Cooling Down A Horse In Winter Safely

It's Easier Said Than Done...

Cooling your horse down in winter before rugging is vital...

The days are getting longer with a little more light in the evenings and as a result, we’re getting to ride more. That being said, training in winter isn’t as fun as it is in summer, despite Foleys surfaces letting you ride all year through. It may be colder for us but after some good training, we’re left with sweaty horses that need to be cooled off appropriately to avoid the chill. To help, here’s our guide to help you dry your sweaty horses as fast as possible.

How To Dry Your Horse After Training

First things first, if your horse is clipped or even partially clipped, it’s a lot less likely that they’ll be sweating. If you didn’t clip your horse however, then they’ll no doubt have prepped for the winter by growing themselves some sort of winter coat – this varies depending on breed and level of rugging but either way, you can guarantee a pretty sweaty horse even after a relatively easy training session.

A great way to start the cooling off period is to give the horse a cool down walk, just like you would yourself after a run. Dismount and walk your horse between 5-10 minutes. This will ease the muscles and start to body’s cooling process. If the horse is slightly damp, give him a good brush after training. If he’s sweaty however, you may want to put a cooler/sweat rug on to help the sweat evaporate.

If your horse has taken sweating to the next level and finds itself soaked, then you’re going to need a little more than 10 minutes. You’re also going to need a towel to get rid of that initial layer of sweat and a lot of elbow grease. If you have a towel coat, even better. These can be used to soak the sweat however you’ll need to be around to remove it when necessary.

For some, it’s a case of the horse being in that awkward in between stage of slightly sweaty but not dry enough to put straight back in the stable, then a cooler sheet could be a great option. You’ll start to see tiny drops of sweat appear on the outer layer of the rug. This is what you’re looking for as it means the sweat is being wicked away from the coat and off the body. You’ll also need to remove the cooler sheet once it’s done its job and follow it up with a quick brush off before rugging as you normally would.

Solariums And Sweat Rugs

Of course, if you’re lucky enough to boast access to a solarium, your battle with sweaty horses in winter is a lot less tiresome, in fact for the horse itself, it’s plain spa like. Solariums can cut your horses drying time in half, in fact for some it can become mere minutes. It is of course still worth a little walk off to cool the muscles down, but the drying of the coat will be a lot faster under those heat lamps.

There’s also an incredible product on the market called the DriRug which is super absorbent. This rug is made of super quick sweat-wicking material and allegedly absorbs moisture faster than any other material out there. It can also double up as a travel rug or under rug so means you get far more use out of it too.

Do you...

Do you have any tips for cooling your horse off after a training session? Or do you have a great hack that makes life easier for you?

Let us know in the comments below!

Cooling Down A Horse In Winter Safely