A hot topic

Phew, it's a super-hot summer! Can you help Clara look after Squidge in the heat?

Hot topic

1 / 9

Clara has had a great ride this morning, but Squidge is hot and sweaty. What should she do?

Untack him, give him a quick groom, then pop him back in his field - the sun will dry him off.

Once she's untacked, she should use a wet sponge to wash off the sweat, then remove any excess water with a sweat scraper.

Leave his tack on for a few mins to help him cool down - saddle pads are designed to wick away sweat!

2 / 9

Clara's friend has invited her to go cross-country schooling, but she's worried that the ground is too hard. Should she...

Arrange to go another day when the ground's a bit softer. Jumping on hard ground isn't good for Squidge's hooves and legs.

Carry on as planned, Squidge will be fine as long as she doesn't jump too many fences.

Stop worrying and go, it'll be great fun!

3 / 9

Wow, the weather's set to be super-hot for the next week. When's the best time for Clara to exercise Squidge?

In the middle of the day, because the sun is furthest away when it's higher in the sky, making it cooler.

It doesn't matter when she rides, it's going to be hot all day!

Early in the morning or later in the evening as it'll be cooler then.

4 / 9

How can Clara help keep Squidge cool?

Add some extra cold water to his feed.

Give him a bath, he'll really appreciate the cool water.

Use a paper fan to waft cool air over him.

5 / 9

How can Clara test if Squidge might be dehydrated?

Gently pinch some skin between her fingers. When she lets go it should spring back into place. If not, Squidge could be dehydrated.

Offer him water. If he doesn't drink he can't be thirsty or dehydrated.

Look in his water bucket. If he's drunk all the water in his bucket he should be fine.

6 / 9

The trough in Squidge's field has turned green, what should Clara do?

Nothing, it's the natural colour of water.

The water's been contaminated so she should fence off the trough and put out buckets of water for Squidge to drink from.

Empty it out, give the trough a scrub, then refill it with fresh water.

7 / 9

Squidge is moving to a new field, what does Clara need to check?

That it's close enough to the stables, so it won't take ages to walk there every day.

That there's some showjumps in there so he has something to do if he gets bored.

That there's plenty of shelter to provide shade from the sun, and a clean water source.

8 / 9

Why is it super-important to poo-pick Squidge's field?

Droppings left in the field can put Squidge at higher risk of worms, they'll attract more flies, and could make the grass taste sour, too.

It'll make his field look much tidier if all the droppings are picked up.

It's not actually important, the heat of the sun will kill off any worms in the droppings.

9 / 9

There's loads of flies around today, which are really bothering Squidge. What can Clara do to help protect him?

Spray him with fly spray and pop on his fly rug and mask.

Only turn him out at night.

Turn him out with loads of other ponies, so there's less of a chance he'll be bitten.

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