A "WARM" DAY IN THE LIFE OF A JFP EQUINE CLYDESDALE

Do Clydesdales like it hot?

Let's just say, like most of us, they aren't a fan of extremes.

And given the choice between cold or hot, my guess is they'd choose cold over hot all day long if they could. 

Unfortunately here in the St. Louis area, we don't have much of a choice. Summers equal hot, humid days, which means we have to do our best to keep these big guys as comfortable as possible.

What’s a Clydesdale's primary defense?

Just like humans, they sweat. And it's the first thing we watch for when gauging how a Clydesdale is dealing with the temperatures. 

Sure, it would be nice to have air conditioned barns. But for most of us in the horse world, it's simply not practical.

So what can we do? 

LIMIT EXPOSURE TO THE SUN

It can be hot enough outside in the summer when you are in the shade, let alone in direct sunlight. So, on hotter days we try to take the sun out of the equation as best we can. 

That means bringing them in the barn out of the sun. It may be for all day or it may be for just part of the day when temperatures are the hottest. It just kinda depends on the day.

If we have Clydesdales that are outside on a hot day and, for whatever reason, aren't or can't be brought into the barn, we have open shelters they can access for shade. 

Clydesdales are no dummies. They know just what those shelters are for. Whether it's a hot n' sunny OR rainy day, we often find them in there just hanging out.

TURN ON THE FANS

Fans are mandatory to help keep these big guys cool in the summer time. 

Each stall has at least one fan ... and our Clydesdales know exactly how to position themselves under it to maximize relief. 

Even the shelters in the pasture have multiple fans, and we've got additional heavy duty fans for each end of the barn to keep airflow moving.

TAKE CLYDESDALE-SIZED SHOWERS

The JFP Equine wash rack gets used A LOT in the summer time. Not just to keep our Clydesdales clean, but to keep them cool as well. 

They love a nice cold shower (well, most of them anyway). It's cooling effect may be temporary but wow, talk about refreshing! It's not bad for us handlers either. 

KEEP THE STALLS & SHELTERS CLEAN

What makes the summer temps even worse for horses? Their worst enemy - flies! 

And what do flies love? Manure. 

We are always adamant about clean stalls but in the summer efforts are ramped up to give flies less reason to hang around the barn. 

Plus we just love forkin' manure anyway ... I mean, who doesn't? 

FLY SPRAY

Keeping the manure down is just part of the ‘fly’ equation. 

Are we ever going to prevent all flies from hanging around our horses? 

Yeah right, that's a losing battle! 

We just try to give our guys as much relief as we can. And a big part of that is fly spray ... typically multiple applications each day. 

Not only do we have spray bottles accessible to personally apply this deterrent to each Clydesdale ... but our barn is equipped with an auto system that shoots out spray at various points of the day. 

INSTALL BARN CURTAINS

Without an air conditioned barn, keeping as much breeze moving through the barn is a big key. 

Each stall has an open-air window. And each end of the barn has a big open door. 

Open windows and doors, however, come with an unwelcome issue - more flies and more birds. 

That's where KOOL KURTAINS come in.

They're an awesome invention that we just began using last year at each end of the barn and also in each stall window. They allow the breeze to keep flowing through while helping to reduce flies and birds coming in. 

Genius! 

We also believe they help filter the amount of sunlight coming in, keeping it a few degrees cooler. Every little bit helps! 

(If you'd like to learn more about KOOL KURTAINS let us know here and we'll pass along direct contact info.)

THE BOTTOM LINE

Clydesdales are very versatile and can get through the coldest or hottest days. 

But extreme heat is often one of their biggest challenges. 

Unfortunately there isn't just one perfect solution for relief. It's a combination of all of the above, and more, that turns HOT days into tolerable days for these gentle giants.