08/01/2026
Heat Stress in Horses 🌡🐎 🔥
During a heatwave horses sweat to keep cool but this can cause dehydration and an electrolyte imbalance. The evaporation of the sweat is less effective in conditions of high heat and humidity. Heat stress occurs when the capacity of the body to dissipate heat is exceeded.
☀️ During heatwaves, you can reduce risks by:
• Providing constant access to cool, clean water
• Offering shade and airflow (trees, shelters, fans in stables)
• Avoiding riding, transporting, or competing in peak heat
• Exercising only in early morning or late evening
• Cold hosing and scraping off with a sweat scraper
• Using electrolytes for sweating horses
• Closely monitoring older horses, foals, overweight horses, and dark-coloured horses
• Wet all feed down (including hay) with plenty of fresh clean water
🚨 Warning signs to watch for are:
• Rapid or laboured breathing
• Excessive sweating — or reduced / no sweating
• Lethargy, depression, weakness, muscle tremors, or stumbling
• Re**al temperature >39°C
• Skin hot to touch
• Sustained elevated heart rate
• Muscle spasms and cramps
• Tacky gums, loss of skin elasticity, sunken eyes, reduced urine output.
❄️ If you suspect a horse has heat stress:
1️⃣ Stop work immediately (if working)
2️⃣ Move the horse into shade
3️⃣ Actively cool with copious cold water (hose, buckets, ice water if severe)
4️⃣ Scrape excess water and repeat
5️⃣ Call Illawarra Equine Centre on (02) 4448 6488 or your local vet if the horse doesn’t improve or temperature remains high
🚑 Heat stress is an emergency. Early intervention can be life-saving.
Please share to help protect horses during Australian heatwaves 💙🐴🔥
