Weapons for the dog days of summer

The dog days of summer are here. When the Colorado Front Range weather get this hot, our dogs just give up, and sleep all day. We riders prefer crazy activities like competing on 18-jump cross country courses in 100-degree-plus temperatures.

At the Moqui Meadows “Jump Start”, we discovered a new tool for our collection of hot-weather weapons: the Cool-Medics cooling scarf, given to us as a gift by a friend who runs a tack shop. It worked great! All you have to do is keep the scarf damp, and its patented materials keep you cool.

As of this writing, the scarf is priced at $15, not too bad for a good idea. Other hot-weather weapons:

• Electrolyte paste for your horse the morning of the show
• Plenty of horse-watering the day of the show (Pack some unless you know for sure the show grounds has their own.)
• A light-weight, white, reflective fly sheet
• Sponging or hosing (Note: Always cold-water hose a horse starting with the feet. Blasting them in the heart-girth area with icy water could kill them.)
• A large, insulated water cooler filled with ice and water for the humans
• Sun protection: Hats, sunscreen, clothing with sunscreen protection

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