Animals, including livestock, get hot in warmer weather. As you want your animals to stay healthy, this article gives some tips for keeping your horses cool. Although many of these tips listed are for horses, they can be used for a variety of animals. Heat, as the article explains, can make an animal sweat, experience heat stress, and become dehydrated and lethargic. Some suggestions this article mentions include:
• Doing a turn out – or opening the horse’s stall – in cooler hours.
• Use a run-in shed instead of trees for shade. The sun can move but a fixed shelter will always provide shade.
• Use a fan and misting system to keep the animal cool and the air moving inside its stall.
• Make sure the animal always has fresh and cool water inside the stall and run-in shed. If the animal is sweating, add electrolytes to the water. Additionally, if the horse refuses to drink, add a salt lick nearby or spray water on hay.
• Make sure the animal stays out of the sun to prevent sunburn, and if the animal is too hot, clip its coat.
Run-in sheds are made from a galvanized steel frame and a polyethylene canopy. If installed correctly, they can be kept outdoors and used often for your livestock, including horses and cattle, needing a place of shade. Run-in sheds can be used as temporary shelter, as this article explains, or they can also become permanent. If you’re considering using this type of shelter instead of a stable, make sure it is equipped with gates on both sides and the animals have a source of hay and water. In the winter time, however, make sure that the animals are kept warm and that the water does not freeze over.
