Horses can lose confidence if they slip, so if horses are shod, we can fit studs to help give them grip and feel more confident in their footing. BE Organisers put in a huge amount of work to their ground but going can vary due to other factors such as the time of year, terrain, soil type and weather - so how should you stud up for the going?
On a hot day, what helps horses to stay cool? The main way that horses stay cool in hot weather, and when exercising, is by sweating. Heat is removed from the body when the sweat evaporates. You can achieve the same effect by wetting your horse – in the same way that sweat does, the water will remove heat from the body as it evaporates.
Horses can overheat when travelling in hot weather. The following tips will help you to consider whether you should travel your horse at all and, if you do, how you can minimise the risk of them overheating.
Any athlete who will have to compete in hot conditions will benefit from a period of acclimatisation. However, it is almost impossible to achieve this unless the weather is hot for at least 2 weeks before the target competition. Even if we have a heatwave for several weeks, acclimatisation will not fully compensate for the adverse effects of very hot or hot and humid conditions – but it will almost certainly make a significant difference and should reduce the risk of heat-related illness or injury.
BE Prepared is an initiative of the British Eventing Training Foundation
