This puts us in a difficult situation with management, specifically with regards rugging. We find ourselves grabbing an extra jumper or jacket when we pop to the yard- but does this mean we should start putting some layers on our horses too?
However, with the fluctuating temperatures this can lead to horses overheating which causes a short-term welfare issue. In the long term, over-rugging can actually be detrimental to their health- horses naturally loose weight in the winter and this is actually a good thing to reduce their risk of laminitis the following spring.
Horses have evolved to maintain their body temperature through a mechanism called thermoregulation- domestic horses have the same in build mechanism as wild horses! In normal conditions the healthy horse is able to maintain its core body temperature at a static state of approximately 38 degrees, irrespective of the surrounding conditions. When temperatures drop below zero degrees horses are able to divert their blood flow to their internal organs to keep them warm.
Over-grooming can remove some of these oils. However horses which are not in work will be able to make use of their winter coat to keep warm. For more information on how horses regulate their body heat in the winter, read this. Proper cool down after exercise is critical to return his body temperature to normal and then begin the drying process. The drying process may heat him back up and cause more sweating, and then he will take even longer to dry.
The next steps to take, once you are on top of his temperature Use towels and massage your horse! I find that using smaller towels and dish towels is more manageable than large bath towels.
Remove as much moisture as you can, grabbing fresh towels as needed. Some high-tech towels trap loads of water but use what you have. Cover up with coolers! Horse coolers allow the moisture to wick away from his skin and into the fabric. Fleece coolers are good, too; they are affordable and easy to care for.
Skip the Irish knit style of coolers. These are cotton and will soak up I moisture, but it will still rest against your horse. Save these for warmer weather. Wool coolers are the best! Keep your horse out of the wind and drafts as he dries. One old school method of drying your wet fuzzy horse is to stuff his cooler with hay or straw.
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Is it okay to rug a horse up straight after excersize? Thread starter AprilBlue Start date 7 January Joined 4 September Messages Joined 27 April Messages 5, Location Essex. If I had to turn out immediately I would ensure I did an extended cool down before rugging. YasandCrystal said:. Joined 10 September Messages Location Lancashire.
It depends if he's sweating or not and what exercise he's done. If we've only hacked for 30 mins, his rug goes straight back on! Joined 28 April Messages 5, Location somewhere in the uk. I prefer to leave for at least half an hour with a fleece on and hay to munch before rugging up and turning out.
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