When is it too hot?

So say is it alright if it's 95+ in shade? Say working early morning/late night in a dressage arena outside and in the heat of the day in an arena with lots of water, light work?

We avoid the hottest hours, but it's usually not a problem in Sweden. But today we had around 85-90F so our horses were resting today.

=/ I totally feel like what you guys consider hot (85-90) is like..the coldest for our summers.

Mhm, I can imagine your summers..

I'm on the coast too, so it's fairly humid. I'm /used/ to it, as I'm sure are the horses, but it does make it seem hotter than other places. Most horses I've ridden have been content, however the old hag mentioned in my journal on the forum was old and black with a winter coat still in. I'm sure it had to do with my previous trainer's bad dieting for her, but she'd hack and heave and I could barely do a circle without having to get her a drink. I understand how it can be for individual horses.

I really don't have a problem working my horse in any type of heat, but then again it never gets over 100 here, Usually before I ride him I put him in front of a fan while I brush him, to cool off any sweat, saddle him up, ride him in the coolest of the three arena's, and if I have to, very lightly.

I will then spray him off thoroughly and put him in front of a fan again, and I have never had any issues.

In Az, we don't ride until after 7:00. Still, it can be 105 F outside. Our horses are used to it, so it doesn't really bother them. Since it's after 7, the sun has basically set, so that helps to keep it cooler as well. When we finish riding, we hose our horses off and make sure that they have been walked out until they are returned to their stalls. Most of the time, my horse is in the pasture at night, so he has plenty of time to walk about and cool off. After riding, our horses are also offered water so they can rehydrate.

Last I checked, wild horses don't ride. :) Seriously though, wild horses don't wear saddles, and I'll bet you they don't travel much in very hot weather either. And really seriously... Did you even know that horses sweat more salt than water? That means they are much more prone to heat exhaustion than humans are.

I think the rule of thumb is a heat index (temp + humidity) over 150 is considered dangerous. If it's just hot, that's one thing. You can always go into the woods and ride in the shade. Through in 60% humidity and I'm not even motivated to ride anyway. My horse seems to do well in even the hottest weather, but I frequently check for signs of dehydration (simple skin pinch test is good) and always stop if he seems to be laboring at all. After the ride, a nice sponge bath with water/alcohol solution, and make sure his gums are nice and pink.