Staying Safe This Season: What Riders Need to Know About Heat and Lightning

As temperatures rise and summer storms approach, two key policies from Equestrian Australia (EA) and Equestrian Western Australia (EWA) offer clear guidance for keeping riders, horses and officials safe.

Warmer weather brings more time in the saddle, but also two risks every equestrian should take seriously: heat stress and lightning. Both EA and EWA have policies for these conditions, and both are worth knowing before your next ride, lesson or event.

Hot weather: heat stress is a welfare issue

Horses exercising in hot conditions can suffer heat stress, which in severe cases can lead to collapse and even death. EA's Hot Weather Policy makes riders primarily responsible for preventing, managing and treating heat stress in their horses, while event organisers must provide adequate facilities, information and a risk assessment when events run in hot conditions.

Risk is measured using the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index, which combines temperature and humidity and is published by the Bureau of Meteorology. The policy sets out escalating precautions:

• Under 28: Competition can run as normal, though wash bays, hoses and shade should be available.
• 28 to 30: Precautions are needed, including using shaded areas, avoiding non-grassed surfaces where possible and reducing overall effort.
• 30 to 33: Events should be held in the cooler parts of the day, between 7am and 11am or after 4pm, with the most demanding classes scheduled for the coolest times. Aggressive cooling measures with ad lib ice are compulsory for CCI 2*/3* eventing horses.
• Over 33: Conditions are considered very high risk and probably not compatible with safe competition. Veterinary consultation is required and aggressive cooling is compulsory for all horses.

The six-minute threshold

One of the policy's most important points is the "6 Minute Threshold". When WBGT is high, around six to six and a half minutes of continuous hard work is pivotal in causing dangerous heat build-up. Dressage and cross-country efforts commonly exceed this, so those horses are at particular risk, as are horses that work hard in warm-ups.

Other factors matter too. Humidity undermines sweating and evaporation, which is a horse's main way of cooling. Wind helps, while dark, bare surfaces such as sand, soil and asphalt hold heat. Large, heavily muscled horses also shed heat less efficiently because of their body size.

Know the signs, and cool aggressively

Signs of heat stress include rapid shallow breathing, flared nostrils, a staggering gait, a very hot body, agitation and, occasionally, collapse. A dry coat on a hot day is not a sign a horse is coping. It can indicate a horse that has stopped sweating effectively, which is cause for real concern.

If a horse is overheating, cooling should be aggressive: large volumes of cold or iced water, repeatedly applied and scraped off as it warms, concentrating on the jugular veins, the area between the hind legs and the lower abdomen. Continue until the water stops heating up on the horse or its temperature returns to about 38°C.

Looking after riders

The policy also covers human wellbeing. Riders are encouraged to allow at least seven days to acclimatise, stay well hydrated, and wear SPF30+ water-resistant sunscreen, UPF 50+ clothing with long sleeves and a collar, and wide-brimmed or bucket hats when not riding. Shade should be available between rides, and warm-ups should be shortened in extreme conditions.

Thunderstorms: the 30/30 rule

EWA's Thunderstorm and Lightning Policy is built around a simple rule that anyone at a venue can apply.

The first 30: Count the seconds between a flash of lightning and the clap of thunder. Sound travels about one kilometre every three seconds, so dividing the count by three gives the storm's distance in kilometres. When the count approaches 30 seconds, the storm is inside the 10 km safety zone. Activity is suspended, an announcement is made, and everyone seeks shelter while horses are secured.

The second 30: Activity should not resume until 30 minutes after the last lightning or thunder within the 10 km zone, because trailing storm clouds can still carry a charge. Blue skies and a lack of rain are not adequate reasons to restart early.

Radar is not enough

The policy also cautions that BOM radar reflects rain and ice, not lightning, and lightning can occur where no rain is visible. Radar is useful for tracking storm cells, but it should not be relied on exclusively.

Who is responsible on the day

Officials should check for severe weather warnings on the day of any activity. Once warnings begin and storm activity is detected, the official in charge appoints a "Weather Watcher" to monitor conditions, record BOM information and log 30/30 counts. Any suspension or delay must be documented using the Thunderstorm or Lightning Activity Report, which records the times, actions and supporting reasons for each decision. The policy applies to all EWA disciplines and coaching activities, including events at the State Equestrian Centre.

The takeaway

Whether it's heat or lightning, the message is the same: plan ahead, monitor conditions, and don't take chances with the welfare of horses or people. Both policies are available on the EA and EWA websites, and we encourage all members, coaches and event organisers to read them in full