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espite record rain and cool weather this
spring, we were suddenly catapulted into
summer when the temperatures went
from the 60s to the 90s in a day. When
the weather changes this suddenly
during foaling season, I monitor the new foals
carefully. Newborn foals cannot regulate their
temperature very well for the first week of life.
Therefore, a foal that was turned out yesterday at
70F, may not be turned out at 90F, especially if there
is no shade. In general, I would rather the foal be out
under shade, where the ventilation is better. I have
seen foals in hot weather kept in stalls, presumably
to keep them cooler, but unless there is excellent
ventilation, the foal could be hotter inside. If we do
have to keep a foal in a stall in hot weather, we set
up a fan, angled down onto the foal.
Having worked in very hot climates in my career, I
believe that foaling stalls should have mesh doors
and even mesh bottoms to the stall for ventilation for
foals (or any horses with respiratory problems). Stall
windows are often four to five feet from the floor —
too high to provide ventilation for a foal. Temperature
and ventilation are the
most important
considerations of keeping
horses in hot weather.
Fortunately for us,
Arabians evolved in a
desert environment, so
they are more able to cope
with hot weather.
The reason the Arabian
has such a dry head and
such thin skin is so they can
cool rapidly in hot weather.
THE LONG, HOT SUMMER — HEAT EXHAUSTION
STUD FARM DIARIES
The prominent veins in the face cool the blood as it is
closer to the air. One of the main functional aspects
of the Arabian’s high tail carriage is that there is a
large vein right under the tail. As it is carried high, air
passes underneath it, cooling the blood as it flows
under the tail. Compared to other breeds, our horses
do better in the heat. But they are not invincible.
HEAT EXHAUSTION IN FOALS
Heat combined with high humidity can cause
problems in very young foals. They don’t know they
are supposed to be in shade when it is hot and may
lie out in the direct sun. Because they cannot control
their temperature very well in the first week of life,
they can become severely overheated. It can be hard
to tell, because young foals already have an
increased heart rate and respiration rate in the first
week compared to adult horses. A foal’s respiration
rate at a few days of age can be 30 breaths per
minute, which is twice that of an adult horse, and
their heart rate can be over 100 beats/minute, more
than twice that of an adult horse. In older foals or
adult horses with heat exhaustion, one of the first
signs is increased
respiratory rate. Foals
have a normal
temperature of 102F,
which is slightly higher
than the 101F of adult
horses. Therefore, one of
the first things to check
after the respiration is
the temperature. I have
seen temperature values
as high as 105-107F in an
overheated foal. After
by Cindy Reich
HOW DEAR TO ME THE HOUR
How dear to me the hour when daylight dies,
And sunbeams melt along the silent sea;
For then sweet dreams of other days arise,
And memory breathes her vesper sigh to thee.
And, as I watch the line of light, that plays
Along the smooth wave tow’rd the burning west,
I long to tread that golden path of rays,
And think ‘twould lead to some bright isle of rest.
—Thomas Moore “Between The Lines”, Poems on the DART
LIlliput Press, Dublin, Ireland 1994
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AHW > 118 < 08 .19
sharon
(sharon)
#1