How to cool your horse

Any horse can suffer from heat stress when competing or showing, and it is important to cool down your horse as soon as possible when the weather starts to get hotter. Cold water cooling is a fantastic method of rapidly cooling your horse, allowing you to be free of the worry of heat stress, and avoid unnecessary suffering for your horse. Animal Friends is giving you the tips you need ahead of the eventing season.

How does it work?

Through convection and evaporation, your horse can quickly lose excess heat which, in hot weather, can cause serious health risks.

Cool the horse immediately after it finishes exercising or competing, while taking rectal temperature. Liberally apply cold water to all parts of the body including the quarters. This is where most of the large muscles used for movement are located and so is an area that gets particularly hot.

Continually apply cold water; don’t worry about removing the excess water after each application. Use a 20-30 second cooling period with 20-30 second walking period; this alternating sequence is important, as the walking promotes blood flow to the skin (thereby cooling by convection) and the movement of air aids cooling by evaporation.

Your horse’s respiration rate will return to normal once he has cooled off, so pay attention to any changes in breathing patterns.

Allow your horse to drink small amounts of water (around half a bucket) during any competition and immediately after exercise. This will help to cool the horse down and reduce the effects of dehydration.

Stop cooling when the horse has returned to a normal temperature. The respiratory rate should be between 8 and 12 breaths a minute. As the horse’s rider or owner, you will know when he has returned to his normal state of being.

You should not hold ice against the horse, as this stops blood flow to the skin and can halt convective cooling, and can also cause blistering. The water a horse is given to drink should not be ice cold, as this can cause problems for the horse after exercise, and you should avoid putting wet towels over the horse as this will work for a short period before simply blocking heat from escaping the horse’s body.

Animal friends is dedicated to providing ethical care for animals around the world, so to get a quote for comprehensive horse insurance, phone our knowledgeable equine team on 0844 57 32 100, or email us at info@animalfriends.co.uk.