It's 97 degrees here and my minis live outside 24/7.

[seattle]

I went outside to my minis today and they're sweating in this awful heat and humidity. They have full water, but I still feel like an awful horse mom, seeing as though they live outside all the time and can't escape the heat. How do I help them beat the heat and stay hydrated? Should I get them a salt and/or mineral block? I was also thinking of putting a kiddie pool in their pasture (they love water) or even hooking up a sprinkler and putting that in the center of their pasture so they get sprinkled on by cool water all day. Please help me think of some ideas. I just feel horrible!!

 

[lildrummer]

I assume there is shade? Yes, salt/mineral block good!

Lildrummer

 

[seattle]

There is shade, but not a ton. And they never go under it....of course

I assume there is shade? Yes, salt/mineral block good!

Lildrummer

 

[susanne]

...and here I thought your user name meant you were from the northwest...now I know better, considering we've hardly had any summer here in the NW, and 97 in Seattle would be truly newsworthy!

When we have had heat (we're in NW Oregon), I attach my variable spray sprinkler to the no-climb fence and mist them. Scarlet and Flash love this...Mingus hates it, but I figure it's there for him if he's really miserable. Even if they stand at the very edge of the spray, the air is noticably cooler.

 

[~Dan]

Soak, scrape, repeat, soak, scrape, repeat. This is what I do for my minis, all over the body, the legs, the underside of the face, the belly, the crotch, between the butt cheeks, and then I will braid up the manes to keep the underside of the neck nice and cool, especially if the mane is thick (like most minis seem to have). Just always be sure to scrape off the excess water as if you don't, the water will just make the horse just as hot as it will eventually become their body temperature. When you continually soak and scrape, any breeze either from the natural breeze or a fan will aid in cooling the horse. I will continue to soak the horse until he/she decides they have had enough and will move off from me. Feeding cool carrots and watermelon also always seems to make them feel a little better even on the hottest days

Dan.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Yes, the sprinkler is good. Until they get used to being sprinkled, I haltered mine and played the water over them. Of course, they immediately go to roll in fine dirt, but they are cooler. Now they go and stand in the sprinkler all by themselves. They are a lot dirtier, but at least they are cooler, too.

 

[seattle]

I've never sprinkler-ed them before though...and they've never been hosed off. I wonder if I just put them in the little 16 x 16 pen we have for them and turn the sprinkler on right outside the fence. Then it would hit them and possibly feel like rain to them? I just don't want to get them worked up at all, but I feel like the cold sprinkler water would feel really good.

 

[Miniv]

A salt/mineral block is a MUST....I'd get that ASAP.

I would gently hose down your horses if possible. Turn on some kind of sprinkler as an option. A third idea is puting out a kiddie pool and fill it with water. Some minis will actually play in it.

Give them some choices and watch what happens.

 

[O So]

I have pet misters that I run when it gets above 90 degrees. I actually got them for my birds, but they have come in handy for the boys too!

I have some like this!Pet mister I don't know how they would work if you have humidity though?

 

[Marty]

Horses are in danger of heat stroke and here are some more tips.

1. They need a well ventilated shelter and fans would help keep the air moving around. They don't usually know enough to keep out of these dangerous heat and sun elements so that is when you need to do it for them.

2. Be sure they have been body shaved and not sporting any extra hair left over from winter

3. Offer them an extra bucket of Gatorade and do not dilute it.

4. Pour about a 1/2 cup of Gatorade on top of their feed

5. Now is the time to get them used to being hosed down daily. Remove the spray nozzle at first so it doesn't scare them. Know your cooling off points also helps. Be sure you use a scraper and don't let any water stay on them. They will get used to it.

Best wishes and good luck

 

[MBennettp]

I wish we would have at least 1 day under 100 degrees. We have been over 100 for weeks. I have a big industrial fan on the mare and foal and the other horses are in the barn lot that is mostly shade with a mister and a kiddie pool. I very seldom see them actually stand in the mist but will stand near it. I also wet down the ground in the barn lot where the mister doesn't reach and that seems to help.

In the evenings before I feed, I spray the barn roof to help lower the temperature on the roof which seems to help cool off the inside of the barn.

I have a 50lb salt block in the barn lot and each horse has a small one in their stall. I have tubs of loose minerals where they can get to them if they want them.

Salt is very important to keep where they can get to it at all times.

If anybody is getting any rain, please blow some this way, there is no grass and hay is impossible to find.

Mary

 

[seattle]

WELL. Today I am off to get a kiddie pool and a salt block, and I'll see if I can dig up a mister as well. They're going to have a decorated paddock to hang out in

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

We hose down the horses, about half our herd love it and will stand and turn to make sure you get all sides, then they roll so end up with a herd of mud brown horses. I've had different sprinker attachments, sprayers, misters over the years and they all work as long as the horses can't reach them. Mine seem exceptionally destructive!

We've also had the wading pools for them in the past. We've thrown apples in so they play in the water.

We saw at the zoo for giraffes they freeze carrots/apples in big buckets and then hang the popsicles for them to lick. I don't know if the horses would like it or not, but an idea.

Fans and shade is very important though for foals. They can die if the ambient heat is too high, even in the shade.

The majority of our herd though even on a hot day stands on top of the hill to catch the breeze.

 

[RhineStone]

Dan is right on. This is what is done for Combined Driving Event horses after they come off the marathon. There were horses whose temps were 107 after 9k in low 90's temps. Now granted they were working and not just standing in a pasture, so I doubt that a resting mini's temp is going to be that high.

Nevertheless, additional places to cool a body temp are the neck right behind the jaw (jugular) and the anus. Those are places where the blood veins are close to the surface and cooling happens more rapidly. I have heard of CDE drivers actually inserting ice cubes in the butt of the horse to cool. (Hey, hey, hey now!

) There was a bit of ice water actually being used (applied on the surface) at the CDE last weekend and water saturated carrots and apples to get them to drink if they didn't.

And, yes, scraping the water off is key.

Electrolites given orally will also encourage the horse to drink more.

Myrna