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Hot Weather Riding

19K views 80 replies 29 participants last post by  copper 
#1 ·
I am in South Texas. It gets hot. Aside from the obvious tips of drinking water, electrolytes and sunscreen as needed, what tips do you all have for staying cool, healthy and as comfortable as possible? Especially with regards to preventing rubbing, chafing and heat rash (for me or the horse). Night riding is not an option for me.
 
#58 · (Edited)
LOL yes, they look like a little skull cap. Here is a link to get the vests and the little cap. I ordered 3 vests and she threw in the caps - I got them for me, a buddy and my cousin on the advice of another buddy that got them. They are a LIFE saver in Texas heat. We found that we could ride a 2 to 3 hours and still have the cooling effect. Take an extra bottle of water and take the vest off and rewet!! I took the Frogg Togg cloth and draped it around my neck and tucked the ends into the front opening of the vest to keep it in place. Kept the sun off of my neck :) and my neck was cool for the ride. Yay!

vest http://hobbyhillfarm.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=128&products_id=692

yalmulke Cooling Cap Liner - Fits most caps Cooling Cap Liner [cap-liner] - $9.95 : Cooling Products | Horse Cooling Product | Horse Lover Gifts, from Hobby Hill Farm

They are in a plethora of colors. I have purple, cousin has the blue, one buddy has the silver and another the tan. The colors are vivid!!!

Hobby Hill people are very nice to deal with and they were shipped out immediately.
 
#59 ·
Denise, I need to get one of those cooling vests. Sounds like a great plan.

There is something to consider with sports drinks. My daughter was drinking a ton of them because she has problems with her blood pressure dropping too low. It helped with that; however, she started having tooth problems. In the past month, I have received bills for an emergency root canal, a dental crown, and two cavities being fixed. The dentists said it was the sports drinks. I guess they are ok for occasional use; the daily use has cost me big money. (Enough to buy a nice horse.... )

Sports And Energy Drink Consumption Damages Tooth Enamel, Study Suggests
 
#62 ·
Just FWIW - if I try to hydrate with sports drinks, I need to dilute them roughly 1 part drink to 4 parts water.

What seems to work much better for me here in southern Arizona after a run is to drink 6-8 ounces of milk, and then drink plain water at no more than 1 glass every 30 minutes. The milk seems to provide electrolytes in a form my body accepts better than the sports drinks and I'm not getting a ton of processed sugar or HFCS along with it.

And if I drink water too fast, it just goes on through and doesn't get absorbed.
 
#64 ·
I drink as much water as my belly will hold before I ride, really I force it in, then if I am riding more than 2-3 hours, I can drink more water.

On a all day ride, I will drink a sports drink at lunch, and mid afternoon, but only the sugarfree kind and cut at least half water. Another good drink to bring is V8, one can followed by water can really perk me up.

I snack on some kind of nuts for the salt & energy.

I prefer the cool-max type fabric because it is beastly humid here and that is the best for wicking in high humidity. All cotton shirts feel like I have put on a coat...HOT & HEAVY.

For the horses, they get electrolytes (plain no flavor kind) sprinkled over their food daily in the summer, I cut back if I see salt on their back, increase it a day or two before and after a long ride.

Plus I hose the horses after every ride, and add in a scoop of blue analgesic gel (dollar tree $1) in the water to help cool them down fast if they worked hard. That stuff cuts thru dirt and sweat really well.
 
#65 ·
Good point about hosing the horses. Not just that -- we need to keep in mind that if we are about to die of a heat stroke, they probably are too.

If I drink huge amounts of water before I ride, I have to find a nice bush to get behind to pee........
 
#66 ·
Good point about hosing the horses. Not just that -- we need to keep in mind that if we are about to die of a heat stroke, they probably are too.

If I drink huge amounts of water before I ride, I have to find a nice bush to get behind to pee........
Ha ha, yeah, I thought at first I would have to pee a lot, but it doesn't happen! I pee first, then drink, then ride. You have to train your body to it, but really your belly is the easiest & most efficient way to carry water...I read that somewhere...
 
#69 ·
QOS nerdy flashbacks are always on the house.
By the way you know that cheap wine MD 20 20? The MD stands for Mogen David. My people know how to party.
I have noticed that the arabians handle the heat much better thatn the QH's and TBs here. However I have one champagne palomino gelding.
He has pink skin and handles the heat very well.
What type sunscreen would be good for him? I have been using SPF of at least 50. Shalom
 
#71 ·
I use a childrens sunscreen for when I had pink skinned horses. I prefer a 50 SPF that is broad spectrum. I also really slop it on, and don't just put it on the exposed skin, but also over the hair on the face because they burn under that too. I also like the sport protection because it can withstand just a teeny bit more then the regular. However, it still needs to be applied every 2 hours or so.
 
#73 ·
My horse is black with black skin. The sun is no issue. She seems to be amazingly heat tolerant. What she can't take is flies. I use an ear and face mask that protects her head, but the rest of her is exposed. No matter how much fly spray I use, she still gets attacked by horseflies on her legs and belly. Is their a fly sheet that is cool, covers legs, belly, and butt, that you can use for riding? The stings upset her so badly that she can't take it.
 
#76 ·
Oddly, my whole last post was blank - weird...

I have seen quarter sheets made out of netting for flys, but have never used one.

I recently started using Absorbine Ultrashield EX, the horses seem so much happier and more relaxed. Highly recommend this product!

In the past I have used apple cidar vinegar, 1/2-1 cup daily works well to keep the flys and gnats away at home, also works to keep the flys from breeding in the manure. It takes about two weeks to get full effect though, so must plan ahead.
 
#75 ·
Thanks cowgirl and anitanne. I was trying to avoid reapplying the sunscreen very often. I will try the corona cream Once a day is a lot more my style.
Horse flies are hard to deal with. They seem to linger around the catle herds so whenever we ride by they attack the horses.
Endure seems to work the best on a wide variety of flies and the longest.
Deer flies seem immune to it though.
When I had only a few head of horses I would buy those tubes you squeeze along thier backs. They seem to work the best. However with well over 20 horses that is no longer an optoin due to the cost. Shalom
 
#79 ·
I realized this thread is old but had much of the info i was wanted, found in a search. but i have a few more questions.l...

I'd love more info on breeches. i'm currently plus sized but working hard to fix that. so i really don't want to spend big money on them. where does a person find them? used is ok by me. would simple yoga pants from walmart work? or does the seam rub? maybe i could put a knee patch on something like those, for now? what kind of fabric are the knee patches made from?

this is a whole nuther ball game for me, I am in ranching/cowboy country, but have realized the jeans are stiff, hot and just not working!! i wear a very lightweight 'activewear' pant during the summer days as i won't wear shorts, and thought duh! why am i killing myself in jeans to ride in???

i burn like crazy, but hate getting hot. we dont' have the humidity here like some of you, tho. wow. i find that a very light tank top, but wear that long sleeved cotton type over it, unbuttoned. the air gets 'fluffed' into the shirt, you can wet it down since you have a top on, and it keeps the sun from your skin. i get mine at the local thrift shop cuz they will get trashed soon being so light colored.
 
#80 ·
One of my friends just ordered some riding tights (another name for lightweight breeches) from Riding Warehouse I actually was gifted mine, but my backups are yoga/activewear and they seems to work well too, though they're not quite as durable. The price is right though. I haven't had them give me rubs like jeans do either, I think just because the material is so much softer, it eliminates a lot of that. I really wouldn't worry about knee patches on them. If you do find you want some additional protection from rubs, half chaps are probably the best way to go IMO rather than trying to after-market something.
 
#81 ·
ok, thanks for telling me what to even call the light weight ones. I did find a pair on ebay so I'll get to try some very soon. i just can't help but think they are going to be more comfortable than jeans, as much as I love my jeans.

my gelding is tall so i really have to hike up my leg to get on, and jeans bind.

and altho it's probably going to be super weird looking, I'm going to continue to wear my western boots since i love them very much. they aren't real tall, but i hope they go up enough for the breeches. in my area, i'm more certainly going to be odd-man-out with this get up!
 
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