Ah, summertime. The time of year when there’s often a surplus of horse activities to attend, more hours of daylight to ride, and competitions to prepare for. But the longer, hotter days can also bring along their own challenges, which means owners must take some extra precautions to keep their horses healthy.   

In last week’s online poll, we asked our readers what horse health issues they found most challenging during the summer months. More than 200 people responded, and we’ve tallied the results!

Of the 250 respondents, 110 (44%) said their biggest challenge is keeping their horses cool during extreme heat. Another 29 individuals (12%) said sunburn is a concern, and 21 people (8%) said dehydration poses a challenge. Some 20 respondents (8%) find heat- and humidity-related respiratory problems challenging, while 9 people (4%) said anhidrosis (the inability to sweat) poses a challenge for their horses in the summer. The remaining 61 respondents (24%) identified other summer horse health challenges that they encounter