A dehydrated horse is severly handicapped in its ability to lose its heat. Consequently it is extremely important for the endurance horse to be well hydrated.
Other methods of heat loss are by:-
Conduction:- which occurs when using cool water, repeatedly washed onto a horse during strapping.
Convection:- when wind flow increases the evaporation rate.
Radiation:- when the hot skin surface dispenses heat into the air surrounding.
Continue to part2
Part
two
One of the most important factors for an endurance horse is to dissipate heat during exercise. Only 20-25% of the energy produced from food is converted to work, the rest, 75% ends up as heat which has to be eliminated from the body quickly and efficiently so that the horse won't cook, (suffer from heat exhaustion).
An endurance horse travelling at 17Km/hr produces 12,1/2 litres of sweat every hour, and generates enough heat in one hour to boil 13 litres of water. Heat production is massive and if heat is not dissapated then the body temperature will increase by 21degree celcius per hour.
The most important method of getting rid of the heat load is by evaporation, and accounts for 65% of heat dissipation.
Sweat is evaporated off the skin to enable heat loss. Heat is also dissipated from the lungs and can account for 25% of evaporation.
Sweating can only occur if the horse is well hydrated.
Heat
and the
Exhausted Horse Part one
Heat
and the Exhausted Horse Part Two
Prevention and
Treatment
