Prodney’s Blog: Ice-lollies aren’t just for humans
While you humans are fanning yourselves in the heat and drinking iced drinks, spare a thought for us. We struggle in the heat too, and just like you, some of us more than others.
We rely on sweating more than you do to cool our body temperature, but that means we’re at extra risk of dehydration, so ample water is essential. In hot weather we will easily drink 55 litres/15 gallons per day – each.
Mineral licks help, too, to replace salts lost when sweating. It’s one of the reasons why the yummy electrolyte licks are always on our birthday and Christmas lists. The horse’s equivalent of a gin and tonic! And all grey horses learn to be especially aware of sunburn, and appreciate a bit of help from our humans applying sunscreen to our pink noses.
I’d like to say thank you to the Park Lane team for remembering all of this and making us our very own ice-lollies last week.
No strawberry splits or Cornettos for us (though we are partial to strawberries, if anyone reading has a few to spare), but ices filled with chopped carrots and apples. Some of the younger ponies did find this a bit confusing at first ... ‘Why can I see those carrots but not just scoop them up?’, but soon set to licking off the iced water to get to the treats.
We also enjoyed being hosed down with cold water, though some of the volunteers did get a bit distracted by water fights. Riding was suspended (well you wouldn’t appreciate walking around with a weight on your back with the temperatures soaring, would you?), and we were encouraged to relax under the trees in shady corners. The stables that are so cosy in winter trap the heat in summer too.
I admit I’ve been grumbling about the heat a bit, but the early morning sun warming my old bones is definitely a treat I’ll miss in winter.
Prodney is Chief Equine Officer (CEO) at Park Lane Stables, and achieved celebrity status following the TV coverage in 2021.
Park Lane Stables is committed to taking care of all its horses for life. Herd life is the most natural way to live, supplemented by whatever extra care they need as they get older. Just as with humans, that includes increased medical costs and special diets, as well as the usual foot and dental care.
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