Hot horses in El Paso just need a little shade

Have you driven through El Paso’s valleys and seen horses standing in the blazing sun … without any shade?

It happens way too often in the Borderland, where there has already been 15 days of 100-plus degrees this year.

ABC-7 spotted some horses in the Upper Valley on Thursday without a bit of shade, but no one was home.

El Paso veterinarian Dr. Jose Ramos thinks all horses should be provided shade in severe heat.

“It bothers me they don’t have a choice,” Ramos said, “and I think they should be given a choice.”

If it’s hot for you, it’s hot for your horse. Horses actually handle cold weather better than hot. Even just standing out in a pasture, a horse can become uncomfortably over-heated.

“The reality of it is they should not be out of the shade for more than six to eight hours at a time, especially in direct sunlight, because they can get dehydrated,” Ramos said.

Here are a few tips from TheHorse.com, an online guide to equine health care:

Always provide lots of fresh water. In cool weather, a horse can drink five to seven gallons of water a day. In hot weather, a horse can drink up to 20 gallons of water a day.

Provide plenty of shade opportunities. That can include trees or a run-in shed with good ventilation. And hose hot horses down with cool water to keep them from overheating.

“It’s like kids, like having kids,” said Upper Valley resident Michelle Dorsey, who always has plenty of shade available to her five horses. “I open the gates from the pasture, so if they want to come underneath the shade there they can.”

Because just like us, Dorsey said, they should have a choice.

Dr. Ramos said horses can actually get sunburned. He said putting sunscreen on their pale areas is a good idea. Ramos said he treats anywhere from 10 to 20 horses every summer for dehydration due to the heat, something that likely wouldn’t happen if they had the option of shade.