Summer’s horse activities heat up this month, and so do certain horse-care needs. Make sure you set aside time for tasks like these:
• Provide each horse, whether stabled or on pasture, with access to a salt block and free-choice minerals. If your climate’s especially hot and humid, you may need to provide a source of loose salt as well. A horse in moderate work requires about 4 teaspoons of salt per day.
• Clean water buckets, troughs, and basins often; the hotter the weather, the faster algae builds up.
• Make sure water is fresh, not stagnant. Horses are reluctant to drink warm, dirty water, and that can lead to illness caused by dehydration.
• Provide a source of shade. Besides helping your horse stay cool, shade offers a measure of protection from flies.
• Reduce rates of parasite infestation by picking manure regularly from pens and pastures. Eggs hatch more readily in hot weather than in the cooler months.