Managing your horse in the heat

I don't have a horse to ride for another few days due to hock injections, which is probably the best as this week is hot here- mid and high 90's!  The horse's body is not designed to be hot (big bodies don't rid of heat well), extra precaution should be taken when exercising a horse in these kinds of temps. Here are a few hot weather tips:

1. Skip hot rides or ride earlier in the morning or later in the evening.
2. When you do ride, try to ride where there is shade, give your horse good breaks, and monitor sweat accumulation (too much sweat probably means your horse is too hot).
3. Turnout earlier and bring in earlier or turnout at night and let the horses rest where there is shade (ie stall, shelter) during the hotest part of the day, which is usually 12-3p.
4. If turning out during the day make sure they had adequate shade from a big tree or shelter
5. Always have free choice water available (even when you are only turning out for 2 hours), if you are exercising your horse bring water so he is able to take water breaks during exercise (just like people exercising!)
• The average horse consumes 25 gallons of water a day on days over 70 degrees!
6. Salt?  Just add a tablespoon of salt to your horse's feed- unlike a salt like this ensures your horse takes the salt and is a lot cheaper.
• Salt needed when exercising your horse hard or when temp + humidity reaches 140 degrees.
7. Use less saddle pads and skip the fly sheet on hot days.
8. Bath your horse after a workout or just because on hot days.

Anhydrosis:  horses that are unable to sweat, which may make heat regulation difficult for the owner to evaluate and manage.

(Sources; http://www.doctorramey.com/horses-in-the-heat/, http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=1833)