It’s not just State Fair visitors who need to keep a cool head this weekend – farm animals also need to be protected from overheating.

“They’re pretty used to it,” said Bailey Hunter, horse groom. “Every horse has a fan in their stall, we have fans in the aisles and we always have water in their stalls. We make sure they’re as comfortable as possible. They get electrolytes every day, morning and night.”

In total, nearly 2,900 Minnesota 4H children and their animals were in the stables on the fairgrounds during the first few days of the fair. On Sunday, they packed up an hour earlier than usual to avoid the heat.

Although there were no serious incidents in the barns, there was one cow from Dodge County that caused a stir among her owners overnight.

“She was panting heavily and wouldn’t do anything, she was just laying there,” said Layla Schley, the cow’s caregiver. “So we called the vet. She checked her out and we put her on a ventilator and she was fine.”

Of course, there will always be sweltering heat at some point during the fair, and 4H members say these hot temperatures could be—and have been—much worse.

“Last year we spent five days here and it was just awful,” said Sharon Davis, MN 4H’s animal research director. “And this year the weather has been a blessing.”