I ride early otherwise the flies are terrible. Horses are out all day with access to their barn and hay if they choose. At night they go into the dry lot off the barn which by mid afternoon is completely shaded.
Here it is hot and humid from may onward , don’t think about it when it is a normal part of life.
[QUOTE=Chief2;8209909]
Remove all caffeinated food and beverages from your diet, and you will cool down a lot faster. The caffeine keeps the blood pressure elevated, which slows down body cooling. This was a tip several years ago on the board from someone who lives in Georgia. I tried it. It works.
Also, do the minimum you can do, early in the day, and then call it a day. Here’s the temperature + humidity equation you can use to figure out what you can do with your horse in the heat, and when to back off:
[I]The Heat Index is the sum of the temperature plus the humidity.[I]
[B]For example:if the temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity is 20%, then the Heat Index is 100 (80+20=100). If the Heat Index is less than 120, it is ok to ride. Start watching it as it rises above 120, at 150 your horse’s cooling system won’t work effectively. If it is greater than 180, your horse will be unable to thermo-regulate.
ETA: sorry for the blue links in the equation. They are not mine.[/B][/I][/I][/QUOTE]
Reasons why this equation isn’t valid everywhere:
Humidity can hover around/go above 80% daily in Florida.
That would mean that it would have to be 40 degrees here to be safe to ride…
70 degrees would put us in the red zone…
Currently it’s 92 with humidity at 62%, putting us in the red zone.
Maybe if the horse isn’t in shape or conditioned to the weather…but the equation is faulty. My horse, and many many many other horses across the state are VERY effective at cooling themselves in these conditions. Nonsweaters need not apply, of course, but a healthy fit horse used to this weather does just fine…of course proper aftercare, frequent breaks, etc are important.
I just hate that equation because it really doesn’t work for most instances. Not attacking you or saying you’re wrong, but just voicing the fact that it’s flawed in many ways. 
Frozen water bottles for bunnies to lay next to.
Take a frozen water bottle to the barn for you.
Running cold water on horse’s legs or your wrist will help cool the core (after full hosing) because the blood vessels are close to the skin.
I remember one year it was hot here and the trainers started working horses at 3 a.m.
Not a problem this year. Sunday I baked an apple pie then baked stuffed pork chops so the oven would warm the house and I wouldn’t need to turn the furnace on. And I’ve had the crock pot out too 
I “grin and bear it” with the help of baby powder. My horses hang out in the shade sometimes. Their choice and they do just fine if they don’t. Same as I do. It sucks but it is what it is. Rather have rain and humidity from time to time that also comes with lots of good grass and lots of hay. Than scorched ground and low to no hay yield.
[QUOTE=Chief2;8209909]
[I]The Heat Index is the sum of the temperature plus the humidity.[I]
[B]For example:if the temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity is 20%, then the Heat Index is 100 (80+20=100). If the Heat Index is less than 120, it is ok to ride. Start watching it as it rises above 120, at 150 your horse’s cooling system won’t work effectively. If it is greater than 180, your horse will be unable to thermo-regulate.
ETA: sorry for the blue links in the equation. They are not mine.[/B][/I][/I][/QUOTE]
That’s not how the National Weather Service calculates Heat Index.
If you’re really mathematically inclined, there is an equation that gives a very close approximation to the heat index. However, this equation was obtained using a multiple regression analysis, and therefore, it has an error of ±1.3°F.
Heat Index = -42.379 + 2.04901523T + 10.14333127R - 0.22475541TR - 6.83783 x 10-3T2 - 5.481717 x 10-2R2 + 1.22874 x 10-3T2R + 8.5282 x 10-4TR2 - 1.99 x 10-6T2R2
T - air temperature (F)
R - relative humidity (percentage)
Or, you can refer to this chart:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/heat/images/heatindex.jpg
And like One Two Three said, if I used that equation to determine when it was safe to ride, I wouldn’t be able to ride at all in the summer. Right now, it’s a relatively balmy (Ha!) 91 degrees and 49% humidity, but if you add the two, you get a Heat Index of 140, while the NWS chart puts it at about 95, which is, admittedly, in the “Extreme Caution” zone for strenuous activity, so still requires vigilance and common sense.
Under armour has some new high tech stuff that is as close to naked feeling as you’ll get.
[QUOTE=PeanutButterPony;8211935]
Under armour has some new high tech stuff that is as close to naked feeling as you’ll get.[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately, when it gets too hot and sticky, being naked doesn’t help that much! 
Like I said…September is nice
One, Two, Three, I have no problem with your using the equation or not, and I’m not worrying about you attacking me. Being up here with lousy humidity in the summer, and not showing a horse, I used it. I liked using it. It worked for us. If it doesn’t work for you, that’s fine. That’s what a horse board is for. Different strokes for different folks. Not a problem.
Have a good day!
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