Dangerous heat index!

[MInx]

OK you Southern and Western people, will you please suck your hot hot weather back where it came from? :bgrin

Up here my horses aen't used to this kind of heat with humidity on a prolonged basis. We have plenty shade, cool their water with frozen water milk jugs (no caps) and if necessary we will hose down. We're not allowed to let them into the lake we live on, and have a bank anyway

:

We also mounted box fans over their stalls.

I thought of kids play pools but it turns to a mud hole.

So the hose it will be, and that means bringing them to the house as we have no water at barn. We haul it.

What I'd give for a well out there!

I even thought of soaking a turnout sheet in cold water and hang on them for a bit.

Anyone else worried about their horses in this unusual heat? It's to last well into next week..90's with heat index over 105°!! And this is Northern Michigan??!!

We don't have air in our house either, just window unit in bedroom. Anyone have air conditioned barn? Curious.

Maxine

 

[minimama]

Sorry, not much sympathy coming from here where we are expecting 106 on Sunday. With no breeze. Ouch!!

Just so everyone also has an idea of our weather, our Area National Show average temperature was 113. Try showing in those lovely black show clothes in that temp!

I am heading to Oregon next week, cooler temps, but not by much from what the weather man says. :no:

Edited to add: Just turn on a sprinkler and let them run through it or stand in it. My horses love that in the heat.

 

[MInx]

Sprinkler eh? Great idea. Had a brief storm come by this evening and they took of playing and racing full out in it! They loved it. So will try that.Thanks.

Maxine

(Too hot to trot :bgrin )

 

[Neil]

Anyone else worried about their horses in this unusual heat? It's to last well into next week..90's with heat index over 105°!! And this is Northern Michigan??!!

We don't have air in our house either, just window unit in bedroom. Anyone have air conditioned barn?

I don't know what the heat index would be here in Central California but I am guessing the same as the temp since we don't have humidity here during the day in the summer.

We have had lots of over 100 degree weather here already this summer and the hot part of summer isn't even here yet. It was atleast 106 today and I didn't look to see where it went after it hit 106. Shade doesn't seem important to my horses they would rather sun bath in this heat. It is not uncommon to look out and see them just laying in the bright sun. It used to bother me at first but now I hardly give it a second look. I have a friend that says it sometimes looks like Custers Last Stand out there with horses laying down in the sun. Their drinking water must also be hot during the day. Can't wait for my new barn, I plan to install automatic waterers in it so there will always be cool clean water.

As for airconditioning, not having it would be bad for me. My electirc bill in the last two months has been a killer. My air runs all day long.

Good luck.

 

[SweetOpal]

MINIMAMA, I wish we would have met up at the area 7 show, I didn't know you were going to be there. I remember Sunday to have been the worst day someone said it got to 119* there in Red Bluff, and let me tell you it felt like it for sure!!!

My husband is on his way home and said that his car says it is 110* right now, and yikes it is 6 pm...that is clearing very, very abnormally hot weather for us!!!

 

[jleonard]

Don't have any tips, but it sounds like you are doing everything right.

I know how you feel! I'm from CA originaly and I much prefer the 110 degree dry heat to KY's 86 degrees w/ 80% humidity at 10:00 in the morning. Gotta hate that sticky feeling, I can hardly stand to be outside, the humidity is so awful !

I think you have some great ideas, I think I'll have to try some of them out! Sorry I'm not any help!

Sure hope it cools down soon :no:

 

[Miniv]

We live in the high desert of Central Oregon and the humidity is KILLING us! Not used to the heat AND humidity. We usually are at 10 to 15% humidity.......NOT 40 to 50+ percent!!!!

We bought a kid's plastic wading pool and put it out in our mare and foal pasture. All they do is paw in it.

Larry has run sprinklers in several of the horse pastures and paddocks too.......The horses just stay out of range of them!

: As the saying goes......you can lead a horse to water, BUT......

MA

 

[normajeanbaker]

It was 90 degree's on the themometer here in Maine today and HUMID, which is quite hot for up here

: My horses are spoiled, so they are turned out in the morning and ask to come in by 11:30AM or so. I hose them down as they come in and each stall has a fan. My filly can NOT handle the heat, so she spends a large amount of her time in front of the fan(her choice). Today they got hosed down 2 times. I've found they stay happier if I turn them out in the morning and put them back in when the sun really starts to get hot(by lunch time). They stay in all afternoon and then go out for a few hours in the evening. I hate the heat, they hate the heat, so we all stay miserable together

: I do worry about leaving them out all day, especially my filly, is this type heat. They beg to come in by lunch, so their wish is my command

: I find they stay comfy and happy with their fans and a nice cool hosedown when it gets really hot out. Did I mention they are spoiled???

:

Jen

 

[Sterling]

Well if I've gotten 3 good drives this season I guess I should consider myself lucky! Just as last year, it's been horrid as far as heat and humidity go here in southern NJ. Our humidity is at over 70% and our dew points are in the 60's...can you say red zone? :new_shocked: We've got warnings on the news....suppose to bring all the animals inside

: , and not stay out for prolonged periods at a time. I've been hosing the horses down every chance I get and have not turned them out in the pasture corrals due to the sun/heat. They would probably rather sit out there and graze under the blazing sun than to stand under the shade trees. I am SO ready for fall!!!!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I am relieved to hear other people are getting heat, too! Mine don't seem to mind it. They stand under the trees in the filtered shade some, but mostly I see them out cruising in the sun. that is where they prefer to nap, too. I guess they are getting plenty of vitamin D! I would be afraid to hose them when it is so hot.

 

[CKC]

Very hot here too. Our horses are all outside as the barn gets way too hot.

Be very careful with using box fans. My farrier told me they had two catch on fire . There are ones that Tractor Supply sells that are safe. He said that the motor has to be enclosed. The typical box fans are not safe. Just thought I would pass that on.

 

[nootka]

Well in spite of all the rain we have all winter and spring, I am happy right now to be right where I am:

approx. 78 degrees w/a cool breeze fresh off the Pacific Ocean. Perhaps 50% humidity. Feels nice out is all I know.

Wish I could share some of our air conditioning wit ya.

Liz M.

 

[Summer storm101]

It is very hot here in ohio def. not what we are used to. 88% humidity and temps in the high 80's and low 90's!!!! dont like this weather!!

 

[Songcatcher]

The major weather related problem with horses is when we try to act like they are humans. Animals are not affected by the weather the way humans are. They are quite content when they are out in the pasture under a tree. BUT, when you fasten them up in a barn where there is no air movement, that is not a natural environment for them.

A water trough in the shade is a good thing. Cool water from the tap or well is usually not too cold, but I would NEVER put ice in their water.

It is usually when we alter their environment that we cause them the most problems.

 

[dangerranger]

I added misters around the shade tree where they stand. but in humid areas that wont do much. Our horses play in the sprinklers , splash in the waiding pool , or stand in the shade. I live in the same county as Neil so the heat often is over 105 and routeenly over 100 for most of the sumer months. we also dont get any rain from apr to about nov. so humidity is normaly around 15%. DR.

 

[Miniv]

Just for the record.........we do NOT stall anyone in this kind of heat! Everyone is OUT as nighttime is the COOLEST time.......

MA

 

[MyBarakah]

Hi,

Well..... My minis (everyone)... can go in and out as they please... they also all have fans in thier stalls... so if they choose to stand in thier stall with the fan and it's dark in there during the day, they can be in there..... or if they choose to bake in the sun..... they can. I see them doing both.....

I would say a mini would be at risk for problems if there was NO air movement and in a hot building or something..... And not enough water or salt infront of them.

 

[nassaunellie]

I's extremely hot and humid in Massachusetts!! My horses have access to their stalls or can be out in the paddock as they please. I turn them out to graze for a few hours when the pasture is shady and cool. When they are back in the paddock I tie my hose up chest high to the fence and put the nozzle on the mist setting. They absolutely love it. The mist doesn't seem as shocking as other spray settings. They stand in it, walk back and forth in front of it. They truly seem to enjoy it. This works great for me because it gives them the choice of in or out, sun or shade, wet or dry.

Wendy

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Well Maxine, I'll agree. This heat is just too much. My girls go out at 6 am and come in at 9pm (preditors ya know). I keep fresh cool water in their trough, they have a huge runin attached tot he barn and I run 2 huge ventilation fans I got at auction there and they stand and love it, butt first then head, quick turn and butt again. They get popcicles for treats! Considering how badly I do in this heat...I think they are doing really well! My barn is so hot in the day I wouldn't consider putting them up. I spray Ultra Shield on them around 11am. Best I can do.

(How are YOU doing in this heat, my friend?)

 

[qtrrae]

The temperatures are terrible here also, plus the humidity is so high! There are livestock warnings throughout the entire area.

My pasture horses seem to enjoy having the fan outside, they actually seem to take turns using it-

We also use a small wading pool and some of them certainly enjoy splashing in that. Here is Sadie with a couple of her buddies splashing in the pool.