP #1: DON’T BE SALTY – STOCK UP ON ELECTROLYTES!
For some horses, the training doesn’t stop over the hotter months – the competition season is lurking on the horizon and there’s work to be done and goals to achieve. As you can imagine, it can get a bit sweaty and sweat isn’t just a loss of water but also a loss of salt and minerals. It’s very important for the health of the horse to replace and put in what was taken out. Luckily, there’s electrolyte products aplenty on the market.
Cass from Woodside Warmbloods shares her favourite and why:
“I like to use Restore by KER (paste and powder) on our performance horses during summer on a daily basis to help them recover after training, but also to encourage them to drink well to stay hydrated throughout the day. It’s peace of mind for us and apparently it doesn’t taste too bad!”
TIP #2: ‘PLAIN JANE’ H2O IS BORING – BE CREATIVE!
We all know of at least one horse that is a fussy drinker and over the summer months getting a horse that isn’t too keen on plain water to drink can be a frustrating and rather taxing task. Over the years, I’ve heard a tonne of different ideas on how people have coaxed their horse into drinking – from using the trusty old-fashioned molasses water trick to mixing apple juice. There’s an abundance of different options to try and also different products specifically created for the “poor drinker”. Be creative and think outside the box. If it’s safe for horse consumption, why not give it a go.
Some horses love a cool-down hose on hot days! Image by Roger Fitzhardinge.
TIP #3: SHADE AND A HOSE-DOWN
There are some days here in Australia where we feel like we’re all cooking in some sort of oven and our horses can struggle handling that heat too. It’s important we do everything we can to keep our horses cool, such as providing shade and only using natural fibre rugs like flag rugs or very light cottons.
Tayla from Equilibrium Equine (NZ) shares a tip she uses for the extra sticky and hot days:
“I like to bring my horses in and give them a cool hose-down to encourage their body temperature to drop slightly. I make sure with each time I hose I quickly scrape off and towel dry shortly after as water can act like an insulator, and if the coat is left wet for too long it can heat up, ultimately heating the horse’s body temperature as well.”
One thing to remember is while doing the best you can to keep your horse happy over summer, make sure to take care of yourselves as well during the hot months. On that note, we hope you found these tips from top grooms helpful and Happy New Year!
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2020 issue of Equestrian Life.
