Following is a recap of the seminar ‘Heat stress and cooling down horses with implanted thermal chips’, conducted by Dr. Joe D. Pagan of Kentucky Equine Research during Sport Science Ocala FL 2025.

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Some interesting studies have been done recently into cooling equine athletes post-exercise. Heat stress is on every horseperson’s radar now because of climate change and extended periods of high heat and humidity – and for good reason, as horses produce a lot of heat when they exercise.

During muscle contraction, 80% of the energy horses create gets expended as heat, resulting in them accumulating a lot of heat when they exercise. Horses have several means to expend that heat during exercise: through evaporation from sweating, convection as the wind rushes past them, and conduction from respiration. After exercise, sweating is mainly used for cooling, and walking and fans can expedite that process.

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