# Is it OK to ride a wet horse?



## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

I'm trying to figure out if I can get away with not blanketing them until after our lesson on Saturday morning. There's a strong wet cold front coming through, but the timing isn't clear yet.

The general question is -- is there any reason you can't ride a wet horse? I mean, maybe if it were super wet, your saddle might slip around? I can't really think of any good reason why I couldn't ride Pony when he was already wet. It's just that one of the women who puts training rides once declined to ride him because he was wet. I'm wondering if she knew something I don't.


----------



## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

I ride my horses if they are wet,. If really wet I would use a scraper to clear off as much as I could where the saddle goes


----------



## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Same as @Woodhaven here.


----------



## Horsef (May 1, 2014)

They are likely to dry quicker if they are moving in my experience.


----------



## secuono (Jul 6, 2011)

I towel dry the saddle and girth area.


----------



## Magnum 59 (Oct 26, 2021)

If he's soaked through it's probably going to be uncomfortable for him like having to run right after swimming. But if you dry the saddle and bridle area you should be fine so long as you l don't mind him looking like a drowned rat lol


----------



## charrorider (Sep 23, 2012)

My late Amal had very sensitive skin. If there was any dirt between him and the saddle pad, he would exhibit raw spots on his back after a ride. I would wet him down well in order to get rid of any dirt. His back was always wet when I saddled him. Also they get wet on hot days, anyways.


----------



## Caledonian (Nov 27, 2016)

I'd ride a damp horse that's been towelled dry and use a numnah or saddlecloth. If the back is muddy wet, I'd let it dry first.

I was always told not to ride with a damp saddle patch as it wasn't good for their cold wet muscles to be saddled, but that just isn't practical, especially if they're out 24/7. Often I take off the saddle and it's driest part of the body.


----------



## Kalraii (Jul 28, 2015)

I agree with still riding - honestly even with wet mud if its not too cold I rinsed off with water, scraped and towelled the affected areas. Cough cough just dumping clean trough water over her. If I have time I'll put the saddle on asap with a towel under the pad and whip it off before getting on so its had time to warm up, help dry etc. Would I do this every single day? No. But I've done it plenty of times and idk man Katie just loves to be filthy. I can groom saddle and bridle zones for two horses in 20 minutes now.  😭 I have even give a quick warm wash (water from home) and put on a cooler under a rug asap so she doesn't chill. It does mean a lot of washing rags, towels, fleeces etc sometimes. 










Honestly the most annoying thing is when I've only brushed riding areas and it rains while riding. Or dealing with sweat in the cold. I have considered getting a separate washing machine now because of this.


----------



## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Horsef said:


> They are likely to dry quicker if they are moving in my experience.


Yes that's kind of what I was thinking, too.

@Kalraii I really like that idea of putting the towel there for a bit. We have towels I keep out there "just in case" and I can do that.


----------



## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

You all realize that a horse will SWEAT under their saddle pad? ( AKA, wet? ) And if it's hot enough, sweat their entire body?

Yes, absolutely fine to ride a wet horse.


----------



## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

beau159 said:


> You all realize that a horse will SWEAT under their saddle pad? ( AKA, wet? ) And if it's hot enough, sweat their entire body?


To be fair, I have never worked Pony to the point where his entire body was soaked with sweat. Sure, I've worked him up into a sweat, but never to where he looks like he just jumped in the pond. I think most horses aren't ridden that hard most of the time.


----------



## MeditativeRider (Feb 5, 2019)

ACinATX said:


> Sure, I've worked him up into a sweat, but never to where he looks like he just jumped in the pond. I think most horses aren't ridden that hard most of the time.


Not related to your original question, but I think the amount of sweating depends on the horse. Like some humans sweat more than others. I have ridden different horses with similar levels of condition/fitness and age under the same weather conditions in the same type of w/t/c lesson for the same time, and one would barely break a sweat and the other would be fairly saturated (back, chest, belly, upper legs).


----------



## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

We ride in downpours during endurance rides unfortunately more often that I would like!

No issues.


----------



## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

MeditativeRider said:


> I have ridden different horses with similar levels of condition/fitness and age under the same weather conditions in the same type of w/t/c lesson for the same time, and one would barely break a sweat and the other would be fairly saturated (back, chest, belly, upper legs).


Actually that's a great point. Moonshine, for instance, gets super sweaty. I mean, I remember her having lessons where she literally had streams of sweat dropping down her head. Whereas Pony might sweat, but not like that, even though he has a much thicker coat. And Teddy interestingly sweated more out of anxiety than from physical effort.


----------



## Horsef (May 1, 2014)

MeditativeRider said:


> Not related to your original question, but I think the amount of sweating depends on the horse. Like some humans sweat more than others. I have ridden different horses with similar levels of condition/fitness and age under the same weather conditions in the same type of w/t/c lesson for the same time, and one would barely break a sweat and the other would be fairly saturated (back, chest, belly, upper legs).


I agree. We have one mare at the yard who will be drenched just standing in her stall while all other horses are just chilling, not a drop of sweat on them. As far as I know she is healthy and doesn’t have trouble shedding her coat.


----------



## PinkPrancer (Nov 10, 2020)

I sure hope it's ok, since that exactly what I did yesterday! 

Honestly, I was a little nervous about it too, but I trust my instructor in that he won't be telling me to do things at the detriment of his horse's health. He'd just finished hosing off the horse I ride and covered him with some sort of blanket (he said it wasn't an actual blanket...I think he called it a cooler? But that it helped warm the horse? I don't know, I'm still a little unclear on it haha), and then a little while later told me to saddle him up. Horse was still pretty darn damp and looking a bit like a drowned rat, but I had no problem with the tack not sitting right and the lesson proceeded as usual.


----------



## Horsef (May 1, 2014)

Oh, btw - 100% wool blankets work like magic for drying a horse. I’ve tested it recently and my mare was warm for the duration and dry within 45 minutes. It might take longer in higher humidity but it works great. 

I’ve put my hand under the blanket and it’s like sauna under there - I guess that warmth evaporates the water and wool is breathable so it lets it escape quickly.


----------



## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

In the spring when it's muddy wet out an ice decides to roll before we ride. I hose him off sweat scrape him off an saddle up. Never an issue done this in the summer also.

When really hot in summer ,many rides horse come back soaking wet in sweat. Horse being wet doesn't concern me I saddle up an ride anyway.


----------



## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

^^^^That;s what I don't like, the horse sees me coming in the lane and lays down in the mud and rolls. Now I have a wet, muddy horse to deal with. Dry mud scrapes off easily but wet mud you have to wash it off and then get ready to ride.


----------



## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

I'm laughing a little bit reading the title, OP, thinking about you moving to a somewhat wet part of the Pacific NW eventually. If you lived here already, you would know the answer.










And after a good gallop (Nala and Hero after a beach ride), you can see that pretty much every part of the horses' bodies have been wet and dried as they cooled down. So we ride them wet because it has rained on them before a ride, during a ride, or because we got them sweated up.


----------



## Part-Boarder (Aug 17, 2019)

It’s fine to ride a wet horse (maybe not ideal but doable). We squeegee them and dry them as much as possible before putting on the wool pad and saddle. I would not put on a cotton pad as that could chill them


----------

