Summer Heat and Horses

Horses, horses, horses........ what a wonderful topic! Indeed the horse in itself is a beautiful, elegant, extraordinary animal. Yet the topic of the horse, its owners, care, lodgings, behaviors, even its internal organs, is as broad and vast a subject as one can imagine.

That is why I have agreed to write articles about the glorious subject of the horse for the Cooperative Farming News on a monthly basis. Let me introduce myself........ I am Janet Bryant of Oneonta, Alabama. I am a "Horse Person." I have owned and shown my own horses in the past, and, of course, I continue to have a passion for the animal. Yes, I have a formal education in Equine Science through Judson College in Marion, but more importantly, the "horse sense" education that comes from many years of riding and even teaching others to ride. I have been an Equine Insurance Agent and have been on the Board of Directors of the Alabama Horse Council.

All that is being said so that you as the reader can have confidence that I will do my best to provide accurate and interesting information for you each month– which brings us to the current month and this very first article. I have chosen to write about something that struck me particularly hard a few months ago, as some friends lost two beautiful foals. I believe you will understand the importance of it as you read on.

In the month of November most thoughts are of Thanksgiving and the cool winter weather ahead for us all. Yet I would like to turn your attention back to one of the hottest summers we have had on record–this past summer.

My friends Jackie and Marvin Wade lost two excellent foals to the heat this past summer. Jackie and Marvin own Wades Farm in Oneonta where they raise fine Quarter Horses and Paints for showing in halter. Unfortunately, they lost a Paint filly and a Quarter Horse colt this summer when the heat and humidity became so extreme.

I asked Dr. Jason Coe, a local veterinarian who deals with many equine related problems, what information he could give concerning the matter. Dr. Coe said that the combination of consistent extreme heat and high humidity can be deadly to both the adults and the foals, but the foals are much more susceptible to mortality because their tiny bodies just cannot handle the extreme stressors. Heat stress in itself takes a toll on the immune system, but when the humidity is also high, horses can have respiratory distress as well. This combination is obviously negative, and in some cases deadly. Dr. Coe listed several preventative measures to be taken by horse owners that may save a horse’s life when the summer months become too hot to handle in the south.

First, if at all possible, you should keep the horses up in their stalls or even barn aisles during the daytime on extremely hot days, with access to water and electrolyte sources such as salt blocks. The heat will cause them to consume much more salt and water than usual, but this will keep them hydrated and well.

Second, keep fans blowing in the stalls and aisle ways. This keeps them cooler and less stressed in general. (Think about how good it feels to you when you step in front of a blowing fan when it is 100 degrees in the shade).

Third, fly control, fly control, fly control! This is almost an oxymoron in the south, but we must still do the best we can in keeping the flies away from our horses. Not only are flies a nuisance, but they drive pastured horses out of the cooler shade and back into the blazing sun and the heat.

These preventative measures should keep a healthy horse well, but it is also important to know what signs to look for should your animal develop heat stress or even mild heat stroke. If the animal appears to be overly tired, stressed, breathing heavy, and sometimes even panicky, it could be heat stress or mild heat stroke. With the first signs of this you should hose the animal down with cool water and call your veterinarian.

Jackie Wade said that with their foals it was a slower, more prolonged process that they did not recognize at first. She said the little ones just became draggy and overly tired, and finally diarrhea set in. When the veterinarian was called, he put the youngsters on IV fluids, used probiotics and antibiotics, and oral electrolytes, but to no avail, for the foals were already too far gone. The foals just cannot regulate their body temperature as well as an adult horse, so horse owners with babies on the ground should keep a vigilant eye on the youngsters for any signs of heat related illness. As we have learned it can be slow and insidious process. Jackie and Marvin Wade have beautiful and well-kept horses. If this happened to them, it can and does happen to others in our region.

Another heat related illness prevalent in the southern states during the summertime is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), sometimes called the "heaves." Dr. Coe said that he sees more cases of COPD in the summer than any other heat related disease. The illness is chronic respiratory distress and can be recognized by the extremely labored breathing, flared nostrils, extended head and neck position, and the animal being just plain fatigued. The horse with COPD may exert so much effort to breathe that they have no energy left even for eating. The cure for this disease is ironically the same as the preventative measures listed for keeping a horse safe from heat stress. Put your horse up in the stall or barn area and have a fan blowing on them. The cooler and calmer they are, the better off they will be.

It is my hope that this information will help someone reading it to be on guard and informed when summertime rolls around again. Yes, winter is on the way, but the seasons seem to fly by more quickly than we expect. As we all know, you can go to your local Quality Co-op and purchase everything needed to keep your horses safe, from automatic watering systems to salt blocks.

However, this article was written so that horse owners will be able to recognize the symptoms of heat related illness and help their horses before it is too late. Always, always call your veterinarian if your animal is in distress. It is much better to be safe than sorry.

My thanks to Jackie and Marvin Wade of Wades Farm in Oneonta for being willing to share the story of losing their foals. The Wades have some fine stallions that produce beautiful halter prospects. Sonny’s Zip Code is their primary Quarter Horse producer and Serious Player is the Paint producer. The Wades also have an up and coming yearling Quarter Horse stallion undefeated in all his AQHA halter classes shown as The Oneonta Kid.

Janet Bryant is a freelance writer from Oneonta.