Heat,Heat and more heat (Texas people)

Ok so I have seen some "when is it too hot to ride?" post before but I see these post from all parts of the world.."

I see alot of people say "wow its 97 degrees you shouldn't be riding in that heat"

I would dream for 97. Right now 97 is almost comfy for us.We have been 100-110 for the last month here.

So with that said. Obviously im acclimated to ride in heat so does that mean our texas horses are too. AT the barn I am at I see people working their horses at 3 pm (heat of the day ) in 110 degrees everyday.Now we have walking horses so we are not doing anything majorly working wise and this barn does have eventing horses in it and I NEVER have seen anyone working those horses so my questions are

Is 100-110 too hot for working your horse for about an hour at a flat walk and an every now and then running walk(walking horse lingo to those non walker people)?

Do horses acclimate like we do when it comes to work..I certainly don't think walkers that live in canada could come down here and work for an hour buy I could be wrong?


How do you cool your horses in heat like this? I get off hose him down and walk around for about 20 min and then put him up..Is this enough? Does he need something else to help

I have spent a tone in training and don't want to stop riding my horse for a few months and lose some of the work I have paid for .

I live in MS where it has been near 100 for a while now. It isn't the "dry" heat that you have in TX, but is humid and thick. I do think that the horses acclimate to the weather, but I still would not work in the middle of the day like that. On occasion, when it is breezy or there is a break in the temps, I will work them.
That's just my .02, my trainer works horses from sunup to sundown, but she makes sure that they are properly cooled and gives electrolytes and gatorade to ensure they stay properly hydrated.

I ride in the heat. It hasn't been too bad this summer so far, typically mid 90's and 85% humidity. If I didn't ride in the heat, I'd never ride. So I don't worry too much about the gauges and just watch my horse. So long as he's sweating well and not having trouble getting his breathing and heart rate back to normal, I figure we're good. I've had more trouble with the heat than he has anyway. I make sure to hose down down well after and ensure he's always got clean fresh water and he does the rest.

Im in north Texas..Nothing dry about our heat .Only dry heat in Texas is close to New Mexico I think. The heat here is worse then the heat we get in Cancun once a year.But he dosnt seem to have much issue it just seems extream to me a new horse owner myself. And after seeing the post about oh its 90 something should stay off the horses that would damn near make it to where I could only ride a few months out of the year.


When you hose down your horses do you use cold water or is it best to throw a little warm in there so its not a shock..And when cooling them down when is it ok to put them up.When they are dry all the way or just when you think they are cool..I don't know too much here so bare with me.The only time I seem to be over heated is walking him around to cool him down. Blazing sun and no breeze sucks.

The 'cold' water where I'm at is lukewarm since the waterlines are shallow in the ground and the ground stay hot all the time. No such thing as real cold unless it's out of the fridge. Just make sure you run the hose for a bit to make sure you get the scalding hot water from the hose sitting in the sun out before hosing the horses. You can actually seriously burn them if you don't.

I don't walk my guy around or anything really, since the last 5-10 minutes of our workouts are all walking anyway. I hose him off really well (nose to toes), leave him dripping wet so he stays cooler longer, and then prefer to turn him out to walk around and graze on whatever grass and weeds are still surviving for a hour or so (as well as rolling himself into a mud ball. Sigh). If I can't turn him out, I make sure he has plenty of hay to eat to keep the gut going.

That's the general SOP at the barn I board at and all of the horses seem to do okay with it.

Sucks, sucks and more sucks hahaha

I'm in southern OK and there is nothing dry about our heat this summer either. We take out trail riders and ride when it is 100 +. Just like Texas, the only dry heat is out west in the panhandle. I worry more about the people than I do the horses. I carry cold water with me (I freeze bottle of water) so if any get dizzy or too hot, I can cool them off. The horses are fine.

I think it all depends on how fit horses are and if they are used to working. This is not the weather to bring in some fat soft old thing and start riding it. Our horses a in good flesh and they are tough.

They sweat clear and usually only under the saddle pads. When you see a lot of foam, the horses are soft and can sure get over-heated.

I'm ready for fall.

I think it all depends on the humidity. I will ride when its hotter but when its hot and humid no thanks. The horses just look miserable anyway

Another North Texan here... We try not to ride until later in the day (earliest 6:00 pm). Our arena is covered, which helps. I'm not just worried about our horse, but about my daughter (9) too. So, we limit our cantering and take frequent water breaks (both child and horse). I make sure we use saddle pads that breathe and release heat. On lesson nights, we ride for around 75 minutes. Other nights I only allow then 45 minutes tops.

Once we're done, we always hose Acey off (start with legs and work our way up). The water is not too cold because it just doesnt come out cold in this heat. Once her skin is no longer hot, we squeegee off the excess water and walk her around. I test her body temp (just feeling her skin). If she's still warm, I sometimes hose her off again and repeat the squeegee and walking process.
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Sorry...I thought most of TX was the kind of dry heat. Didn't know..LOL! I hate the damn humidity!

I also just use the cold water from the hose, turn them out dripping wet with plenty of fresh water and never feed until they are completely cooled out. I usually just do a lot of walking at the end of the ride, so I just hose and turn out...then feed later.

Hope this helps!