Hot issues

Drinking, Hydration and Electrolytes

We get hot, sweaty, tired and thirsty and often use electrolytes to replenish our bodies, our horses get hot, sweaty and tired too. On hot dry days the sweat evaporates immediately, and we often don’t recognise how much our horses sweat. Importantly our horses sweat more salt than water so may not have the strong thirst drive we would expect. This is particularly true if our horses are low in electrolytes in general.

A lack of electrolytes results in poor hydration and therefore can result in

• Poor performance
• Low energy
• Muscle cramps
• Dehydration
• Colic

Prevention is better than cure

• Administer electrolytes daily in the warm months to all horses and throughout the year to horses working hard.
• Always have electrolyte paste available to administer if you are competing in hot conditions.
• Teach your horses to drink when water is offered
• Determine if your horses are fussy about the taste of their water, if so use molassess or electrolytes such as ‘Drink up” to assist with this. Carry enough “home” water if you have to.
• Monitor how much your horses drink especially when away from home. If they are not drinking as normal use molassess or electrolytes such as “Drink up” in their water and add salt to their feed to encourage them.
• Monitor the amount and consistency of your horses droppings, especially when away from home. If this changes get your vet immediately rather than wait for colic signs to develop.

When choosing which electrolytes to use the main considerations are

• The electrolytes used should contain sodium, potassium, and calcium. All of these are vital in regulating body functions and keeping our horses healthy.
• Daily administration is preferable to lick blocks, if lick blocks are used have several available so all horses in the paddock have unlimited access to them.
• Many electrolytes contain sugar, if your horse to be overweight avoid these.
• Fresh, clean water should always be available.

Fly Protection

With the wet and the warm comes the swarm of flies. 

Is your horse being annoyed by flies, scratching their tails and bodies and coming up in welts. Being itchy is no fun and some fly bites are painful. Flies can also spread disease and some such as bots cause internal issues.

Protect your horses with the following tips:

• Use fly masks to protect their face and ears. Some masks are also UV protectant, and this is particularly important to prevent sun damage in white faced and pink-skinned horses.
• Apply fly repellant to their coats or rugs. Many DEET, Citronella, Eucalyptus and Permethrin products are available. Competitors make sure you check your product is competition legal.
• Use a fly sheet or light rug to cover their body – make sure that this doesn’t cause them to overheat.
• Put fly traps in their indoor spaces and plant citronella or lemongrass around the stables to repel flies.

Treatment

• If you see a welt on your horse apply a cold compress or ice pack wrapped in a thin towel. If it enlarges or multiple develop call your vet.
• If you see bot eggs on your horses legs either remove with a bot knife or sponge with warm water and they will drop off.

Sun protection 

Like us our equine friends can suffer consequences from the sun. Horses with light coats and pink skin especially around the nose and eyes are more susceptible to sun damage. This can result in sore and scabby areas or even in some cases blisters. Underlying conditions such as liver disease can exacerbate the signs.

Horses with pink around their eyes are at risk of developing skin cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) of the eyelids or the eye itself. Early treatment can potentially save the eye.

Prevention is always better than cure

• Use a waterproof sunscreen or zinc oxide containing cream suitable for horses.
• Provide shade either with a building or trees for the horses to shelter beneath or limit turnout during the hottest parts of the day.
• Some facemasks and nose nets are UV protective and go wherever the horse goes.
• Monitor all white areas for: Redness, inflammation, blisters, scabs and discomfort.
• If you suspect sunburn or signs of sun damage to the eyes and eyelids contact us for this to be checked out.