Not too hot to handle: How the Household Cavalry horses remain cool in a UK heatwave
Met Office numbers confirmed that Tuesday was the hottest day of the year as the heatwave continues to affect the UK.
However, whatever the weather, the work of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment providing the King's Life Guard must go on.
While the UK deals with the elevated temperatures – both Heathrow and Kew Gardens Met Office measuring stations have registered 32°C (90°F) – personnel have to devise inventive ways to keep their hot horses cool.
For the horses providing the King's Life Guard at the Horse Guards Parade, standing in a box for an hour in a heatwave can test their patience.
On top of that, the horses are usually weighed down by approximately 100 kilos, including their rider and the kit.
Intense sweating in the heat can have health implications too if the animals are not given the right food, drink and treatment.
To tackle this, horses are usually given a sponge-down to get rid of sweat so it doesn't dry and become crispy on their coats, helping to make them more comfortable in the stall.
They will also receive a 'recovery mash' as soon as they return to the stables, which will replenish a lot of what they need – it contains electrolytes to replace minerals lost through sweating.
Personnel also make sure they have got water to drink and perhaps some snacks as well to get their energy up.
The horses are chosen for their calm nature – even without the added pressure of the heat, they have to put up with the London traffic, tourists and the influx of social media influencers garnering interest in them.
Keeping the horses in the shade is also key during the hot weather and, in the stables at Horse Guards, there is plenty of that.
Apple bobbing, too, in buckets or troughs filled with cold water, has become a favourite pastime for the horses trying to keep their cool.
Household Cavalry horses remain some of the best cared-for horses in the country.
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