# What do you do to stay cool when riding in hot weather?



## mn2132 (May 25, 2012)

Hey everyone,

So I am starting riding lessons in a few weeks and I was wondering how you stay cool when riding in summer weather. What are the best times to ride (morning or evening)? 

-Mike


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## HannahC (Apr 30, 2012)

Just throwing in my two cents- I would definitely choose to ride in the morning as opposed to the evening if you are hoping to avoid the heat.

I've read that horse's eyes take longer to adjust to the change in light than ours do, so dusk is particularly worrisome for them. I know that if I ever have my boy out close to sunset he tends to a spook a lot more. So I would definitely choose morning. 

Also, a nice hose-down will probably feel better for the horse while the sun is still high


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

For time of day, as HannahC already said, mornings will be the coolest under normal conditions. I can cool off in the evenings from the mid day heat, but all things being equal the morning will be cooler.
Of course I'm speaking for the horse  since we have the option of using various cooling methodes (cool wrap on the back of our nect, etc....). Best ways of keep the horse cool while riding are (no particular order):
Shade
Breeze
Standing in water almost up to their stomach (they can displace a lot of heat via their legs )


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## KissTheRing (Aug 2, 2011)

I enjoy mornings as well! To me everything seems cooler- because I haven't had the chance to heat up my body yet!
Remember Lots of Water for you and your horse, Internal/External!


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## mtngrl7500 (May 29, 2011)

It's definitely cooler in the mornings, but I'm not a morning person so this rarely happens for me as much as I'd like to. I generally ride late...7ish until it's so dark I can't see. I'm hoping to have my hubby install a light this year so that I can ride even later.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

drink water, and turn the air conditioning off and stop complaining, or listening to people complain about the heat. Think happy thoughts. The heat is only a problem if you let it be.

I grew up in the South, I nor any of my friends or any of the schools had AC, we stayed outside all summer, never even noticed the heat. Now the mamby pamby libertartds close the schools if the AC isnt running.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

i wear a tank top and ride on grass. riding on sand will make you a lot hotter than riding on grass !


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

Like Joe, I also grew up with schools without air conditioning here in Tennessee.

That said, we started after Labor day, and ended well before Memorial day.


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

Joe4d said:


> drink water, and turn the air conditioning off and stop complaining, or listening to people complain about the heat. Think happy thoughts. The heat is only a problem if you let it be.
> 
> I grew up in the South, I nor any of my friends or any of the schools had AC, we stayed outside all summer, never even noticed the heat. Now the mamby pamby libertartds close the schools if the AC isnt running.


 
Actually I can remember being sent home early from high school in the early 70's because it got to hot and we didn't have AC. But then it does get hot sooner, stays hot longer and often gets hotter in SC than VA. I can remember getting snow in March in VA back in the latter half of the 60's. Down here a flurry in Jan is a big deal (everyone goes out to see if there's over a dozen flakes :lol

We didn't get as many 100 degree days back in the 70's as we do now, but temps in the 90's was normal and with our sub tropical humidity it's brutal.
We stayed outside as kids because it was cooler than being inside (not to mention that the farm chores were outside) and we did most of our work in the morning or late afternoon. Mid day we were sitting in the shade or eating lunch on the front porch hoping that the breeze kept up. Even the cattle would be laying around under trees. Everything slowed down (even took naps :lol mid day during the hot days from June thru Aug.

Thankfully so far this year we're enjoying a cool wave of only the upper 80s mostly to start June with and even getting some rain, but that hasn't been the norm for a long time. Generally the first week in June is upper 90's. e.g. Last year our local high for the first week of June was 101 in the shade, but someplace upstate had a high of 102 for that week. For the past 15 years our normal 1st week of June temperatures have had highs in the mid 90's to low 100's (and that's before Summer starts). These last 20 years have been hotter and drier than any of the old timers can remember and I thought it was hot back in the 70's. When the heat finally hits again (and it will, weather this good never lasts) the horses and my neighbors cattle will be back to spending the middle of the day in the shade unless we force them out of it. I prefer not to ride my horses when they are already sweating from the heat before I put a saddle on them.


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## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

One thing you have to consider about riding in the morning if you ride in a grass arena, like I do, is that the dew can be very thick and slippery in the morning and any sharp turns put you at risk of a spill. Just pay closer attention to your footing if you are going to beat the heat in the early morning.


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## Back2Horseback (Mar 21, 2012)

Well, here in Tucson, Az, where the temp is generally over 100 degrees by 10am, and stays such well past 9pm, what we do to stay cool? We sweat. Pretty simple! :wink:

Not unusual to see folks just doin' their thing while covered head to toe in a nice lather of sweat! Now, for the horse's needs, basically, it's trying to ride as EARLY or LATE in the day as possible, so at least _that DIRECT sunlight_ isn't an issue for them. We ensure a constant supply of fresh, tepid, (not cold) water for them, and LOTS of cooling down prior to returning to the stall...I always feel between the breastbone area...if that is moderately warm or damp, even in the slightest, (regardless if the rest of the horse is seeming cooled out) then they are not nearly cool enough.

Also we don't ride really hard during the high sun times. It is just not possible to keep your horse as cool as you can keep yourself internally, as they tend to not drink so readily during an arena ride!

We will wait until their inner temp (judged by chest feel) is pretty close to water temp (tepid water) and then do a nice hose down in a covered wash rack so the wet parts don't reflect the sunlight and heat them back up again like tin foil in an oven! But sadly, unless you can ride and be done by 7:30a or after 8p, you're gonna be VERY hot and guzzling water like there is no tomorrow and your horse is going to be pretty miserable as well.

It's funny, because when I read about the lack of winter riding that some folks are able to do because of the insanely cold weather where they live,(and they always say how much they can't wait for summer to begin really training!) I always think that it is pretty much the OPPOSITE here in Tucson! We live for winter, late fall, & early spring riding, whereas summer riding can be very tricky!

Good luck with staying cool! (My barn has a completely indoor, air conditioned arena, but it is an odd, long shape with very short ends. It is doable, but only as a last resort--like, I would imagine, on mid-summer days that start out at 90 degrees by first light and don't dip below that ever!)...:shock:


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## jfisher256 (Jul 12, 2011)

It is already upwards of 90 degrees in our area. I usually have ridden in a covered arena or completely indoor arena. It is usually cooler in the summer, but we still give the horses plenty of water, time to cool off, and give them a nice hose-down! I try to wear a light, thin shirt so I don't sweat as much as I usually do. I also don't ride the horse for an hour like I would when it's cooler out. Usually around 40 minutes.

That's what I liked about going to horse shows. I had to be at the show grounds by 6 am and when it started getting warm out, 6 am was my favorite time to be riding! I enjoyed it, because once I had the shirt and jacket on I sweat for the rest of the day and it wasn't as enjoyable.


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