Re: RC: Heat and Humidity

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

WHOA, slow down, I was just quoting the article, which is going
to be about horses in general. It has some good information
about keeping horses cool and what to look for in horses that
are overheating. A lot of what is said in the article is right
in sync with what is said on this list. 

I do not have nor probably will ever have enough experience with
heat and humidity to discuss the subject let alone argue with
anyone. You guys have got to remember, I am from ND! Not exactly
the land of heat and humidity, now if you want to talk about
cold weather....... :-)

We are having a lot of heat and humidity lately though and this
is a good article for people and horses like us that are novices
with heat and humidity. And there must be other people out there
like me who are not use to the heat + humidity, who benefit from
advice like this when they are not use to it. 

I also want to know which one of you has been sending us this
awful weather our way, give me -20 below any day!

Lynette

Teddy Lancaster wrote:
> 
> Hah!!! Then DON'T come out east to ride.  It is hardly EVER below 150!!!!
> (temp & humidity factor)
> 
> Teddy
> 
> Lynette Helgeson wrote:
> 
> > 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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Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=