Horse sweating at night - ideas?!

[Anna*]

3 weeks ago I moved my mare to a new yard. She had been on 24/7 turnout but has had to start coming in at night - I needed to put her on part livery due to work commitments. All seemed well, then 2 weeks ago she had a mild bout of colic. Vet came and said it was probably excess gas due to change in grazing and haylage (on his advice we have gone back to hay.)

Since then she has sweated up most nights - sometimes just a little, sometimes quite a lot. She seems to be a normal happy self with no abdominal pain. When I arrive at the yard at about 7.30am, she has dried sweat all the way along the side of her belly with a few damp patches. No sweating on her neck or hind quarters.

She has definitiely not been over-heating as I have not be rugging at all unless it goes below 8 degreens and then only with a very light rug.

She has been on NAF gastraid for a few days to see if that will make a difference but nothing so far.

I am at a loss as to what is causing it. Vet isnt overly concerned and says just to keep an eye on it.

Am thinking that it could be the stable. She has a trickle net for her hay but still gets it down her as fast as she can. Could it be standing in a stable for several hours without hay that has triggered this? This doesnt happen when she is out grazing.

Any ideas??! Thank you, everyone.

 

[jenni999]

Is she the only horse in? Have you ever stabled her before and had a similar problem? She could just be taking time to settle although 3 weeks is quite a long time for it to still be happening. I would double or triple net her hay and see if that makes any difference.

 

[Anna*]

Is she the only horse in? Have you ever stabled her before and had a similar problem? She could just be taking time to settle although 3 weeks is quite a long time for it to still be happening. I would double or triple net her hay and see if that makes any difference.

She is stabled in an indoor barn with 12 other horses. They are all brought in and turned out at the same time. She hasnt been stabled over a winter in several years - before I got her. I've double netted her hay and that hasnt made a difference either. She just has a scoop of Healthy Hooves molasses free twice a day as a carrier for her supplement. At a loss really. :-(

 

[*hic*]

Is she rugged? Have you tried a max/min thermometer in her stable to see whether it's actually rather warm in there at night?

 

[Sarah1]

3 weeks ago I moved my mare to a new yard. She had been on 24/7 turnout but has had to start coming in at night - I needed to put her on part livery due to work commitments. All seemed well, then 2 weeks ago she had a mild bout of colic. Vet came and said it was probably excess gas due to change in grazing and haylage (on his advice we have gone back to hay.)

Since then she has sweated up most nights - sometimes just a little, sometimes quite a lot. She seems to be a normal happy self with no abdominal pain. When I arrive at the yard at about 7.30am, she has dried sweat all the way along the side of her belly with a few damp patches. No sweating on her neck or hind quarters.

She has definitiely not been over-heating as I have not be rugging at all unless it goes below 8 degreens and then only with a very light rug.

She has been on NAF gastraid for a few days to see if that will make a difference but nothing so far.

I am at a loss as to what is causing it. Vet isnt overly concerned and says just to keep an eye on it.

Am thinking that it could be the stable. She has a trickle net for her hay but still gets it down her as fast as she can. Could it be standing in a stable for several hours without hay that has triggered this? This doesnt happen when she is out grazing.

Any ideas??! Thank you, everyone.

What breed is your mare? Is she clipped?

You say she's in an indoor barn - these can get quite warm more so when there are other horses in and 8 degrees isn't cold, especially if she's not clipped out. I only ask this as I have a little shetland mare who will sweat in the stable - she's too hot. Even when it's minus degrees outside she's without a rug and has to have her window open! She's in an indoor block with just 5 others.

 

[natmac84]

hey, i have a 16 yr old welsh x mare - she sweats up by her flanks and inbetween her back legs - she usually does it when she is worked up or peed of (she is mare lol)... last year she started this in sept and i had the vets out about 5 times thinkng it was colic etc but all the test, internals etc and nothing could be found.... now i try not to worry so much and put it doen to her winding herself up..... ill say it as loads of others will - might be worth a cushings test maybe?? xxx

 

[amandap]

She is stabled in an indoor barn with 12 other horses. They are all brought in and turned out at the same time. She hasnt been stabled over a winter in several years - before I got her. I've double netted her hay and that hasnt made a difference either. She just has a scoop of Healthy Hooves molasses free twice a day as a carrier for her supplement. At a loss really. :-(

Stress??
Might be worth adding some salt to her feed.

 

[ribbons]

Are the stables separated by bars rather than solid walls. Indoor barns can sometimes make certain horses feel their neighbour is 'on top of them'
I have a mare who would go crazy if in on her own, yet can't tolerate an immediate neighbour. I have to have her in an end box with an empty one next door, she is fine then.
Nuisance having to sacrifice a box but its my yard so at least I can. I use it for storage.

 

[TGM]

If she is not clipped then I wouldn't be rugging her at all if she is sweating. If she is not used to being in then it is possible that she is calm when there is hay to eat, but then gets agitated and perhaps box walks when it is finished making her sweaty? You don't say why she can't have more hay, if it is because she is overweight then look at the possibility of soaking the hay to remove excess calories and feeding a bit more. Alternatively, is there anyone on the yard who can pop a late night net in for her?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

She is sweating because she is too hot. We have 4 mares, kept in a barn, one of them is sweating at night and will be clipped this weekend. We used to have an ex-broodmare who sweated up even in an outside box, she certainly wasn't stressed and the vet could never find a reason for it, we just decided that it was what she did, she always did it until she was pts at 31.
OP, you need to take the rug off and see if that helps her, if not clip her or if she is already clipped, increase the clipped area. Make sure that she has plenty of water available and if you are restricting her hay, give her some plain oat straw chaff to nibble on when she has eaten all her hay.

 

[ribbons]

Pearl, its highly likely the horse is too hot. But how you are so certain about that, and your 'instructions' to OP on solving the issue, based solely on reading a post with limited detail, on a horse you know absolutely nothing about is a tad worrying.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Pearl, its highly likely the horse is too hot. But how you are so certain about that, and your 'instructions' to OP on solving the issue, based solely on reading a post with limited detail, on a horse you know absolutely nothing about is a tad worrying.

OP's vet isn't concerned - I know this because she wrote those very words. The horse is rugged if the temp drops below 8 degrees which is NOT cold and lives in a barn situation with 12 other horses, what would you suggest is the problem? I certainly have no intention of 2nd guessing the vet who has seen the horse.

 

[Anna*]

Thank you for all of your comments - it's good to hear your thoughts

The rug she is in is a extra light weight with a 50g fill. I am sure she cant be too hot - the barn has an open side and, if anything, feels significantly colder than it does outside. I've just remembered that, when she started sweating up, it wasn't quite so cold at night and she wasnt being rugged at all.

It all started when she had the colic which is what makes me think that its stomach/digestion related.

Her hay isnt being restricted - other than by double netting it to slow her down. She has a net when she is brought in when it gets dark, I then top it up at 6.30pm when I arrive. There isn't anyone on site who can put more in for her later.

 

[*hic*]

Thank you for all of your comments - it's good to hear your thoughts

The rug she is in is a extra light weight with a 50g fill. I am sure she cant be too hot - the barn has an open side and, if anything, feels significantly colder than it does outside. I've just remembered that, when she started sweating up, it wasn't quite so cold at night AND she wasnt being rugged at all.

It all started when she had the colic which is what makes me think that its stomach/digestion related.

Her hay isnt being restricted - other than by double netting it to slow her down. She has a net when she is brought in when it gets dark, I then top it up at 6.30pm when I arrive. There isn't anyone on site who can put more in for her later.

But it hasn't regularly been very cold at night and she's now rugged! Try a max/min thermometer in her stable, you may well be surprised.

Another thing that might be triggering it is if there is something/one wandering about the yard and scaring her. You'd only know that by getting a camera that's triggered by movement and watching to see what happens.

 

[Costypop]

Could she not be getting on with her stable neighbours? We had one that would stress out, looked fine but was always off colour and grumpy though, another livery left her rug on the bars between the stables the next day a much happier horse. I would try putting putting up a screen so she feels a more in closed. May help- may not but a simple thing to do. You can use the partitions are rug dryers too.

 

[ridefast]

Am thinking that it could be the stable. She has a trickle net for her hay but still gets it down her as fast as she can. Could it be standing in a stable for several hours without hay that has triggered this? This doesnt happen when she is out grazing.

Any ideas??! Thank you, everyone.

It may or may not be the hay but she should NOT be standing in the stable without hay, she'll get ulcers if she hasn't already.

 

[JillA]

Worth checking for Insulin Resistance IMO - easy enough to do, ask your vet (or a local chemist) for a dip strip for glucose levels and test a urine sample. Often accompanies Cushings but may not, it is like diabetes in humans and if it isn't part of Cushings, relatively easy to manage with a low sugar/starch diet.

 

[TGM]

Her hay isnt being restricted - other than by double netting it to slow her down. She has a net when she is brought in when it gets dark, I then top it up at 6.30pm when I arrive. There isn't anyone on site who can put more in for her later.

I don't quite understand this. You say she gobbles her net down very quickly and you are worried that the sweating is the result of her standing for hours without hay, but then you say her hay isn't being restricted. If her hay wasn't being restricted then you would be putting in enough hay to last her until the morning? Is there a reason (ie her being overweight) that means you can't put in enough hay to last her until the morning?

 

[stroppymare153]

It may or may not be the hay but she should NOT be standing in the stable without hay, she'll get ulcers if she hasn't already.

rubbish! - if that were the case about 90% of horses would have ulcers.

Sorry to be so blunt but it is myths like this that mean we have so many obese horses & ponies. There is a small show pony on our yard at the moment who was having 5.5kg haylage a night so she didn't run out. My 17+h warmblood was only getting 7kg!

 

[stroppymare153]

OP - silly question...

Are you sure it's sweat? Could it just be stable stains? Just seems odd that she's not sweating on her neck/chest if she is too warm. What about her armpits (for want of a better description )

 

[smellsofhorse]

She should have unlimited hay.
Then she won't get bored plus its how they are ment to eat.
Is the barn warm, I probably would've be putting a rug on until much colder, 8 degrees is still quite warm.
Is she getting stressed?
Box walking etc?

Could it be wee if she is laying down?

 

[Anna*]

I don't quite understand this. You say she gobbles her net down very quickly and you are worried that the sweating is the result of her standing for hours without hay, but then you say her hay isn't being restricted. If her hay wasn't being restricted then you would be putting in enough hay to last her until the morning? Is there a reason (ie her being overweight) that means you can't put in enough hay to last her until the morning?

Sorry, I meant that she will stuff her hay quickly if given the chance. When I leave her at about 6.45 she has a full net - now double netted. She is a native and I don't want her putting on weight. She is very food orientated and will keep eating and eating until everything is gone. If I put a euro bale in her box I doubt she would sleep until it was decimated.

stroppymare153 - not stable stains! Always worth checking though isn't it! I've been a donut about things like that many times!

 

[ridefast]

rubbish! - if that were the case about 90% of horses would have ulcers.

Sorry to be so blunt but it is myths like this that mean we have so many obese horses & ponies. There is a small show pony on our yard at the moment who was having 5.5kg haylage a night so she didn't run out. My 17+h warmblood was only getting 7kg!

About 90% of horses do have ulcers.

 

[Nugget La Poneh]

About 90% of horses do have ulcers.

This.

But don't show symptoms. Same with heart murmurs.

Could it be something she is eating in the field? I ask because I had this with my two about 3 years ago. Nugz was unclipped and unrugged at the time and Rosie in a blacket clip but with a fleece. At the time it was cold (0'c) but both, within an hour or so of being in were drenched in sweat. Got vets out, normal temps, resps etc. The verdict was something being ingested as nothing else changed apart from the paddock. Moved back to the old one and they stopped sweating.

 

[Anna*]

This.

But don't show symptoms. Same with heart murmurs.

Could it be something she is eating in the field? I ask because I had this with my two about 3 years ago. Nugz was unclipped and unrugged at the time and Rosie in a blacket clip but with a fleece. At the time it was cold (0'c) but both, within an hour or so of being in were drenched in sweat. Got vets out, normal temps, resps etc. The verdict was something being ingested as nothing else changed apart from the paddock. Moved back to the old one and they stopped sweating.

It could be, although she is out with several others and they're all okay. They have changed fields too this week and there hasn't been any change. Talking to the vet again tomorrow so will see what he says.

 

[dogatemysalad]

Op, you seem quite sensible about managing your mare so a couple of things occurred to me. Do you think, particularly with the mild colic, that she's stressed. Vet has been, so not a virus or infection.

I've had mares that were very sensitive about choosing a position where their stable was. She may be extra messy in her stable, although natives can be very stoic and give few signs away.
The sweating and colic could be due to her being unsettled and moving to another stable/ neighbour might make a difference.

Regarding the hay, have you seen those Lucie Brix by Simple Systems ? 1kg blocks of half oat straw and half hay are brilliant for slowing down and occupying good doers. Otherwise you could offer oat straw to supplement her hay ration or just soak and rinse her hay which would enable you to up the quantity.

 

[smellsofhorse]

I agree with more hay.

If you are worried about her getting fat, them soak it or mix it with straw etc so we won't run out but its lower feed value.

 

[starryeyed]

How does she get on with the horses around her? I know it's already been mentioned but if the walls have bars which can be seen through, it may be worth covering a side of a stable by hanging a rug or something over the bars just so that she has some privacy, as some horses (mares especially ime) do struggle with horses close by and can't relax.
We had to completely block up the bars between my mare and the neighbouring horse because although she has terrible separation anxiety, she couldn't cope with the horse next door constantly standing so close to her "space" - she's never been the subtle type but she was obviously unhappy overnight as although she'd seem perfectly happy when we left her, the wooden dividing wall was kicked to pieces every morning and she even destroyed some of the diving bars, the bed was all over the place (including out of the door) and she was covered in dried sweat marks. Now the horse next door is "hidden" she is much more relaxed, eats her feed, lies down to sleep and leaves the walls alone!
I do agree that more hay would probably be a good idea - my last horse was a very good doer and sounded a bit like yours in that he would eat as much as he could as fast as he could with no restraint - so we did a net of "easy access" hay for him to gobble, and then another net with poor quality hay that had been soaked for a long time - it had absolutely no goodness in it but it kept him busy and kept his digestive system working.

 

[Echo Bravo]

As a couple of poster have said could it be she's stressed out being next to horses she doesn't like?

 

[Anna*]

Op, you seem quite sensible about managing your mare so a couple of things occurred to me. Do you think, particularly with the mild colic, that she's stressed. Vet has been, so not a virus or infection.

I've had mares that were very sensitive about choosing a position where their stable was. She may be extra messy in her stable, although natives can be very stoic and give few signs away.
The sweating and colic could be due to her being unsettled and moving to another stable/ neighbour might make a difference.

Regarding the hay, have you seen those Lucie Brix by Simple Systems ? 1kg blocks of half oat straw and half hay are brilliant for slowing down and occupying good doers. Otherwise you could offer oat straw to supplement her hay ration or just soak and rinse her hay which would enable you to up the quantity.

Thank you for your reply. You are absolutely right. She is very stoic and I suspect that she has hidden this pretty well. The lucie bricks would be great - I'd forgotten about them and was about to order something similar that feedmark now do. I've also mixed in some oat straw with her net tonight and left some extra in her box.

She isn't currently near either of the horses she gets on with and LOATHS the elderly old pony next door. There is the opportunity for a move about in a week so I will make sure that she is next to her new friends. It's tricky when you move to a new yard. You have to just take what's there - I'm lucky that a move about is possible.

Interesting that starryeyed, you have suggested covering the bars with rugs. I actually did that this afternoon. She often seems to sleep but, since she hates one of her neighbours, didnt think it would hurt to hide him ;-)

Really good suggestions. Thank you everyone who has taken the time to reply