Dinah Discusses ... the Heatwave

Equine extra’s new contributor has been warmly welcomed, with her experience, wit and wisdom giving an entertaining insight into the life of a semi-retired, very successful competition mare. Meet Dinah...

Dinah is 19 years old now, still a ‘full up’ 16.1hh and immaculately turned out for all occasions. A beautiful, rich liver chestnut with an attractive full mane and tail, she loves the fact that she can still turn heads and strut her stuff in the arena. A veteran of all three affiliated competition disciplines, Dinah knows a thing or two but absolutely refuses to tolerate unbalanced riders – even on a hack – but she’s rather fond of the gawping youngsters who regularly spook into her whenever they see a dragon!

Her stable is a room with a view and her paddock allows unrestricted observation of all the comings and goings in the busy yard as befits her status. This week Dinah observes ...

We’re Having a Heatwave, a Tropical Heatwave!

Talk about extremes! From an appallingly wet, cold and muddy Winter that kept its icy grip well into April, we now have British sun and temperatures soaring into the 90’s!!

Most of my equine buddies, including myself, are out enjoying the freedom of the paddocks.  Interestingly some of us enjoy basking in the heat but there are a few amongst us, the more ‘hairy’ types of native pony, who are struggling. There’s a lot of huffing, puffing, sweating and dare I say ‘squabbling’ for whatever shade can be found and great holes are being dug to try and create a dusty area to roll in. Needless to say the water trough keeps emptying at an alarming rate too.

The heat has of course brought out what seems like millions more nasty biting insects and flies. So we are all being smeared and sprayed in the latest bug repellents and a very weird looking contraption that looks like a big ball with a hat on has appeared by the gate. At first, some of the youngsters naturally thought it a dragon and therefore a great excuse for high tail antics. However we soon appreciated that this ‘dragon’ did in fact reduce the dreaded clegg and fly numbers. We happily gather around it now for its added protection – but it’s just out of reach to ensure that those youngsters aren’t tempted to try and chew it! (Photo left!)

Talking of protection, I have my factor 50 on. Both UVA and UVB protection to help my delicate white and pink bits from being burnt to a crisp. It’s a must for any thin skinned horse during this weather (some owners don’t realise how rapidly we burn and how these burns don’t just look unsightly but more often than not become infected and really HURT).

We have several poor souls amongst us who react so badly to the heat and sun that they are now sporting a fetching hooded rug ensemble. Yes, they do resemble odd looking armour plated slugs, but these rugs are so clever that not only do they keep the bugs from biting and their sweet itch from itching, but they protect them from the rays of the sun and help keep them cool. One of the owners has just bought a rug, which when sprayed with water helps retain the moisture and Eric, the Highland Pony, now walks about in the midday sun.

I refuse to moan about this rare weather event; I won’t even mind the fact that the ground is becoming as hard as bell metal and there are some days I am brought in during the hottest hours, which I appreciate. The only thing I will mind is that if we don’t get some rain soon my much loved grass will stop growing. Doesn’t bear thinking about!

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