Don't Sweat It!
Sweat is the major mechanism for removing excess body heat from the horse. The degree to which a horse sweats depends on several factors: environmental conditions, type of work or exercise performed and the horse’s individual fitness level. The act of sweating is really an incredible self-preservation action to prevent overheating through evaporative cooling to dissipate the excess heat produced. Sweat is essentially made up of water and specific charged minerals or electrolytes. Hydration and electrolyte replacement is vitally important for alleviating the risk of thermoregulatory dysfunction or failure associated with dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.
Water is Life
Water is the most important nutrient for all life, and deprived of it, a horse can perish within 48 hours. Fresh, clean water should be available at all times. Working horses should be offered water at least once an hour during extended periods of exercise. Water is critical because it is incorporated into every cell of the body.
To hydrate, horses drink water, but they also ingest it from various feeds, hay and pasture, and
