Horses in hot climates face significant heat stress risks. Understanding adaptation, management strategies, and warning signs protects equine welfare across diverse climatic conditions.
Equine heat stress welfare requires proactive management rather than reactive response to crisis. Horses moved from temperate to hot climates require acclimatisation periods of 2 to 4 weeks during which workload must be reduced while physiological adaptation occurs. Ensuring continuous access to fresh cool water, salt and electrolytes, adequate shade, and appropriate shelter during heat periods addresses the primary risk factors for heat stress. Working horses during cooler periods and modifying the intensity of work during high temperature and humidity conditions prevents the physiological overload that leads to heat stroke. Recognition that horses cannot thermoregulate effectively when subjected to high workloads in extreme heat requires that human management expectations adapt to environmental conditions rather than maintaining fixed training or competition schedules.