Our award-winning equine marketing and equestrian PR team always look forward to spending the summer with their horses. Here are some summer essentials and must-have items for the hot months ahead.
Protect Your Horse from the Heat: Best Cooling Products for Summer
The summer months are always something to look forward to, but caring for your horse in hot weather can also bring some challenges. Keeping your horse’s body temperature down in hot weather is even easier with a range of products designed to keep your horse cool and comfortable in hot climates.
Two of our favourite methods for cooling a hot horse are ice boots and cooling rugs. Ice boots can be stored in the freezer and transported in a cool box with ice for a lorry outing. Cooling rugs are made from a technical fabric that becomes activated to cool once its absorbent material comes into contact with water.
Essential Fly Protection for Your Horse During Summer
The majority of horses who enjoy summer turnout benefit from wearing at least a fly mask as protection from an annoying horse fly or swarm of midges. Biting insects can be a real problem for some horses, so many horse owners choose a lightweight fly sheet made of breathable material for summer turnout to keep their horses comfortable. If you choose a rug, opt for one made of stretchy material to ensure your horse has plenty of movement.
Most horse owners also use fly spray daily. However, always do a patch test before using it all over in case your horse has an allergic reaction to the ingredients.
Hydration Tips and Must-Have Gear for a Cool Summer Ride
Always allow your horse to drink plenty of water both in the stable, field and post-riding. Make sure your water buckets are filled with clean water. As seasoned riders, our advice is that if you are planning a long ride, try to ride in the cooler hours of the day and arrange a stopping point where you can access fresh water to give them a drink mid-ride. Don’t forget to take a water bottle with you to keep your hydration levels up.
Choose a breathable saddle pad cut to the saddle shape rather than a square saddle pad covering more of your horse’s body. Always carry a collapsable hoof pick to remove any lodged stones in your horse’s hooves.
If you are planning on going on a horse riding holiday, especially a luxury riding holiday, your holiday company should advise you on what to wear.
Summer Grooming Tools Every Horse Owner Needs
While you may not scrub off thick mud as you do during the long winter, your horse’s coat can become dusty and itchy. Regular grooming will not only produce a shiny coat, but it will also help keep your horse’s coat clean and skin healthy. A quality body brush is an essential item in your grooming kit. Ensure you wash your grooming kit regularly so your grooming items are clean and you aren’t transferring more dirt back onto your horse!
Choosing the Right Horse Rug for Summer Nights
Choose a cotton sheet if you need an extra layer for your horse for those cooler summer nights. Cotton is breathable and lightweight, so it makes an ideal choice. Cotton sheets are also easy to wash and dry and because cotton sheets are a common choice for horse owners, you should find plenty of choice in fit and price.
Top Horse Boots and Leg Protection for Summer Activities
Keeping your horse’s legs protected during exercise can be challenging in warmer weather. In warm weather, legs can heat up, which is detrimental to leg health. Choose lightweight, breathable boots for protection. We are huge fans of the Equilibrium range for extra protection with superb airflow for those hot summer days.
Staying Safe in the Sun: UV Protection for Your Horse
Choose fly masks with UV protection for your horse. Just like humans, horses can experience UV damage to their eyes, so it makes sense to protect their vision in sunny weather conditions with this summer essential for your horse.
Don’t forget to protect your horse’s skin with sunblock. We use children’s Factor 50 waterproof sunblock for our horse’s pink noses for sun protection, but you do need to reapply it if your horse is out in the sun all day.
Summer Feed and Supplements to Keep Your Horse Healthy
Our horses have access to a salt lick in their stables. Still, alongside a salt block, we add electrolyte supplements to our horse’s feeds to maintain their electrolyte levels during hot weather.
If you feed salt and electrolytes, ensure your horse has cool water to drink, your automatic water troughs in the stable, and your water sources in the field are clean and working efficiently.
If your horse has plenty of rich grass in their field, review what you feed during the warm summer months, as some horses can begin to put on a lot of weight, which can be hard to lose. Ensure your horse has plenty of forage and cut down on hard feed if necessary.
The Best Summer Horse Treats to Keep Your Horse Happy
The best summer horse treats are natural and low in sugar. Our horses love celery as a treat, and it has no calories! Choose horse treats which are low in calories and sugar.
If you are feeling very creative, you can even make your own. Like these recipes here.
Summer Travel Essentials for Your Horse: What to Pack
Horse and rider safety is always at the top of our list when packing the lorry. Ensure you have a first aid kit for horses and humans, and prepare for changeable weather, especially in the UK! The British weather can go from sunshine to bad weather within a very short period, so take waterproof protection and an extra layer for your horse to give them adequate protection against colder weather.
Always carry a few gallons of water with you if you are out for the day, even if the venue has free access to water. Some horses will not drink strange water away from home, so take your own onboard.
Need some rider wardrobe inspiration for the summer months? Here are our tips for Equestrian Holiday Style
