Wondering about heating and cooling. . .

Someone I know has about 8 horses. He usually doesn't really cool the horses off after he works them pretty hard. One time he came back to the barn and unsaddled the horse, who was breathing very heavily (her whole body was moving) and was drenched in sweat, plus probably very hot. He just hosed her down with cool water and then turned her out to pasture. I was just wondering - isn't this bad for a horse? To be really hot, bathed with cold water?

Just wondering ;)

Cold water directly on a horse that has had heavy work (especially to the point which you describe) can cause muscle spasms/cramps.

I would mention that he is doing something wrong.

There are new studies that say "cool" water is OK for hot horses to be bathed with. Post race, we bathe our horses in room temp water, walk, and give lots of room temp drinking water. They did a lot af reseatch before the GA olympics and the studies are pretty cool. The old ways of cooling out a horse and watering them are being disproven. I'll try and find the links for you, very interesting stuff!

Yeah the best way to cool off the horse is to focus the cool/cold water on spots where thier major blood pumping veins are. (chest, in between back legs, neck) so that the hot blood coming in contact with the cool water is cooled and his then pumped throught the body. I personally like to make sure that once I have done a thurough workout I walk around the arena few times even walking outside in the cool breeze drys the sweat and then I take them in and hose them off til thier skin feels cooler. As for after the bath...throwing them outside is okay if theyve been properly cared for. Otherwise it will help them dry off faster in the sunlight.