Summer Horse Care

 
out to the barn for those long summer rides make sure your horse is in tiptop health and care for all the fun you have planned.
Skin Care
The first tip for summer horse care is just like you should put sunblock on exposed skin in the summertime to prevent sunburn your horse might need some too. Horses with white areas and pink skin on their faces often suffer from sunburn but you can use a babysafe sunblock or physical blocker like zinc oxide diaper cream on them to prevent a painfully pink nose. Application once a day during the longest days of summer should be enough protection from those rays.

Fly Control
Flies are probably the worst thing bugging your horse during the summer months. Watery eyes are a common problem due to fly irritation. A fly mask can help. Make sure it fits properly not too loose not too tight before turning your horse out in it.
Fly sheets help protect sensitive horses from bug bites.
A flysheet can also be helpful for horses with really sensitive skin. This lightweight mesh blanket protects the horses coat from the sun and also reduces the number of bug bites he gets.
Using fly spray regularly is another way to keep flies from biting and pestering your horse as much. A thorough spray in the morning and evening is a good routine to get into. Depending on when and where you ride you might want to spray when you saddle up too. If you want your fly spray to last through a long ride where your horse is sweating look for special sweatresistant formulas. Otherwise give your horse a fresh application of fly spray after riding.
Good manure management is another way to help decrease flies around the barn. This means keeping your horses stall as clean as possible and having the muck heap far away from the barn and the pasture. Picking up manure piles periodically in small paddocks and pastures helps decrease areas where flies feed and breed.
Hydration
Another key tip for summer horse care is that your horse loses a lot of water through sweating and breathing hard during summer exercise. Even if your horse is really hot after a ride always let him drink. Keeping a hot horse from drinking can cause dehydration and muscle cramps and can even contribute to colic.
Provide your horse with a salt block so he can have as much as he needs.
Always provide your horse with a salt block in