View Full Version : What to do with sweaty horse in late afternoon

Mystery~Bay Dougie sweats alot when ridden. If I ride in the afternoon and he is sweaty, what is the best course of action? At the moment I'm rubbing as dry as possible with a towel and then rugging him damp, but I always feel awful doing that. I dont live where he is kept, and ther's no electrcity out there, though I do have a solar light, I need to get home to cook tea for my family of 5.



Is it polar fleece that is supposed to wick away sweat or wool? I feel like the satiny inside of his synthetic combo isn't the ideal thing to place against his sweaty winter coat:(

horsesRgr8 I think it's the jersey rugs that are good cooler rugs eg...



http://www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk/P/Horseware_Rambo_Amigo_Jersey_Cooler_rambo_fleece_r ug_rambo_cool-%281908%29.aspx

Caille I put Gypsy in a woollen with full hood of she's sweaty and walk her for a good 20 minutes before leaving her to finish drying (usually a half hour after that), but I watch her the whole time whenever she has a hoody on. She gets changed into her night blanket when she's dry.

Mystery~Bay I put Gypsy in a woollen with full hood of she's sweaty and walk her for a good 20 minutes before leaving her to finish drying (usually a half hour after that), but I watch her the whole time whenever she has a hoody on. She gets changed into her night blanket when she's dry.



That would be great if I had the luxury of time! One day! Maybe I just wont ride in the afternoons in winter if I can at all help it

Caille Yeah, it really helps having her in my backyard! Can multitask house and horse stuff!

StElmosFire You can definitely rug a damp horse without them vaporising like the Tardis! But rather than the slippery-synthetic lining of Dougie's winter rug against his coat, put on a cotton or poly-cotton first - like "undies". A pure wool stable blanket would wick away the moisture, as would polar fleece, but not sure if you're after the extra warmth. You can put one of those on top of the cotton if you want to.



In an ideal world, yes, we would have our horses dry before we leave them for the night, but sometimes this just isn't possible. As long as he isn't going to get chilled, he'll be fine. Try and make sure he's cooled down, even if he's fairly damp. I like to sponge sweaty bits off - even if they're extensive, like over the saddle area, girth and shoulders. Warm water, and a well squeezed out sponge are best - don't wet him any more than you have to. Give him a good rub with a towel, then put on his cotton rug/combo, then his warm clothing.

rmjens Mystery Bay, is Dougie clipped? In the past, when I was in a similar situation to yours, I found management of a sweaty horse and late afternoon working much easier if my horses were clipped.



A quick hose off, scrape and on with rugs. Practically dry by the time the evening feed was finished.

Garryngirl You can still ride, just keep it low energy so he doesn't work up too much of a sweat. Maybe even just do groundwork stuff.



Otherwise do what SEF has suggested though if you don't have the luxury of lighting etc I supposed you wouldn't have access to warm water either unless you take it in a thermos!

mindari when i was campaigning nea i never got home from caltex in the daylight some nights even 12 to 1 am yet still had to do our training run. discovered the best way was dont cool him down on the way home. come in HOT then a quick hosedown and scraping. then put a thick cotton picnic blanket on, they reached from the ears to the tail. then on top his night rug. have a nap for an hour and then go down and it had already began sliding off down his rump, take a good grip on the corners and pull it out from under his rug. so was still warm and snug even in minus degrees and flop into my own bed.



never got a chill or any illeffects. if he did hed be vetted out at a ride, the vets go over em with a fine tooth comb so you cant affort em to be anything but in top condition. n never got a hint of a sniffle



AND discovered hoseing him off quick with cold water had an added bonus. it locks the oil onto the coat and they come up absolutely shining like those sprays that now cost so much it imitate the same effect. although in his case he was an irridescent coat horse anyway. found the work em till they are hot and quick hose does the same thing with others i was showing and got the same affect even if not as spectacular as he came up.

Mystery~Bay Lol no hot water no, but definitely considered the thermos! But thenId have to be even more organised and pack it along with dog, snacks, drink, 3 children, kitchen sink etc



I bought a lovely wool combo, was going to keep it for "good" but thats what I put on last night, with a rainsheet on the top (wonder if that was warm enouh). Ill see what he looks like this morning. Yes 10:24 and still havent been out, sleeping baby, waiting for sons friend to arrive etc.



Rmjens...was thinking about clipping yesterday. His coat isnt too long, in comparison to my other TB wooly bear. I swear he has feathers! I just worry will it grow back thhicker next year?? Or is that a myth?



Garryngirl, good suggestion, can keep those later sessions on sweaty..though he sweats so easily!



Mindari - whoa, sleep for an hour and get up to horse LOL sounds like my kids! Cant do that dont live at horse paddock...though sometimes I reckon camping ot there would be so much less work and more peaceful than home at the zoo. But Id ,miss my human babies, really I would!



Definitely thinking about clipping.....

gdh Many race & harness horse trainers also work a full time day job so they too have to do the best they can. I was in the same boat, years ago, used a woollen under rug then a canvas, having fully hosed & thoroughly scraped off excess water. I can honestly say we never had a cough or cold in that period. Even now, as a result of that experience, I do the same & stick him back in the paddock.............oh, we do have the luxury of hot water tho' ;)

chipsy1 In Europe we had so called ‘sweat rugs’ which we put on after riding. They were great rugs that soaked up the sweat off the horse. You would put them on straight after riding, clean up your stuff. Then you could take off the sweat rug and put a duna on with some straw under the duna to dry the horse a bit more if the sweat rug hadn’t been enough.



Haven’t been able to find such rugs here unfortunately. Special material.

Harriette if they are already sweaty wet,

then hose off the damp parts, towel dry and rug with natural fibres.

a sweaty wet horse takes ages longer to dry than a hose wet/clean horse.



if your not able to access your pony reguarly through the day, clipping may not be your best option.

my experience is they need more time and care than unclipped horses.



a partial clip may help you though, I have had sucess with these types of clips, they allow the sweaty parts to steam naturally but the pony doesnt require any extra daily care

http://www.horsechannel.com/images/horse-exclusives/Trace-Clip.jpg

and a little off the flanks helps too.

kait21 I only got my hore clipped on Tuesday and so was in a similar position. I tried not to ride him too hard in the evenings so I didn't need to hose him or put him away sweaty or I rode earlier in the day but it didn't turn out to be so simple. If he was sweaty, I tried to avoid hosing him, I just sponged him off on his sweaty areas with a damp sponge, then rubbed him dry with a towel and rugged him. It's not ideal but I feel it's better than having him completely soaking after a hose.



I have got him clipped thoguh, competition and appearance purposes aside, with the days getting shorter I am often putting him away in the dark and I can't ride him for only 5 or 10 minutes every day to avoid sweating. he was over heating so quickly and it was affecting his work and it's not healthy to put him away cold and wet. Clipping is usually the best option.

mindari Lol no hot water no, but definitely considered the thermos! But thenId have to be even more organised and pack it along with dog, snacks, drink, 3 children, kitchen sink etc



I bought a lovely wool combo, was going to keep it for "good" but thats what I put on last night, with a rainsheet on the top (wonder if that was warm enouh). Ill see what he looks like this morning. Yes 10:24 and still havent been out, sleeping baby, waiting for sons friend to arrive etc.



Rmjens...was thinking about clipping yesterday. His coat isnt too long, in comparison to my other TB wooly bear. I swear he has feathers! I just worry will it grow back thhicker next year?? Or is that a myth?



Garryngirl, good suggestion, can keep those later sessions on sweaty..though he sweats so easily!



Mindari - whoa, sleep for an hour and get up to horse LOL sounds like my kids! Cant do that dont live at horse paddock...though sometimes I reckon camping ot there would be so much less work and more peaceful than home at the zoo. But Id ,miss my human babies, really I would!



Definitely thinking about clipping.....



lol no i didnt have a paddock near home per sae i lived in a suburban block in bankstown opposite the Thela kenway reserve.



so mine were in the backyard. literally. in asies case he grew up in the garage under the house, which was quite a hoot as someone reported to the council someone was keeping a horse in the house so the inspector can out to check. fortunately azie was sound asleep at the time so he wasnt spotted. the block was some 200 feet and the horses had the bottom 60 x 60 of it divided into three yards n smaller 6 x 60 one for the chooks not big thats for sure but far bigger than the trotters had and we were gobsmacked when the council did a servey and found there were over 700 horses in bankie/condell park n bass hill.



thats a lot of neddies, we had great neighbours who fortunately loved them and they had been there for 15 years before that call about the horse i the house, i gather a passerby heard him calling and it would have sounded like comming from the house. so since they had been there for so long and the neighbours didnt mind it was called "existing uses" it was still usable up until mum died, now the house has been replaced with a HUGE mansion. the place had views to roselands, sydney harbour bridge(i kid u not) holesworthy, the atomic reactor at lucas heights and far as the eye could see to the south.

grew up in the best of worlds, hundreds of acres of untouched bushland just down the road at black charlies hill, dozens of friends to ride with.



cant believe what its turned into now....super scary place



anyway so it was simply a case of roll out of bed down stairs and pull off his blanket. although if i slept like a log i would be picking it up from the ground all stomped on by morning if i forgot. it alwasy slipped back off whethere i was there to do it or is did the job itself

Zampari If you're not competing over winter, a trace clip like Harriette put a picture up of or a blanket type clip where you remove the neck and belly hair and some off the flanks may be a better idea than putting away a wet horse. You can hose him off and he will dry off quite quickly being partially clipped yet still have most of his hair to keep him warm so you won't have to excessively multi layer rugs as you would with a full clip. Depending on where you live and how cold it gets, a good synthetic combo at night like a Weatherbeeta Orican or Eurohunter Premium for instance and a lined canvas during the day both over the top of a cotton combo would probably be sufficient unless you live in Canberra of Tasmania for instance.



A crotcheted blanket like your nanna/grandma used to make make fabulous sweat rugs that you can put on under your heavy rug. They wick away the moisture very well and leave the inside of the rug dry.

Leahrydeary Put a cotton and a wool on him, then his synthetic. Wool stays warm even if its wet. If he's rugged up his body heat will dry him. Leaving hot but wet furry horses unrugged to get cold is a good way to bring on a cold, I think.

Bohdi Mystery Bay, is Dougie clipped? In the past, when I was in a similar situation to yours, I found management of a sweaty horse and late afternoon working much easier if my horses were clipped.



A quick hose off, scrape and on with rugs. Practically dry by the time the evening feed was finished.



I don't believe people who agist should clip unless they have someone doing morning and night rugging to ensure they are extra warm at night but don't cook through the day. We agist and have baulked at clipping because of our inability to make that their bodies adjust to the clipping

rmjens Yes, that's certainly a consideration Bohdi.



The odd times I've had to agist, I was able to make it to my horse's paddock twice a day and have been known to cut a lecture during the day if the weather changed and my horse needed his rug. I try to manage my horses in as natural conditions as possible.



I'm not comfortable with expecting a horse to work when it has a lot of coat, or sweats heavily with it's winter coat like Dougie seems to. I've often thought that it is akin to jogging wearing a heavy jumper. Sure, a horse's natural warming mechanism is to develop a winter coat, but riding it is not what nature has factored into the equation.



Whether or not your horse is clipped, rugging a horse through winter is still high maintenance. I take off my horses' rugs whenever the weather permits during the day, but I am home all the time. Taking off everyone's rugs usually guarantees a shower of rain or a cold wind to spring up, dammit!

kait21 My horses are in full care agistment so I can guarantee they get their rugs taken on and off according to the weather. Before this I was at DIY agistment and just swapped with another agister re rugging. I was only able to make it in teh evenings, so I fed and rugged then, and she was only able to do mornings so she unrugged and fed then. Worked out well and I didn't need to pay anyone :)

Centaur I am appalled at the amount of people that hose their horses in the late afternoon and think it's ok to do that.

chipsy, I brought a couple of those sweat rugs back with me a few years ago. They're great, you just don't get them anymore do you?

The best way to manage this is to cool him off properly at the end of your ride by walking for a while, at least make sure he's not blowing etc. Then rub him down with a towel, put a polar fleece cooler on him and let him eathis dinner, put your stuff away etc etc. Then remove the rug, brush him and rug for the evening. Another thing you can do if you have to rug and run, you can place hay or straw under the rug (they called it 'thatching'!) then put your rug on over the top! You can then turn the horse out and as he moves around during the night the straw gradually falls out. Bit old fashioned but it does work really well :)

I would never, never cold hose a warm horse in these cooler months. That's really bad for their muscles. If you absolutely have to do that (and I can't think why), then make sure you don't wet the loins and hindquarters and afterwards rug with a polar fleece and walk the poor bugger until he's dry, the rug properly for the evening.

Harriette I am appalled at the amount of people that hose their horses in the late afternoon and think it's ok to do that.

chipsy, I brought a couple of those sweat rugs back with me a few years ago. They're great, you just don't get them anymore do you?

The best way to manage this is to cool him off properly at the end of your ride by walking for a while, at least make sure he's not blowing etc. Then rub him down with a towel, put a polar fleece cooler on him and let him eathis dinner, put your stuff away etc etc. Then remove the rug, brush him and rug for the evening. Another thing you can do if you have to rug and run, you can place hay or straw under the rug (they called it 'thatching'!) then put your rug on over the top! You can then turn the horse out and as he moves around during the night the straw gradually falls out. Bit old fashioned but it does work really well :)

I would never, never cold hose a warm horse in these cooler months. That's really bad for their muscles. If you absolutely have to do that (and I can't think why), then make sure you don't wet the loins and hindquarters and afterwards rug with a polar fleece and walk the poor bugger until he's dry, the rug properly for the evening.



perhaps because this is the antipodes?:D

not the mother country:eek:



my brit Nanna made me wash a horses mane out of a cup.

heaven forbid the horse should get ANY water on him



and yes it took blooming ages. nowadays its a lightening fast wash and wool rugs with carrots and a trot up and down the road if its brisk.



you dont see many race horses getting thatched.



my 'comparably limited' (ie less than 50 years) experience with riding fluffy horses to sweating, is thas a quick hose off of the sweaty bits, a scrape and wool rugs had the pony clean and dry in 20 minutes.

I have spent over an hour walking a sweaty pony, who was cold and sticky and just as wet as when I started.

I find if I am hot and sweaty, even a quick cold wash and a change of shirt is better than hanging around all clammy and sticky in a damp shirt...thats when I get cold.

clearly its personal preference,

I am sure your horses are gloriously cared for,

but my paddock ponies seem to have survived ok too.

Toriadore Back in the day of Onkaparinga wool lined canvas rugs it was ideal to sponge sweaty bits, scrape and then rug. The natural fibres of wool would dry with the horse and never remain wet. Warm and dry horsey. Whatever you rug with after try and make it a natural fibre.

Centaur I only got my hore clipped on Tuesday and so was in a similar position. I tried not to ride him too hard in the evenings so I didn't need to hose him or put him away sweaty or I rode earlier in the day but it didn't turn out to be so simple. If he was sweaty, I tried to avoid hosing him, I just sponged him off on his sweaty areas with a damp sponge, then rubbed him dry with a towel and rugged him. It's not ideal but I feel it's better than having him completely soaking after a hose.



I have got him clipped thoguh, competition and appearance purposes aside, with the days getting shorter I am often putting him away in the dark and I can't ride him for only 5 or 10 minutes every day to avoid sweating. he was over heating so quickly and it was affecting his work and it's not healthy to put him away cold and wet. Clipping is usually the best option.



Good post kait21. Sounds like a sensible way to do things.

Harriette, not sure what your point was really. I rarely compare what makes me comfortable to what a horse's needs are.:confused: Unless your covered in hair and live outside I don't think you can empathise.

Mystery~Bay I dont actually agist, I lease a paddock about 4 km down the road, and I work from home so I can always get out to change rugs. Im known to be a bit obsessive about the weather, in order to get to the paddock before a big storm hits!



I am seriously thinking about a trace clip, but I'll do what centaur suggested with the polar fleece rug. I always do 10 minutes cool down at the end of my ride but sometimes it doesnt dry him. No danger of cold hosing him, in order to get enough pressure for a proper hose, I need to get OH to start the generator for the pump. Otherwise I get a gravitational trickle from the bottom of the water tank, if I raise it up to hose a 16.3 hh horse, theres not much there!



Man, cant wait to get our own place! Soon, soon, soon I hope!

mindari perhaps because this is the antipodes?:D

not the mother country:eek:



my brit Nanna made me wash a horses mane out of a cup.

heaven forbid the horse should get ANY water on him



and yes it took blooming ages. nowadays its a lightening fast wash and wool rugs with carrots and a trot up and down the road if its brisk.



you dont see many race horses getting thatched.



my 'comparably limited' (ie less than 50 years) experience with riding fluffy horses to sweating, is thas a quick hose off of the sweaty bits, a scrape and wool rugs had the pony clean and dry in 20 minutes.

I have spent over an hour walking a sweaty pony, who was cold and sticky and just as wet as when I started.

I find if I am hot and sweaty, even a quick cold wash and a change of shirt is better than hanging around all clammy and sticky in a damp shirt...thats when I get cold.

clearly its personal preference,

I am sure your horses are gloriously cared for,

but my paddock ponies seem to have survived ok too.



exactly, i agree with you. no one feels warm and comfy covered in dried sweat. it simply stays wet and sticky.



even using cold water, which was all i had, hosed hot its instant steam, quick scrape and blanket and dry as in less than an hour..



the only time i had a problem was a friend meaning to help at a ride, when the dam was covered in ice as were the buckets and even the tea kettle went and turned on a pump and hit him with the subzero water from the dam.

now thats one way to kill a horse. had to wash him down with buckets and buckets of warm then hot water and two hours before the vet declared him out of shock.. that was one terrifying day, think it was minus 6 at the time. more like mother england that day eh?

also he wasnt just hot from a 10 mile canter, he had just finished 50 miles in 2 hrs 38 minutes he wasnt hot, he was boiling hot, we always washed him down with tepid to warm water at rides but lyns friend had just hosed her horse who may be used to that. but nea sure was not, he collapsed to the ground unable to control his legs for what seemed eternity.

FNQ62 I suggest you don't go down to training stables Centaur, you may need to take some smelling salts......



We hosed all horses coming from the track, quick wash, scrape, then dry, wool rug to wick away, then take them off as the day warmed up - MB as long as you can get down first thing in the morning (probably whilst the family is sleeping) and take the under rug off before the day gets too hot - it is achievable - most of us have had children and done the juggling thing.....

opensky A trace clip would be kinder than a cold hose late in the day for a horse that cannot be checked an hour or so later to my way of thinking.....rgds

FNQ62 Well - how do the poor neds survive out in the paddock, if/when they hoon around on a cold day, get sweaty, then rained on? Surely they are a little more hardier than hot house flowers?

shadowmystique I would actually sponge down using water out of a bucket, then scrape off as much as possible, then put on a cotton rug and after 5-10 mins I would then put on the synthetic for the night over the top.



This has done me good and it means you don't need to stress about the whole horse getting wet, hose pressure (low pressure sucks!) and you work the sweat out easier from the winter coat with a sponge or face cloth than just a water stream...

Cotton rug soaks up remnants of water and allows skin/coat to breathe under synthetic while still drying...

But does not overheat the horse by adding wool into the mix.

Centaur FNQ both those scenarios are different to what was being asked by the OP. The first situation is first thing in the morning so at least the horse has the chance to warm up rather than being hosed last thing at night. Besides, racing stables often do things to efficiently get a lot of horses worked and done in a short amount of time. The second, well I don't know about yours, but my lot rarely hoon around the paddock for close to an hour doing strenuous work and then get caught in torrential rain. In any case, that's not a situation you can control, blasting them with cold water at 5pm on a winters evening is! :rolleyes:

Good horse management isn't about treating them like hothouse flowers, it's about treating them with respect and doing what is best for the horse.

kait21 Yes, horses do get hosed off in big stables. But as someone mentioned, they get a wool rug on, get walked, then get rugged and go into a stable. There is always someone there to monitor their temp and add/remove rugs when necessary. Most people don't have that luxury, (not everyone has warm stables either) and the OP said they didn't have the time to come back later at night and change rugs. So whilst it is not ideal and I don't do it (hosing with cold water at night/cold conditions) it is done but often in more ideal conditions than what we CH members have.



I have always clipped my comp horses in winter for health purposes, they get worked 5 or 6 times a week, hard work and onften late at night and I think hosing with cold water (we don't have hot) every night is a bit cruel. So I clip to eliminate the need for hosing and then rug accordingly.



If it wasn't already drummed into me, I worked in a stable in Germany where they were very strict on this. Yes, it's a lot colder there, but even in summer horses were only hosed down if they were really sweaty, otherwise they were sponged with warm water, towel dried and stood under the solarium with a sweat rug. Horses were never washed in winter unless they were going to a big show.



We might be over protective about our horses, but I love my horse and he's the only one I'm going to get for a long time, so I need him to last! (he also has ross river so I'm paranoid about his health)



Lastly, if every cold evening I caught him up and rode him, then hosed him with cold water which he hates, he would start to get very sour about being ridden etc.

Bohdi I suggest you don't go down to training stables Centaur, you may need to take some smelling salts......



We hosed all horses coming from the track, quick wash, scrape, then dry, wool rug to wick away, then take them off as the day warmed up - MB as long as you can get down first thing in the morning (probably whilst the family is sleeping) and take the under rug off before the day gets too hot - it is achievable - most of us have had children and done the juggling thing.....



It is a bit foolish to post on here putting forward what those in the racing industry deems acceptable. Much of what goes on in the racing industry is appalling! Many thoroughbreds have serious pyschological and physiological injuries because they are treated like commodities. And yes I would need a bucket load of smelling salts if I ever dared venture into the odd racing stable

FNQ62 Certainly Centaur, but you don't have to blast them, simply wash the sweaty parts, scrape and put a rug on, I personally would put a cotton rug underneath a warmer rug and leave the ned until the next day. Again, you need to go to a stud and watch the youngsters hoon around they are not watch appropriate and hoon when, and if they feel like it, they do get sweaty, excited, and get rained on, yet manage to survive. I only answered the first part of your post because you were appalled at how we wash ned's here in Aus, having both worked as a strapper/track rider, I am pretty quick at washing neds. As for the last sentence, what is "best" for the horse can be quite different depending on the person offering the opinion - and we all seem to have those, and what you call good horse management may not be considered so by someone else. ;)

Renvers I have a woollen rug I use as a throw over in winter, so after I've ridden I throw the woolly on as soon as I pull the saddle off. Then I sponge with warm water, doing the horse in quarters (Quartering is when you just fold back the rug from the quarter that you're washing/grooming. It's an old fashioned term but a good technique in very cold weather). You can do a thorough job with a bucket of warm water, especially if the horse is in regular work and kept clean. Then scrape and towel off, and by the time you do legs and face, pick out feet, put your gear away etc... horse is well on the way to drying off but I usually give another scruff with the woolly before I pull it off, then rug with a cotton and paddock rug. I use wool lined canvas most of the time and the horse finishes drying off under it nicely.

It's crazy to put a cold hose on a horse at night in winter. There just shouldn't be the need. If you bring in a horse at that hour that's so sweaty it NEEDS hosing then you might need to rethink your training schedule. If you event or hunt then it's better to get up at 4 or 5 in the morning to do your fast work, and if you manage that properly the horse should be clipped and you'll have walked them down anyway.



ps. I have a friend who keeps some old hessian bags in the stable for thatching - they're a good size to use safely, but only with rugs with no surcingles.

Adelatus I'm totally against the idea of hosing a horse late in the day. I use a bucket of warm water and a brush. I do the sweaty bits and rug up as normal. The horse doesn't get a chill this way and there are only minimal areas that are wet.



I'm also careful not to get the horse overly sweaty. I never work them in the evenings beyond a curly coat on the neck/chest, wet girth, wet under the bridle and some dampness at the flank/groin. I certainly don't get the saddlecloth wet, yet I ride for 40 minutes doing Novice/Elementary work. It's just considerate management.



It only takes a few minutes to remove sweat with a bucket and brush, and I don't have to spend time drying a fully wet hosed horse before he goes back in the paddock.



I save the big sweaty sessions for weekends when I can ride during the morning or middle of the day. I'd never hose a horse past 3pm during winter.



If a horse can't do two circles of trot without lathering up, perhaps the owner needs to think about one of the various forms of trace clip.

LindaH When I evented and used to bring them home hot and sweaty (rather than pampered dressage princess horses who only "glow" :D), I would hose them off, scrape and put on a woolen rug. Shortly after, as they cooled down I would put on their cotton rug and their heavier rug over the top. 1/2 to 1 hour later I would just pull the woolen rug out from underneath, leaving the cotton and heavy rug on for the night. They would be dry underneath and any residual dampness in the wollen rug would be removed, so they didn't stay damp under their synthetic winter rugs. I don't like leaving them all sweaty and sticky/crusty. Of course, if they are only a little bit sweaty, I will just brush or sponge the sweatty bits, but all over sweaty, really needs to be hosed off.

Renvers But LindaH, would you do this at night in winter?

No one is saying to leave the horses sweaty at all, but icy water on muscles that have been working hard can't be a good thing.

cobie Hot towelling is the greatest discovery I've ever made. You do need access to hot water, but it's achievable with a couple of thermoses brought from home. It involves dunking a towel (I cut my towels down into thirds or quarters for hot towelling) in very hot water, wringing them out very well and briskly rubbing all the sweaty areas. Repeat the dunking and wringing frequently to ensure the towel stays hot. As soon as I'm done I throw a polar fleece combo on, and pack up my gear, make up dinners etc. By the time I'm done, the horse is basically dry and can be rugged properly for the night.



It removes all the sweat and encourages circulation, and it's also an excellent ealternative for a full bath in winter as the heat/steam draws dirt out of the coat.

LindaH We have bore water. It's never icy :p.

Renvers Ah, there you go! :D It's a bit different in freezing Vic winters when you're using tap or tank water.

Cobie, that's a very good technique. My horse towels are small bath towels, folded in half and stitched. It makes them a good size and the extra thickness is very absorbent.

Adelatus I will have to try your hot towelling, Cobie! Thanks for the description.

Centaur Same here! Great idea Cobie, thanks.

kokage Blasting a horse all over with cold water and then leaving him damp and in the cold evening sounds awful - but even in he dead of winter, it isn't THAT cold. And surely the horse will have been cooled out under saddle (which takes very little time at all). And over-hot is far far far worse than being cooled aggressively and quickly. Try being at the finish at Melb 3DE in June, at 9 in the morning when it is sleeting, and having the vets tell you to keep cooling your horse out with cold water... Centaur, you would be mortified!



However regarding the original post, I have found it to be most effective to cold hose the worst areas (ie girth and between hind legs), sponge the neck and head, and towel off. I would avoid the big muscles in the hindquarters and over the back. I have one horse who will happily have a roll on the grass as soon as his saddle is removed. This is amazingly effective at removing sweat! I give him a brush off and rug him. We have had hot water in the stables, but I have disconnected it as it is costly and wasteful. While it is initially nicer (for us too!) you still have to deal with a wet horse, which is the crux of the issue.

Babyboomer2 I'm betting as an added bonus, Cobie's horses look lovely and shiney by morning - nothing like a hot water towelling massage to bring out the natural oils in the coat.

Bohdi I'm betting as an added bonus, Cobie's horses look lovely and shiney by morning - nothing like a hot water towelling massage to bring out the natural oils in the coat.



If I come back in a future life I want to be Cobie's horse!!:D

Centaur kokage, I'm not a complete pussy and I am fairly used to performance horses and their maintenance :rolleyes:

Again, the comparison; fit, probably (hopefully) clipped 3DE horse who has just completed a course and will for the next few hours be monitored, walked, rugged and treated like an athlete by his doting groom, watched over by his expert rider... and someones 'pet' with a long hairy coat who's about to be turfed back into a paddock...not really a comparison is it?!

LisaL centaur, i'll argue with you on another thread and agree with you on this one.



how fit does the horse have to be?



honestly? unless the horse is doing eventing or racing - how sweaty are you getting it?



as a kid, we did ponyclub during winter and stockwork weekends - and my dad hates rugging - so we'd end up with these hairy yaks in winter....no clipping no rugging. WE'd ride after school - and out at condobolin it got very cold in winter.



the rule was - if you got the horse hot and sweaty you had to allow time to cool it down...so it was dry and all you had to do was brush them with your dandy brush - ie if you take the time to adequately warm up and cool down you are putting a dry yak away....if you've been out at ponyclub or stockwork for hours - then you walk a couple of km home or you walked the horse for an hour.



i still live with the same rule - dry the horse off at a walk undersaddle and plan the ride accordingly. good thing about qld is that a winter coat is very short here - don't get the horse hot and sweaty unless you have to....and frankly i haven't worked my horses that hard through winter - its 10 minutes at a walk and trot to warm up, a little canter work, and your normal work, and then 10 minutes at a walk and trot to cool off.



of a weekend on a warmday and a trail ride they can get sweaty - but again, allow time to walk them dry and then dandy bush and dry. much kinder to your horse and you don't have to hose, and you don't have to rug...it also saves their legs (ie you're warming and cooling tendons appropriately)



show horses are rugged and clipped, and elite performance horses, but a ponyclubber/pleasure horse - does it really need to be worked that hard?

kokage I totally agree with your, Centaur - it is just that a few years ago, I and many others were surprised by just how much cooling we were expected to do - on such a cold day! It is amazing the amount of heat a fit, well-fed horse can generate. This heat can then be helpful in drying a wet horse to some degree - especially if you use the straw technique you mentioned. If the horse is already cool - there is really no point wetting it. Dried sweat should be removed from where it could cause discomfort - but a rolling horse will towel-dry itseslf far more effectively than an energetic human.

oats and barley Have done this my entire life. I evented at 3* but didnt want to clip the event horses until their winter coat had stopped growing as I hated clipping horses twice in a year expecially as the second clipping often left them with an ordinary coat & didnt want to go to the 3DE with a crappy coat.

So we were left with horses that needed to be worked hard to get fit with a winter coat until the beginning of May, wouldnt clip before mid May. I worked so had to ride in the pm after work quite often. Horses would be worked, hosed off properly (all overm, no sweat left) then scraped extremely well then towelled off. Would then put their normal rugs on (cotton, wool then synthetic rug), they would dry off under their rugs they had been cooled off with the hosing so they didnt break into another sweat but stayed warm because rugs were put straight on. Never had a problem ever.

I think not hosing horses off in winter then putting their rugs on is very dangerous due to them breaking into another sweat. In Europe they dont hose horses off but it is also a lot colder there & most ridden horses are put into stables.

I really dont see what the issue is.



Just answering LisaL, I only do dressage now but my horses work hard & unfortunately do grow thick coats, if i had lights in my stables I would stable them to keep coats short but I dont, I prefer not to clip as I hate the clipped look. My horses do sweat quite a lot, generally after 15-20mins work they are starting to sweat & by 40mins they will be very sweaty. I do NOT have time to walk a horse around for 1/2hr to 1 hr for them to cool & dry so I do hose, scrape & rug, even in the middle of winter & quite often late in the day depending on when I get the chance to ride both horses. I have never heard one of my horses complain.

opensky Just on this point the old anti-sweat rugs (not called 'coolers' which seems to cover everything including polar fleece) which had a big cell, open mesh weave were THE best inventions for a more rapid drying time. I still have one that occasionally gets put on. All the new inventions have far more dense weaves and more material and seem less effective. Rgds

Mystery~Bay Just on this point the old anti-sweat rugs (not called 'coolers' which seems to cover everything including polar fleece) which had a big cell, open mesh weave were THE best inventions for a more rapid drying time. I still have one that occasionally gets put on. All the new inventions have far more dense weaves and more material and seem less effective. Rgds



I remember those!

CateH Pre-cooler rugs........... this is an old tip from England. To rug a wet or sweaty horse in very cold temps. Rub down, if not hosing use a big straw twist. If hosing scrape off well.



After horse is groomed, spread a liberal layer of straw over the back and under a cotton or jute rug. Apply top rug if such if used.



The straw will absorb the water, and then fall off the horse out from under the rug. Whilst still dry it keeps the cotton off the skin, promotes a layer of warm air next to the skin and thus speeds drying.

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