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How hot is too hot?; From a riding standpoint
Topic Started: Jun 27 2012, 09:25 AM (381 Views)
WhySoSerious
Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back.
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Typically I don't ride if it's above the lows 90s. I haven't ridden in a couple weeks and had planned to start riding again this week, but it is so flipping hot! At 11:20 AM it is 96 degrees, and feels like 102. To me, that's just too hot. However, The BM has been riding every day this week....during the day at that. We've been in an excessive heat warning since Sunday and will be until next week sometime.


Riding in the morning would be ideal, but I have to be to work at 8:30 every weekday and 9:30 on Saturdays. I have a problem getting out of bed also. :innocent: After 8pm may work as well, as that's when the excessive heat warning expires.

When do you call it quits? What is too hot?

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DoubleWhammy
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If I never rode when it was above the low 90's, I would never ride! It really just got bad yesterday - it was tolerable (high 90's) until then, and I was riding at 8 or 9 am or 6:30 or later at night.

Yesterday it was 106 (so says my car) until around 7 pm, when it finally got down to about 96. I rode at 8:00, a very light hack, making sure Bubs was getting good long walk breaks. He sweats well, but you have to be so careful. We did a long walk to cool out, followed by a shower and then he stood in front of a huge fan for about 20 minutes before getting doused in fly spray and out to the paddock for the night.

It's too hot, but I won't ride until September/October if I wait for it to be better. My lesson Friday is at 7:00 am.

Our barn is fairly cool (unlike some others I've been in that are hotter than it is outside, ugh) and every horse has a good strong fan on all day and all night, cool water out of the auto waterers, and they stand in front of fans while getting groomed/tacked up. Basically, they're in front of a fan unless they're being ridden or in the paddock. The issue here is keeping the air moving, because it is SO thick and heavy and still. If there was a bit of a breeze, it might not be so painful.

Be careful. Like really careful. I heard there was a horse that colicked (I think) and died here in TX in the last week, possibly due to the heat/not being under a fan.
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Fish Cheeks
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We have "spare the air" days in California, and on the news they'll announce if the air pollution will be such that one should stay inside. During those days I don't ride. I'd say once it hits 100 I'm not interested anymore! I do try to ride in the mornings, though, when it is cooler. Or, my trainer has a covered arena that is nicely situated for a summer breeze, so that helps.
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WhySoSerious
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I live in Kansas, so we do get upper 90s, low 100s temps, but not usually for 2 weeks straight. I would typically ride at about 6:30, but the last few days, the heat index has been well over 100 even at that time.

I kinda feel like I should just suck it up and ride, but I'm especially skeptical due to the fact that my horse has had the last two weeks off also.

There are fans in the barn, but my horse lives in a run with a shelter off the back of the barn, so no fan for him. We do have an indoor arena, but that last time I used it earlier this month, the footing wasn't very good, due to little maintenance in the summer.

My lessons are typically scheduled for 6:30 pm, I just really worry about the heat, especially on an out of shape horse.

Thank you for the input, ladies!
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Indy
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For me, if it's in the high 90s and the humidity is high, I won't ride if I don't have to. I don't deal with heat well and Holly is 18 so missing a day of work isn't going to do her any harm. If I really need to get a ride in on a hot day, it is short, to the point, and is peppered with stops in front of the giant fan. Holly knows where the fan is and if you give her her head when you are walking around, she goes right to the fan and stands in front of it - whether it is on or not.

Fortunately the barn my stall is in stays pretty cool in the summer, relatively speaking. Holly is in an old bank barn and her stall is fairly underground so it is one of the cooler places to live. They all have fans and a pretty good cross-breeze can work up going down the aisle, which helps a lot.

On the weekends, I try to be at the barn no later than 8am so I can ride before it gets really bad on hot days. It ruins sleeping in but I'd rather get up early and take a nap later than die of heat exhaustion. Our indoor gets horribly stuffy if there isn't a breeze so riding in the heat of the summer can be torturous, even with all of the sliding doors open. It does at least protect you from the beating sun but it's like being in a hot, dusty coffin at times.
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Won for Me
Is the meadow on fire?
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Why So Serious, I just moved to Columbia, MO in February and think this is wonderfully cool! I guess it is all perspective. Interestingly, Connor did not sweat in Louisiana and is doing great here. He has a stall with a fan, but his door is left open. He has an outside fan as well which points out (but still under an overhang). He is happy as can be and usually in the pasture grazing all day. I rode last night and found it very pleasant which was around 6:30 PM. I just walked to lunch and didn't even sweat! In LA, the second you stepped outside, your shirt would soak through. I know it is what you are used to, but I am loving this summer.

But, I will give him tonight off even though there is a breeze. It is supposed to be the hottest night yet.
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Trialbyfire
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I think it depends on what your horse is used to. We had a hot spell last week and it was 97 with a heat index of 103 in the middle of the day. That was way too hot to ride in NY, because a normal June day might have a high of 80. Today it is 70!....after 2 days of high 90s, it made 83 feel really cool and we were happy to ride!

I also think it depends on the stall/turnout situation. If your horse is already outside, it's probably not much difference in temperature to ride outside....but if you have a cool barn and lots of fans, then leave to go outside and it's 20 degrees warmer, it might be harder on them.

If your weather is unusually hot, I would be careful for your horse and yourself. Can you do an easy ride with a cool hose afterwards...?
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WhySoSerious
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I've lived in Kansas for 6 years, so I'm not a native, but am somewhat used to the heat. Fortunately it hasn't been that humid yet this summer. 90s are common, but low 100s are a little less common. Since I normally ride in the evening, it's not usually much hotter than the low 90s, if at all hotter.


I think I'm going to out there about 8 tonight, when it's hopefully cooled off a little bit. Then just do a little walk and trot. Not only is he not used to working in the heat, but I'm not either. Lol.
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WhySoSerious
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Won for Me
Jun 27 2012, 11:12 AM
Why So Serious, I just moved to Columbia, MO in February and think this is wonderfully cool! I guess it is all perspective. Interestingly, Connor did not sweat in Louisiana and is doing great here. He has a stall with a fan, but his door is left open. He has an outside fan as well which points out (but still under an overhang). He is happy as can be and usually in the pasture grazing all day. I rode last night and found it very pleasant which was around 6:30 PM. I just walked to lunch and didn't even sweat! In LA, the second you stepped outside, your shirt would soak through. I know it is what you are used to, but I am loving this summer.

But, I will give him tonight off even though there is a breeze. It is supposed to be the hottest night yet.
I've heard the humidity in Louisiana is just awful. It is definitely not that bad here, but I typically don't spend a ton of time outside, due to working all day. I also grew up in Alaska, where it isnt hot or humid. I do need to get him and myself used to the heat because shows and clinics typically don't take vacations from the heat. While I have no immediate plans to go to a show or clinic, I am hoping to go back to riding lessons at least every other week starting next Tuesday.
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Kikki
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What bothers me more than high temps are the lows... if the lows don't drop enough for long enough to let the horses have a substantial break, I don't ride. Yes they can heat stress when the highs are really high, but they can also heat stress when the lows don't drop low enough or for long enough to let their bodies recover.
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Won for Me
Is the meadow on fire?
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Quote:
 
What bothers me more than high temps are the lows... if the lows don't drop enough for long enough to let the horses have a substantial break, I don't ride. Yes they can heat stress when the highs are really high, but they can also heat stress when the lows don't drop low enough or for long enough to let their bodies recover.


And that is when they stop sweating...if it doesn't cool down at night, they shut down. I think that is why Connor has been okay in Missouri. It gets cool at night and doesn't stay in the 90's.
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Kassandra
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Is the meadow on fire?
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Riding?? What's that?

I tend to now ride once it gets past the 80s, or I just hop on bareback and toodle around in the covered arena or in a shady place.
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