Horses who live out- Cooling off after work

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poiuytrewq

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What do you do with no stable and your hot sweaty horse?
Alfie is living out but he is in a pen with a shelter part time (currently still day time) so i could potentially shut him in it but atm it has no gate. I will clip him as he's getting sweaty doing very little already. I usually ride a while before he go's back out in the field so eg- today I've ridden, washed and he had a Airmax Cooler underneath a LW turnout. When he go's back out in the field I'll switch to a proper turnout by which time he will be dry.

I could carry on like this, It's not a hassle and I would always switch rugs day and night anyway. I know decent turnouts are designed to be wicking anyway but just wondering how owners of other live out horses manage this?
The Airmax is actually too small so I need to get a bigger one or a better option.


My other horse has a stable so just wears a thermatex for a while after... easy!!
 
I've been really fancying an airmax liner and it sounds like they'd be a good investment! I tend to leave them until they've cooled, untack slowly etc, and then put the turnout on. If they're really damp then I'd put a fleece on underneath for an hour or so but that's fairly rare.
 
Squeak said:
I've been really fancying an airmax liner and it sounds like they'd be a good investment! I tend to leave them until they've cooled, untack slowly etc, and then put the turnout on. If they're really damp then I'd put a fleece on underneath for an hour or so but that's fairly rare.
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I got my first one for £10 years ago in a second hand sale.
They are just so light and dry quickly.
 
Waffle cooler under the turnout, then come back later and whip it off- sounds similar to your liner setup, which is probably tidier than my mish mash of rugs!
I also don't wash off unless it's a warm day or they're very muddy- I let them dry off and brush off the salt/mud later to avoid shocking them with cold water on a chilly day. If they're lagged in mud I quarter the rug while sponging off the worst areas.
 
From a different perspective, just in case somebody reads this thread in the future with field-kept non-rugged hairy ponies, I bib-clip or take off most of the neck to reduce risk of sweating in the first place and ride in the mornings so that they have the whole day to dry off before the temperatures dropped, and even took the daytime temperature into account and adjusted my riding accordingly. The aim was to reduce any sweating to minimum and allow natural drying to happen.
 
I ride before work, and have an currently unclipped horse. He's fairly fit so doesnt get dripping.

I walk the last 25 minutes. When back I loosen girth, take saddle off, towel dry any dampness. Sponge off any sweat marks with a non rinse product in water.

Generally by the time I have picked out feet (and put hoof clay in), put tack away and tidied up, horse is dry enough to turn back out (mostly naked as mild at moment).
 
SpeedyPony said:
Waffle cooler under the turnout, then come back later and whip it off- sounds similar to your liner setup, which is probably tidier than my mish mash of rugs!
I also don't wash off unless it's a warm day or they're very muddy- I let them dry off and brush off the salt/mud later to avoid shocking them with cold water on a chilly day. If they're lagged in mud I quarter the rug while sponging off the worst areas.
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This is what I do too.

When their wet with rain I do the same if I feel they need rugging.
 
I have found a Airmax in a sale in the right size! Now i have to go look at this dry liner instead!


It does look perfect, However I am on a bit of a budget and having found the airmax on sale i think i may just go with that.
 
Parrotperson said:
Just clipped the one I ride cos he was so sweaty and itchy he was v uncomfortable. Then drying isn’t a problem.

Years ago (many many. This is when god was a boy!) we used to put straw under a rug so they could get an airflow!! How times have changed.
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I remember someone at my first yard showing us how to do that! I loved it. Packing my pony up with straw, it it thatching?
I’m not going to do that now though 😂
 
In these days of millions of online horse shops I don't know what I'd do without Hho to find the good products 😁 sweat spray looks like just the ticker. At the moment my hairy unclipped unrugged just gets chucked out after an armpit sponge and microfibre clothing. She doesn't seem that sweaty even when keeping up with the 16hand horses on our hacks.
 
I just turn mine out. He can walk about, eat, roll, walk about and eat yet more. He’s in a good field with shelter from all sides. Thinking about it, horses in the wild that get sweaty don’t have anyone to put rugs on them and fuss about, do they. Pack of wolves chase them for miles, they get sweaty, they deal with it. No one tucks them up in a nice stable with a rug on.
I have a Pony Club book from decades ago that recommends turning a sweaty pony out to eat, roll, walk about. Seems reasonable to me.
He’s not clipped (yet). This is his first year living out since I’ve owned him. May or may not do low trace clip or something along those lines if he stays in work. Will then have to rug. But it’s all a bit up in the air at the moment.
 
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Mine is kept clipped right out regularly so however sweaty he gets by the time he’s been washed off, quick towel dry if necessary and had a cooler chucked over whilst he eats his feed he’s normally good to have a turnout back on and go. I do like the look of the airmax liners though- @poiuytrewq would you mind sharing where you found one in a sale if there were any 6’3 (or would get away with a 6’ I think) left?
 
whirlwind said:
Mine is kept clipped right out regularly so however sweaty he gets by the time he’s been washed off, quick towel dry if necessary and had a cooler chucked over whilst he eats his feed he’s normally good to have a turnout back on and go. I do like the look of the airmax liners though- @poiuytrewq would you mind sharing where you found one in a sale if there were any 6’3 (or would get away with a 6’ I think) left?
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Sadly no they only had 6'9 which is what I need. A place called Park Farm Oakley- Never heard of it before but they are £67 as opposed to £80/£100
Look on FB market place though, I looked there first and there were a few good looking 6'3 which i was annoyed about! Message me if you cant find and I'll have another look. I'd say they are on the smaller side a bit so If you usually need 6'3 I'd not size down.
Patterdale said:
Full clip. All mine live out in one of the harshest coastal areas, they are all clipped and all do very well.
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Yes, I will be clipping, I hate it so much I'm just putting it off 😬 I figured If i can hold out for more winter coat I wont be re-clipping again as soon. I may bite the bullet and get them done over the weekend as the weather looks decent and Mr P is working anyway.
 
finntack.com

Horseware Dry Liner

Designed to eliminate rugging wait time whilst maximising your horse`s comfort after excercise. With the dry liner you can use the Horseware turnout after exerc
finntack.com finntack.com

For anyone interested. It does look really good and I found this at a decent price. I'd buy but its not big enough
 
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