How Hot Does Your Horse Get After Exercise in Hot Weather?

Like humans, horses’ bodies will get hotter whilst exercising in hot weather. This blog article outlines how hot horses get after exercising in hot weather, what factors influence this and what can be done to help the horse cool down. 

How Hot Does Your Horse Get After Exercise in Hot Weather?

The effect of high external temperatures has a greater impact the longer the horse works for. For a horse doing a fast canter/gallop for 1 minute, there will be little difference if the air temperature is 5°C or 35°C. But for a dressage horse working for an hour, the difference has a much greater impact.

When exercising, the horse’s body temperature reaches over 40°C. Sweating and blowing after exercise are the main indicators of increased body temperature. Humans breathe heavily when the oxygen levels in the blood are low. A horse’s breathing after exercise is mainly controlled by its body temperature and they puff when they are hot. Helping cool the horse’s legs after exercising is as important as cooling the whole body!

Cryochaps Ice Boots for Horses

Our ice boots for horses are designed to help cool the horse’s legs quickly and effectively after exercise. The Cryochaps K2F ice boot for horses provides full knee-to-fetlock coverage of the lower legs. The Cryochaps Absolute Wrap ice wrap is super versatile and ideal for knees, hocks and fetlocks. Our ice boots for horses also feature a compression sleeve, which aids heat transfer away from the leg, helping to bring soft tissue temperatures down quickly. 

Exoskeleton Fetlock and Tendon Boots by Cryochaps

The Exoskeleton fetlock and tendon boots are designed to provide excellent protection against impacts where it is needed, whilst allowing heat to easily escape from the leg. The Exoskeleton Tendon Boot features forced convection cooling technology, which forces air across the back of the leg to minimise the build up of heat during exercise.