Beyond Sweat: What Arizona Heat Is Doing to Your Performance Horse

The Arizona Dressage Association is pleased to present an important and timely webinar. As Arizona horse owners, we know that summer riding often revolves around beating the heat and making sure our horses stay hydrated and continue to sweat normally. However, heat stress is not limited to exercise, nor is it simply a matter of sweating adequately. Prolonged heat exposure can affect gut function, immune response, recovery, and metabolic efficiency long before obvious signs of distress appear.

Whether dealing with extreme heat, high humidity, or rapid changes in weather conditions, successfully managing the equine athlete in summer requires more than cold hosing and electrolyte supplementation. In this presentation, we will explore the different forms of heat stress in horses, how heat affects multiple body systems, and practical nutrition and management strategies that can help minimize its impact. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of how to support health, performance, and recovery throughout the challenges of an Arizona summer.

About Our Speaker:

Dr. Clair Thunes is an active member of the ADA along with her daughter Felicity. She is the owner of and consultant at Clarity Equine Nutrition, an equine nutrition consulting company that provides services to a wide range of horses. These include US Olympic team horses, retired pasture friends, horses with complex conditions and diseases, and even miniature donkeys. Additionally, Clair provides consulting services to a select number of feed and supplement companies. She also hosts the popular podcast Scoop & Scale, a podcast mostly about equine nutrition, which is listened to in over 100 countries and territories.

Dr. Thunes grew up in England and obtained her BS degree in Agricultural Science and Animal Science from Edinburgh University, her MS degree in Animal Science and her PhD in Nutritional Biology from the University of California, Davis. In her free time, she is involved in Pony Club, IEA, enjoys dressage and trail riding and watching her daughter compete.

“Please note that all event registrations are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend a live session, recordings will be made available for registered participants.”