Anyone got any interesting ideas on how to keep their horses cool in this heat wave? I have seen a couple people letting their horses take swims in the rivers and lakes up here. It's kinda funny: I moved from Texas to get away from the heat and yet, Oregon is sufering from 105 today!! Or at least tell me a crazy story about keeping the horses cool!

Jax

I would have to agree, The Texas heat and humidity is terrible. I lived for a while in north central and I can only remeber a handful of nice days all year. So I moved back to Arizona, yes I know we are hot but as that funny little saying goes "It is a dry heat". The lack of humidity makes a difference. I spent a summer in Oregon when it was a 105 and that is hot for up there. Down here people tend to keep the horses in shaded stalls during the day some have fans to move air +/- misting systems. Then we turn them out at night when it is not so hot. Our barn has sand stalls, we wet the sand and with the fans it keeps the air the barn cooler. My paint horse also has a Kensington fly sheet that I have put on her and then hosed her off. As the air passes through the meshing it acts as a cooler. I also keep the ground wet in certain areas (around H2O tanks, favorite standing spots) so it is cooler on their feet. My horses I have found prefer to stand under a shade screen cover versus a solid cover if given the choice, it tends to be a little cooler since air passes through yet they are not in the sun. Where the solid cover tends to generate heat. Well, thats what some of us do. There are a few barns that I know of that have evaporated coolers in the barns, they work good until about August when the monsoons really kick in. There are a handful that have A/C.

I have a friend that her mare foaled in May, (& it is hot by that time here, most foals here are born Jan-April), They went out and got a protable A/C unit to put in front of the stall and then had a fan to help keep the air moving and cool. Have to protect those babies.

Well, you and your critters try to stay cool, maybe head to the beach.

Yea, am trying to track down a beach with some good shade that allows the horses. I have noticed some of the beaches up here dont allow them. I hadnt thought of the sand though. I will have to see if I can wrangle some up. I understand humidity, originally from Houston myself. And I know (in my head) that dry heat is better. But after experiencing a winter with snow, it just seems hotter to me now. So sad aint it!! I must be getting soft!

Jax

The only other thing is if you do the sand just make sure that you feed your horse psyillium. Living down here our ground is very sandy and we feed it more frequently than the directions tell you (by oder of our vet), but following the directions you should be fine. Since you probably have pasture where we don't. I want to say there is a beach up their that allows horses. I want to say it is in the southern part. But it has been so long I can't remember for sure. I know they still let you drive on the beach in some areas so they would have to let horses still I would think. I visited Beaumont once in the Spring and It was miserable then, I don't think I could handle a summer in that area.

No, your not getting soft. After spending on winter and one summer here anything below 60 degrees is freezing, even though we know its not, and anything above 105 feels the same, just Dang HOT!! Your blood thins quickly down here.

Stay cool, I know I will.

Thank GOD for A/C

How about some Misters in the barn area. We use these and it keeps the barn cool.

There is also another benefit to using misters in your barn and a fan to push the air (you can buy the fan/mister combos. If they are a good mister, they will help keep the nasting flies and mosquitos away. The bugs don't seem to like the water/air movement and it doesn't take the horse long to figure it out. Let alone does it keeps them cool it keeps the bugs away too.