This week, US Equestrian has published updated guidelines for competition managers and participants regarding heat and air quality. The goal of the changes to both was to give competition managers more detailed guidance on assessing each climate condition in their area, suggestions on how to mitigate high heat or poor air quality, and specific parameters on when they should reschedule, delay, or cancel competition.  

You can find the updated guidance at usef.org/heat and usef.org/air. 

“The biggest change in these guidelines is switching from asking people to calculate the heat index at their event by adding temperature and humidity to using the Wet Bulb Global Temperature Measurement,” said Dr. Katie Flynn, equine health and biosecurity veterinarian at US Equestrian. “We know people want an easy guide to help them decide when it’s too hot to ride, and we also know that a lot of environmental factors go into the way the weather feels beyond just temperature. WBGT takes not just heat and humidity into account, but also air movement and sun cover, which many of us know can profoundly impact the way it feels to be outside competing.”  

Wildfires in Canada and on the west coast have also created significant problems with air quality in some parts of the country this summer. US Equestrian continues to encourage competition managers and athletes to monitor the Air Quality Index for a numeric measurement of the amount of particulate matter in the air.  

Both the heat and air quality guidelines include a chart with ranges of AQIs and Wet Bulb readings and modifications competition organizers should make to keep everyone safe.  

“We also want to encourage people to think about horses and humans who may be in elevated risk groups for heat or air quality impacts,” said Dr. Flynn. “This includes those with preexisting health conditions, as well as particularly young or old participants. For both weather conditions, there’s a range of readings that should prompt caution for everyone, and reduced exposure for vulnerable groups.” 

The guidelines also include suggested (and relatively inexpensive) handheld devices that can measure both WBGT and AQI on site. Local measurements for both can vary significantly from what may be reported from a weather station, depending on how far away that weather station is from the show grounds or farm.  

In addition to parameters for when competitions should be rescheduled or cancelled, the guidance also includes mitigation strategies for high heat and poor air quality, and communications templates competition organizers can use to keep everyone up-to-date on evolving conditions.