Horse and Hounds Launderette

24/05/2026

🌡️ HOT WEATHER & HORSE WELFARE 🌡️

As temperatures rise, it’s important to understand how heat affects horses and what riders can do to reduce the risk of Exertional Heat Illness (EHI).

Research shows horses perform best in temperatures between 5–25°C — and even acclimatised horses cannot perform as well in hot weather as they can in cooler conditions.
In the heat, horses:
• Tire more quickly
• Recover more slowly
• Are more likely to make mistakes
• Become hotter during exercise
• Face increased risk of heat illness, colic and laminitis

⏱️ Horses need time to acclimatise
Most horses need around 10–14 days of exercising in hot conditions to acclimatise effectively.
If the weather suddenly becomes hot, horses will NOT be acclimatised — and a few days of riding in the hottest part of the day can actually make things worse.
If you don’t have time to acclimatise your horse:
• Reduce workload and intensity
• Shorten warm ups
• Train during cooler parts of the day
• Allow longer recovery periods
• Prioritise cooling before and after exercise
• Consider dropping down a class if needed

🐴 Horses at greater risk of overheating include:
• Unfit or overweight horses
• Large or heavy breeds
• Very young or older horses
• Horses with dark/heavy coats
• Horses with health conditions such as asthma or PPID
• Horses carrying heavier rider/tack combinations

🚿 The BEST way to cool a hot horse?
Research strongly supports:
✅ Continuous cold water application
✅ Cooling the entire body
✅ Using fans and airflow
❌ NOT scraping water off
A wet horse cools faster than a dry horse — and scraping slows the cooling process.

💧 Top cooling tips:
• Apply plenty of cold water all over the horse
• Keep water flowing continuously
• Use shade and airflow where possible
• Offer free access to water before, during and after exercise

🚨 Signs a horse may be dangerously hot:
• Heavy or rapid breathing
• Excessive sweating
• Flared nostrils
• Muscle spasms
• Lethargy or distress
• Unsteadiness

If concerned, start cooling IMMEDIATELY and seek veterinary advice if the horse is not improving quickly.

06/03/2026

05/01/2026

Happy new year 🥳

We’re back open for business so don’t hesitate to call and arrange a collection of rugs for was/reproof/repair or alteration!

📞 07825 183220

04/12/2025

Give your horses the gift of clean and dry rugs this Christmas 🎄 Whattsapp 07825183220 to get them collected, washed, reroofed and repaired before the Christmas break! 💙

12/11/2025

💖

My $3k horses stand right alongside my $40k horses.
I’ve had a $500 horse go on to earn $100k.
I’ve watched a $35k horse become a $5k horse with one X-ray.
I owned a mare who earned $107k — and she was purchased for just $700.

Horses don’t know their price tag, and they don’t know what they’ve won.
But they absolutely know how you treat them.

There isn’t a single horse on my place that’s treated any differently than the others.
You can’t put a price on a soul.

Today, as I walked through my pastures,
I petted the noses of horses whose owners failed them.
I petted the noses of horses who could have been winners, had they ever been given the chance.
And I also get to pet the winners.

Today, I kissed the noses of colts who could become winners one day —
if their people help them reach their full potential.

Horses don’t understand dollar value.
But they know if you love them, and if you believe in them.
Feed them well — and they’ll feed your soul right back.

Beautifully written by:
Cassandra Witt a page from her book, The Wannabe Cowgirl.

09/10/2025

🎃 Autumn is definitely here! - free local collection on rugs and quick turnarounds 📞 07825183220