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Do i have to???

3K views 17 replies 14 participants last post by  xAddictionx 
#1 ·
do i have to hose my horse down every time she sweats?? ive been told by many people that i do and if i dont she will catch a cold but iv been told by other that i dont have to and that they dont hose their horses down and tehy never have any heaqlth problems HELP PLEASE!!!!
 
#2 ·
in the summer it would be nice for cooling etc. but in winter minimum if she is really sweaty. just put a cooler rug on (or a fleece) until the sweat drys. you dont want to put a normal rug on while she still hot and sweaty because she'll sweat more.
 
#3 ·
I like to hose mine in the summer, they absolutely love it when it's hot out and they've had a good workout or trail ride. It isn't a black and white issue, though. As long as your mare is well cooled out, and has stopped sweating, you're probably ok health wise. It's the cooling out that's the issue, and putting a hot horse away sweating isn't a good idea. Winter I don't get to do much riding, but my advice there is to just be sure that your mare is well cooled out and dry before putting her away, perhaps with a fleece sheet. If she's shaggy and is hard to cool, and you do a lot of cold weather riding, perhaps clipping and blanketing is a good option for you.
 
#4 ·
As others said, it's just optional. I'm not sure how cold your winter time is, but you should always wait for a horse to completely dry off before you blanket him or put him outside. This is for a few reasons, one being that the sweat can literally freeze and make him colder even if he's wearing a blanket. Another reason it that the moisture on the hair will prevent him from being able to lift up his coat (if they aren't wearing a blanket). But you really have to wait for the moisture in the lungs from exercise to escape, this is the most important reason. It doesn't matter so much at 4 degrees celcius, but we often experience temperatures way below freezing where I live.
Clipping can help keep you from walking your horse out for hours until he's dry, but the best thing we can do is optimise our cool out time so that we get the best results for muscle relaxation, healthy stretch, and getting breathe rate decreased back to normal.
 
#6 ·
i live in the south of spain and it does get quite chilly in the winter i hate hosing her down in the winter because it must be horrible!! but im also scared she could get ill if i dont! i always start with the feet and work up to the saddle area and thats usauly all they are stabled most of the time and i will always dry er as much as possible before puting her in
thanks for all your advice
emma
 
#7 ·
youre better off to put on a cooler until her sweat is dry in the winter. being drenched in water is more likely to make them ill than a little sweat. i typically use 2 coolers in the winter, the first one closest to the horse will wisk away sweat and keep let them cool out to a normal temp without drafts, and the second wisks away the sweat from the first so that the first cooler stays dry. in the summer our horses are hosed down basically every day after they work. never had any problems with skin irritation, typically that will only happen if you use soap all the time, as that will strip the hair and skin of natural oils. water itself wont do that.
 
#9 ·
I only hose in the summer. IN the winter he has a nice soft cooler. I walk him out till just the saddle area is damp then let him rest with his cooler on. smoothing the hairs with a soft brush can help it dry up a bit quicker. My horse has never caught a chill or anything though, He does just fine.
 
#10 ·
I only hose Sun off when it's hot out, or he is really sweaty, to remove the salts that can cause itching. Usually, after a good ride, we walk back home that works as a good cool down, and he doesn't sweat much except under the saddle pad. I do brush him down, use a flat scraper on just the sweaty part, and he does fine. We don't ride much in winter, but go with the gut instinct...do what feels right for the situation!
 
#13 ·
Isnt cold hosing a sweaty hot horse after a strenous workout warm or not...wouldnt that cause muscle spasms? I dont cold hose my horses after a hard ride but I do walk them out and make sure they are cooled out and dry before they are put away. I am not a bathing fanatic...my horses get bathed once a year in the summer when its hot and only if im showing do they get done more then that...
 
#14 ·
I don't hose off my horses. 1) they are afraid of water 2)That is a lot of water use 3) It could hurt their skin with that much being wet/dry.

But if they are really nasty sweaty I get a bucket and splash it on them so they feel more comfortable.
And since Romeo is white I don't like the saddle marks so it helps take those off him...
 
#16 ·
i just wanted to comment that hosing a horse isnt what causes the skin irritation and its not bad for their skin. when you wash a horse with soap too often is when you have problems as soap strips the hair and skin of natural oils that it needs to stay moisturized. but just taking a hose with plain water doesnt do that
 
#17 ·
ok so im starting to feel really bad for all the times i have hosed my horses down in the winter for no reason but you say about cooling how do i know when my horse is cooled down? do i just wait for the sweat she has on her to dry? and i dont have a cooler and most probably wont be able to get 1 soon as i live in a realy rural part of spain haha most of my stuff gets sent over from england costs me a bomb but it needs doin although i dont recall seeing a cooler in the catalogue :? thanks for all the replies they are really helpfull
emma
 
#18 ·
In the summer, I rinse him down after riding, every ride.
In the winter, I only rinse him down after if he is super sweaty or really dirty or something.. but we have a heated barn and a heated wash stall.
After every ride though, summer or winter, I put a cooler on and make sure he is completely dry afterward.
 
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