Someone turned up the heat and humidity this week, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,500 beef cattle in South Dakota. While cattle are generally more sensitive to heat than horses, with heat indexes  over 100 degrees this week in many parts of the country, it is vitally important that all animal owners take special precautions.

Here are a few simple ways that you can help your horses stay more comfortable during periods of extremely high heat and humidity:

Adjust Your Routine
Consider giving your horses some time off work during periods of high heat and humidity. However, if that is not plausible, changing your schedule so that you work horses first thing in the morning or later in the evening (thus exercising during cooler, lower humidity times) is the second best option. Provide your horses more frequent breaks from hard work in the course of you riding, driving, or training. Taking walking breaks periodically is a good way to help your horse cool down and regain normal respiratory rates.

Monitor your horses closely during work to verify that they are properly sweating return to normal respiratory function