Heat and Humidity

[Lynette Helgeson <helgeson@lansford.ndak.net>]

Hi everyone,
There is a very good article in the July issue in Equus called
"Keeping Cool." The article says, (and I quote,) "that horses
are better at keeping themselves warm then cooling themselves
off. Temperatures that seem delightful to you may be downright
uncomfortable for your horse. That's because humans evolved in
subtropical climates; our energy-neutral range - the
temperatures at which we feel most comfortable - falls between
50 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. But the horse who hails from more
northerly climates, has an energy-neutral range of 15 to 60
degrees and a body uniquely adapted to generate and store heat."

It also states that," The downside of all this wintertime
efficiency is that, in summer, your horse's metabolism has to
work much harder to cool his body off."

The article has a formula to work off of. You add air
temperature (Fahrenheit) and humidity and subtract wind speed to
get the current rating. (For example, 80 degrees + 50 percent
humidity - 10 mph wind speed = 120.)

If the total is less then 130, your horse isn't in danger of
overheating. 

If the total is around 150, you may want to forgo or cut back
the exercise, esp. if humidity makes up more than half of the
total.

If the sum is more than 180, don't work your horse at all. 

A good article that I learned a lot from. Well worth the
reading. 

Lynette
In North Dakota where we have been having temperatures in the
90's F, with 80% humidity, and thunderstorms with winds up to 90
miles an hour during the night.


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