Comments on: Study shows horses are more susceptible to heat than humans

By: theliteraryhorse

theliteraryhorse — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 06:30:29 +0000

Kellie, Is his winter coat growing in? Even in the 50′s my horse is sweating due to the new heavier coat. I guess I’d want to know what your temperatures and humidity levels are, and what kind of coat/weight your gelding is carrying.

Localized sweating (sweating only in one place, or unevenly) can be a sign of pain. Does he have “high water” marks? Salt rings from previously dried sweat? Where are they located? I’d definitely take his temperature to check for illness, and do a skin dehydration test.

It may be within the realm of normal given the time of year, but if he is sweating continually, or unevenly, that is cause for concern. Especially if he foundered (I’m not sure what grass sickness is.) In those instances, it’s wisest to call the vet asap. Good luck!

By: kellie hall

kellie hall — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 10:54:01 +0000

my 1 year old gelding is sweating for no reason at all. Could you put any light on to why this is happening please i have lost a 5year old to grass sickness back in august maybe i am just paranoid now but i dont know why he is sweating so much any help or suggestions would be reallt appreciated many thanks
kellie hall

By: Snowbird

Snowbird — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:01:30 +0000

I agree with the general point that humans (at least, thin and fit humans) tolerate heat better than horses, however I think this article oversimplifies in important ways. In my experience, the body type and lineage of the horse, and where they spend their first few years, have huge impact on their ability to tolerate heat and cold. For example, I have a mare and a gelding that travel with me between Vermont and Florida. The mare is mostly TB: lean, thin-skinned, vascularized. We both get cold easily, and we both tolerate heat well. The gelding is a baroque cross, he is stockier and tends to be fatter. The heat is tougher on him and his aerobic capacity is intrinsically lower – it takes twice the time to get him ready to gallop an XC course as it does the mare. In fact, if we stay in Florida past June he develops anhydrosis. Yet I have seen the mare start shivering in temps as warm as 58 degrees, simply by getting wetted by a passing storm with an 8 kt breeze. In the winter, she comes over for her blanket and hood. The gelding turns away when he doesn’t want his. So it’s individual. Lastly, the early studies that concluded that horses are comfortable and energy neutral down to very cold temperatures were disproved by later studies. On average, they are comfortable at temps approximately 10 degrees colder than what we find comfortable. But, as mentioned above, that average sums up a large range.

By: Study Shows Horses Are More Susceptible to Heat Than Humans | enlightened horsemanship through touch

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 04:04:03 +0000

[...] Read it at Equine Ink. Use this code to link to this post When quoting from this post or passing along its content, please be sure to use this link. Thank you. http://www.enlightenedhorsemanship.net/2010/07/study-shows-horses-are-more-susceptible-to-heat-than-humans/" >Study Shows Horses Are More Susceptible to Heat Than Humans Share Horse Care, Science cooling off horses, Equine INk, heat, heat exhaustion “Happy July” Sing Along–Longear Style [...]

By: theliteraryhorse

theliteraryhorse — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:27:24 +0000

Thank you so much for the excellent info. I was taught to hose a horse down, not scrape, and let them “evaporate” as air-conditioning. I’m horrified I’ve been making Tiny HOTTER.

You have earned much thanks from me, Tiny, and other horses I ride who will now cool down much more efficiently! Bless you.

By: Jackie Cochran

Jackie Cochran — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:04:21 +0000

Thank you so very much for posting this. I have MS and heat sickness is a major problem for me. This post has left me wondering if the horses I ride get as heat sick as I do!
I think that horses bred for hotter climates (Arab, Barb, Mustang) tend to do a bit better in the heat, but as far as I know there is no competition level breed that descends from horses bred in hot and humid climates.
In the hot & very humid Southeast (USA) I watered 3 times a day so they would have cool, fresh water, and I always put salt in their feed. This seemed to help. Now I don’t have horses, but I have to ride at 8 AM and it is still too humid for me, so I mostly walk and do a little trot (1/4 way around the ring at a trot and I’m done for.)
May every horseperson in the world read this post.

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:06:45 +0000

This is such a good point! I do think we over-rug horses in the winter. Like you, my guys have always used the walk-in stalls to stay out of the heat more than to avoid the cold. Thanks for the post, I have worried about my young gelding during a couple of very humid day lessons. He seems particularly susceptible to humidity. I’ll use your cool down ideas.

By: lizgoldsmith

lizgoldsmith — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:41:13 +0000

Of course I don’t mind!

By: EHTT

EHTT — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 04:10:12 +0000

Brilliant post. I was taught how to cool down a horse in the humid VA summer in just this way. I will repost if you don’t mind.