# Keeping horse cool



## amberly (Dec 16, 2012)

Make sure he has water available if he needs/wants it.
If you can after a ride or something at the end of the day, hose him off.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Hose JUST the legs, then re apply fly spray. If your horse gets too hot and you bathe his core with icy cold water--chest and body--you can shock his system. EMT's will start cooling down heat stroke victims by cooling the arms and legs FIRST.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

If you can carry water with you or get water on site - which most events supply then sponge him over rather than cold hose. Try to park in the shade and have plenty of drinking water for him as he cools off
I honestly don't envy you - my horses are coming in from the field sweating and they're just standing around


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Corporal, when the summer Olympics were to be held in Atlanta, all kinds of tests were done over many months and it was proved that hosing a hot horse down with cold water will not shock it's system. The horse may not like it but it's a quick way to cool it down. Endurance riders sponge down the neck during the ride as they cross a creek.


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

I had a friend that would set up one of those shade things used for picnics made of PVC pipe and a cover, but her dad extended the legs so it was tall enough a horse could stand under comfortably and not cause a wreck. (It was next to the trailer so he had a water bucket and a haynet to munch on between classes)


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## countercanter (May 18, 2011)

A little Vetrolin mixed with water in a big bucket and sponge off his neck/chest and between his back legs. My junior hunter was a heavy sweater and got hot really quickly showing in the south Florida heat and humidity. I would always bring him back to the barn and do that for him to keep him cool. Then after I was done showing or riding he got a full body sponging with the diluted Vetrolin and rinsed off.


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

Corporal said:


> Hose JUST the legs, then re apply fly spray. If your horse gets too hot and you bathe his core with icy cold water--chest and body--you can shock his system. EMT's will start cooling down heat stroke victims by cooling the arms and legs FIRST.


There would be many many busy equine EMTs at the track if hosing them off shocked their system.
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## JustWingIt (Jul 29, 2012)

Thanks for the tips everyone! I'm glad that sponging him off will not shock his system, I usually rely on that at horse shows to keep him comfortable. He really enjoys It when I sponge him. 

Question, my trailer is an older Valley two horse straight load that does not have the best ventilation. It is a 2 hr trailer drive and k don't want him to get too overheated. Is it safe to drive with the two back flaps open? Here's a pic of the back of the trailer...









_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## JustWingIt (Jul 29, 2012)

Want to drive like this for better airflow
_Posted via Mobile Device_

ETA with flaps secured of course


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

If you leave them on the trailer and opened you'll probably have some serious wind drag on them.

I think if you lift up on the top doors they'll come off. We take ours off all but the coldest couple of months a year.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

If your trailer does not have front vents they need to be installed. Also the side windows should open. The front vents need to be at a height that the wind isn't directed at the horse's eyes. Most are circular vents that allow you to control the intake.


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## JustWingIt (Jul 29, 2012)

So it would be safe to take them off? It looks possible to take them off, might just need to pull a couple pins out.
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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

It should be just fine to take them out. If the front window opens on the trailer, put a fly mask on him and leave it open (you can bungee it open if you need to, so long as its not big enough for him to get his head all the way out. Just enough to put his nose if he wants, but no more)

I normally wait as long as possible to boot and wrap my horse. Immediately take all wraps off after the ride, hose his legs down, and if you have time unsaddle and do about five minutes cool hose on the legs and then hose off his body nice and good. Also the sponge is a must.

Always have water available, and put some gatorade/powerade in it so he can have some electrolytes.

You can also hose him before he goes in the trailer.

Also, if you feel him shutting down on you, let him. If he is in shae he should be just fine with it, but I see a lot of people push their heat exhausted horses and cause problems. I just got back from running barrels at the biggest, longest barrel course in the world (Pendleton, it's a 30-40 second course) in the high heat. I saw horses come out of it with nose bleeds, frothing sweat, etc but none of the ones in our trailer did because of all the precautions we took.

Don't be afraid to warm him up in this heat! It's all the more important now, so he can be loosened up for it. Right before you go stop and walk circles, get his breath back but keep his feet moving. It will make all the difference to his lungs in the heat and humidity.


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