However, it is worth being aware that the behaviour and ridden responses of horses can be affected by the changing weather conditions. A sympathetic rider will be aware of this, and handle the horse accordingly.
This article summarises how the behaviour of horses may be influenced by different weather conditions.
When It’s Hot...
Like humans, horses can feel lethargic and sleepy in the heat, and may even be irritable. They will want to drink more and seek shade. Even the most field-loving horse may favour a clean shady stable, away from flies. Flies and heat can be a maddening combination for sensitive horses, and they may show this by running about the fields desperately seeking relief when loose, or by stamping, headshaking and even trying to run off if under saddle. A good fly repellent is a must!
When ridden in the heat horses get very hot, sweaty and tired a lot faster. The most sparkling performer may lack its usual energy. In very hot weather it is kindest to work horses in the early morning or evening when conditions are cooler. Utilise an indoor school if airy, but it may prove stuffy and may force riding outside. Sponge or hose the horse down after work to remove sweat, which will itch and attract flies if allowed to dry on the coat.
When It’s Cold...
In the cold horses are hungrier and spend a lot of time eating to generate body heat. Close friends may stand close together when resting to share warmth. However cold it is, if well fed, there are sheltered areas in the field and individuals that need them have rugs, horses will mainly be content outside. People who do not know horses can feel appalled to see the ‘poor things’ out of their warm stables in cold weather, but horses generally cope better with the cold than they do with being overly hot.
When ridden it will take longer to warm up and older horses particularly may be stiffer for longer. Horses that are feeling the cold, for example clipped horses, and those tacked up and taken out of their boxes after being rugged up overnight, can be very fresh and frisky under saddle, sometimes bucking and kicking as they feel the chill. It’s kindest to keep an exercise rug on horses in very cold weather if you are asking them to do slow work, and if not, allow them to get into a brisk warm-up as soon as possible.
Bright Sunshine
Horses’ main problem with sunshine can be the effect on their vision. Horses’ eyes take time to adapt to rapid changes in light, so moving rapidly out of sunlight into shadows and vice versa can alarm or disorient them. Often, eventing courses include a jump that requires horse and rider to jump out of light into shadow, such as jumping a fence from open country to space beneath trees. This tests the trust between the partnerships as whilst the rider knows that the way is safe, the horse’s vision is temporarily compromised and it cannot judge this itself. Bright sunlight can result in horses spooking if they cannot see properly or shadows move close to them. It’s worth bearing this in mind when riding nervous horses.
Rain
Rain won’t usually compromise horses much, and out in the fields often won’t impede grazing and other normal activities. Many horses work quite contentedly in lighter rain, though like people, some individuals may prove less enamoured with it than others! A light rain where there is good footing can be positively beneficial for horses working hard, cooling them down.
Problems may arise if the rain makes the ground slippery, when the horse will be anxious and reluctant about relaxing and moving out for the rider, showing off its paces as well as it can.
Driving rain presents more of a problem, and horses will want to seek shelter from it. If sufficient shelter is not available horses wait out the worst with their heads lowered and their bottoms presented to the wind. Driving rain will affect ridden work outdoors done as many horses will not be keen on working into it and as in the field, will slow and often try to turn their bottoms to the weather front!
Wind
Wind unsettles horses and can make them more likely to spook and run off, both in the field and under saddle. This is because wind creates noises, rustles grass and foliage and makes it hard to pinpoint sounds. Any one sound could be the stealthy approach of a predator, and horses unable to trust the early warning system of their senses will be nervous. Horses ridden in strong winds can be jumpy for these reasons and may prove more of a handful than normal.
Snow and Ice
Horses in the fields are generally unfazed by snow and with sufficient feed and shelter will behave quite normally. However they may lack confidence with where they place their feet and show a reluctance to run about. Similarly under saddle, particularly when it is icy, horses will be anxious if they find it slippy underfoot and hard frozen ground may bruise the sole and make them footsore. Most riders will not try and work their horses on hard and slippery frozen ground, and it is probably safest to avoid this whenever possible.
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