The weather

Well, has anyone noticed any difference out there????

I have made a commitment to not complain about the heat wave that we are experiencing right now but to not notice it and not comment on it wouldn’t be honest.

We have AC so I’m doing fine but my concern has been for our horses.

I’m a relatively new horsey mom – about 10 years – and can be a bit of a worrier because there is just so much that we don’t know about them. We are trying to catch up in 10 years what others have spent a life time learning…..

Now on to this heat stuff -

Do our West Coast horses know how to deal with heat like this?

I know that I don’t really know how. Drink lots of water and don’t move is my best answer for myself. But since that’s not possible, moving slower seems to be the answer. And stay inside as much as possible.

We don’t have an air conditioned barn or even fans set up so trying to figure out what is best for our boys (and the mare) is hard. I have already called our vet 3 times asking about electrolytes, salt and bathing.

What they have told me is to just watch them for sufficient sweating and make sure they have plenty of water. Also that they have assess to salt and trace minerals. I told them I use Horse Guard daily and they said that covers the mineral issue.

When I called yesterday, they said they had brought their horses into the shade about 1:00 so I’m going to do that today. They have shade in the field but just stay out eating. Go figure.

A friend in Texas suggested hosing down their legs and underbelly. The vet office said that sometimes the water stays on them and actually heats them up. A better option is to wipe them down with rubbing alcohol. As it evaporates, it is cooling. I’m going to do that when I bring them in.

That’s about the hints I’ve got. Let me know if you have any to pass along. I’m sure there are other newbies like me.

A piece of good news – Ridgefield Equine Clinic hasn’t had any heat related issues as of mid-morning.

Keep hydrated, in the shade and slow down.

That’s my advice.