When the temperatures start heating up, so does the horse show schedule. Summer is a busy time for many, and that means a lot of traveling and a lot of sweat.
With how much you and your horse sweat, it’s important to stay hydrated. Keeping a cooler full of cold water will help you keep your cool, while making sure your horse always has a bucket full of clean, cool water available will be more enticing for him to drink. Adding electrolytes to both your fluids, and your horse’s water bucket, might encourage both of you to drink more. Watch the sugary drinks and alcoholic beverages, as those will actually do more dehydration than rehydration.
Providing a fan in your horse’s stall will help keep air circulating, as well as deter pesky insects from his stall. You might like to have your own fan, or enjoy the air conditioning in your camper/horse trailer for a break through the day.
Here are some ideas from fellow exhibitors on how they like to keep themselves, and their horses, cool and happy during the hot summer horse shows.
Kamiah McGrath: The summer horse show session is mostly blazing hot when you’re showing with your chaps, hat, and jacket, so that is why I always wear a cami under my show jacket–this way I can put my jacket on right before I go in the class. Also, we always have a refrigerator full of water bottles that is in our tack stall at the shows, so I always grab one before I go and practice because I know I will need one because my mom/my trainer will work me hard. For my two horses, I wash them after a long day of showing. I don’t mind that at all because I somehow get soaking wet as well, but I guess it cools me down. After they have dried, we put a summer slinky on them to keep them clean, but it’s not real thick and hot.
Jenna Dempze: We put box fans on the horses’ stalls and usually have a couple of fans in the alleyway for people and horses. We also always have a cooler full of water and Gatorade. We always make sure to walk the horses out and let them catch their air, and rinse them well after we are done riding or longing. We also try to keep a close eye on them to make sure they continue to sweat properly during the hot weather. Gil (Galyean) uses rubber garbage tubs for water at the shows so the horses always have plenty of water available to them. My family also stays in a camper at the shows so if I get too hot I can always take a break in the air conditioning!
Audra Snyder: I like to have a cooler full of Frosty Towels on hand during the summer run or at the big summer shows. They help keep me cool and clean while riding in the dusty arenas. Frosty towels are individually packaged iced hand towels ready for use. They’re awesome! With the horses, we keep fans on them and we’ll hose them down after rides when they’ve cooled down a little.
Holt Graham-Pope: We try to keep the kids cool by keeping them in the shade most of the day. My daughter, Madison, who is now three thinks she’s a mermaid so 
I knew the pool would not only keep her cool but keep her entertained. Stone, who is 10-months-old, loves the water, too. For our horses, keeping cool is a little tougher, but we provide lots of water and fans, and a combination of both at the same time doesn’t hurt. If we keep the horses cool, they will stay comfortable, too. (Photos on right taken at the Tarheel Triple Classic in Raleigh, N.C.)
Shawn Hays: Especially this time of the year, I try to do most of my traveling by night, if I can help it. I’ll stop and water my horses often. Most of my horses I’ve gotten them to drink water when they’re offered it in the trailer—if there’s one or two that won’t, most of the time they’ll change their minds when they see the others drinking. At the show sometimes and all the time at home, I’ll set a bucket of water out on the rail. I’ll just soak my horses down on the neck before I start riding them–then two or three times during my ride until they get to sweating real good. We tend of have cases of anihydrosis (where the horse stops sweating). I’ve found if I can wet them down and kind-of keep them cool, their body will start to sweat on its own. We keep a cooler full of ice, water, and Gatorade at the stalls at shows. I’ll have fans for the horses’ stalls and I’ll have a couple of extra fans in the tack room to keep the air moving when you’re in the barns.
Kelley Crager: At home I try to get up early and ride most of the horses in the morning, then take it easy during the hottest part of the day. Typically, the horses don’t need to be worked as long in the heat and humidity, so I just try and be conscious of how long we have been working. I also try to take a few walk breaks and let the horse catch their breath and cool down. One of the biggest things I worry about is really making sure my clients and I stay well-hydrated, especially when we’re showing. We always remember to take good care of the horses, and then tend to forget about ourselves.
Dr. Janet Johnston (University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine): Horses, especially white horses, can suffer from sunburn. Use a fly scrim sheet during turnout and apply sunblock to small, particularly vulnerable areas. If you have to work your horse in the heat of the day, lighten his work or spread it out over a couple of short sessions. This is especially important when the humidity is high, which can diminish the poor quality of the air your horse is breathing.
Do you have any unique ways you cool down yourself or your animals at the horse show? Let us know!
About the Author: Megan Arszman is a freelance writer based in Lexington, Ky., and has been covering the equine industry for almost 10 years. She’s been lucky enough to work for AQHA and NRHA’s publications, fulfilling a lifelong dream. A former exhibitor herself, she currently contributes to GoHorseShow.com, American Quarter Horse Journal, Paint Horse Journal, Rodeo News, Western Shooting Horse Magazine, and the NRHA Reiner. She is also the Digital Media Content Coordinator for Neogen Corporation’s Animal Safety Division in Lexington, where she lives with her husband and competes in dog agility.
