BONITA (KGTV) — A Bonita equestrian center is stepping up care routines, even canceling riding lessons for its horses, as a dangerous heat wave pushes temperatures above 100 degrees in parts of the South Bay on Wednesday.
Mt. Miguel Equestrian Center is both a training and riding school year-round. It is home to about 70 horses and typically sees around 100 riders per week. It's also currently in the middle of show season.
However, with Bonita experiencing triple-digit temperatures for the third consecutive day, horse trainer Emily Ruocco said the focus has shifted entirely to the horses' well-being, as well as the students' and staff's.
"So in the middle of a heat wave of this degree, we will cancel [lessons] for safety reasons for both horse safety and rider safety," Ruocco said.
Ruocco said their primary goal during the heat wave is to keep the horses active, while also preventing them from overheating.
"The whole mission is not to raise the heart rates of the horses," Ruocco said.
Ruocco said within the past week, one horse unfortunately passed away from an underlying condition exacerbated by the heat wave. Another horse was in surgery this week and is expected to make a full recovery. It shows how dangerous temperatures have been in Bonita for the horses, and how mindful the team at the equestrian center has had to be about the horses' health.
"Horses don't have the reasoning side," Ruocco said. "When their heart starts elevating, they don't have this thinking side of 'I should stop and drink water,' and if you don't recognize the signs, it can often lead to health issues like colic (abdominal pain), dehydration, heat exhaustion and more."
Ruocco said the signs they're constantly scanning for are lethargy and if the horses start pawing or rolling, because those could be signs of distress and perhaps signs that lead to colic.
Assistant Instructor Cameron Nembach said another concern during a heat wave is the horses' digestive tract. Staff have been making sure horses stay extra hydrated and are getting at least a walk each day to keep their digestive systems moving.
"That statement 'You can bring a horse to water, but you can't make them drink,' really does stand," Nembach said.
Ruocco added that monitoring for a healthy amount of droppings per day is another way staff can tell if a horse's digestive system is functioning correctly in the heat.
The center has also introduced additional supplements into the horses' routines. Assistant Jayme Engen said staff is mixing electrolyte powder into the horses' water to encourage them to drink more. Sometimes, the horses are also fed diluted Gatorade because it's safe for the horses to drink.
Engen said the staff's routine has been revolving around the following steps: adding extra buckets of water in the horses' stalls, adding electrolyte powder, applying fly masks to the horses' faces, and spraying them with a protective spray to keep flies off the horses' faces, hooves, private areas and more.
Ruocco said the humidity accompanying this heat wave has added another layer of concern.
"The humidity has been a big game changer," Ruocco said. "The other part that a lot of people don't realize is that because our days are now shortening up, their winter coats are starting to grow in. They don't follow the trend of the weather. They tend to follow the trend of the sunlight."
Which is why bathing the horses in cold water is also a part of the center's routine during the heatwave.
Despite the canceled riding lessons for the week, Ruocco said there's still a teaching opportunity in the heatwave. She said her students are still expected to come to the center in the afternoons after school and learn how to take care of their horses in this heatwave.
"So they don't rely on us to do everything," Ruocco said. "They have to learn their [horses'] behaviors and their habits."
