How much does your horse sweat?

SEL

SEL

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Until my horse stopped sweating last summer I didn't even know it could happen. Started again last Autumn, but is 100% not sweating right now. Very annoying / worrying too in this weather.

I was told it was very rare in the UK and all the research was coming out of US states such as Florida, who have proper warm weather. I follow a few horsey blogs on FB though and recently one blogger commented about how fit her horse must be because she'd been jumping in the high 20s and he wasn't sweating. Then some of the kids from the yard went off to do a clinic and came back with 3 dripping horses and 1 dry horse - again the owner commented on how fit he must be. Surely in this heat and humidity everything that can sweat will sweat????

So a complete unscientific SEL survey here - who has a horse that is sweating when worked in heat and how fit are they?
 
Welsh - sweats under the saddle/girth and under the bridle. Some under her belly/boobs area. She's pretty fit to her work so we don't tend to get a lot more than that.
WB - is reluctant to put enough effort in :D but does sweat, same patterns as the welshie, also between her hind legs.

I'm sure there is more elsewhere but that's where they *look* wet.

Both worked in the school in hot weather, so schooling levels of exertion if that makes sense, rather than fast work up the gallops, say. Millie used to sweat on her neck a lot more than these 2 do. I'd either think I hadn't worked the horse at all, or that there was something wrong, if they didn't sweat during the hot weather.
 
milliepops said:
Welsh - sweats under the saddle/girth and under the bridle. Some under her belly/boobs area. She's pretty fit to her work so we don't tend to get a lot more than that.
WB - is reluctant to put enough effort in :D but does sweat, same patterns as the welshie, also between her hind legs.

I'm sure there is more elsewhere but that's where they *look* wet.

Both worked in the school in hot weather, so schooling levels of exertion if that makes sense, rather than fast work up the gallops, say. Millie used to sweat on her neck a lot more than these 2 do. I'd either think I hadn't worked the horse at all, or that there was something wrong, if they didn't sweat during the hot weather.
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Surprisingly my hairy highland has to do alot to sweat- and it's not because he is super fit! Where as little WHW Shetland breaks a sweat just standing in the warmth.
Recently though they have both been sweating with minimal exercise... this heat is insane!
 
Section D - reasonable level of fitness (comes back from fun rides ready to go again) - sweats buckets from every pore at any sign of work
 
I have 2 liveries I am involved with that are in work, older 13.2 pony doing mainly flatwork with riders of different abilities will sweat under saddle/ girth with all and between the back legs and some on his neck with the most capable one who gets him going fairly actively, he is as fit as he needs to be for the job and probably fitter than a lot of kids ponies.
The other is low level eventing and is fitter than you would think because he does sweat freely but recovers very quickly after xc. he sweats under the saddle/ girth, between his hind legs fairly heavily when schooled and came back from xc on Sun well covered in most places, he does have a fairly thick dense coat and would probably be best clipped if he does any more but is recovering well and enjoys a regular hose down.
 
21yo fit TB. Rode at 7.45am this morning, 10min warm up hack then in school for 40mins. He was sweaty under saddle/girth, most of his neck, between front legs and a bit around stifle area. I'd be very worried if my horse did not sweat in this weather!
 
Gelding doesnt over exert himself so even after a good session he will be a little sweaty under saddle/ girth area. Mare ... Took for a hack last night about 1900 and she came back dripping. She is very forward and 'hot headed' anyway and we are practising how to walk ... its novel for her she doesnt quiet get it! ... but to get that nice relaxed swinging walk she needs holding up and into a contact for a long time and even then she will never be an on the buckle type.
 
Lintel said:
Surprisingly my hairy highland has to do alot to sweat- and it's not because he is super fit! Where as little WHW Shetland breaks a sweat just standing in the warmth.
Recently though they have both been sweating with minimal exercise... this heat is insane!
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It's funny you should say that, out of five horses on our yard, Archie is the only one who hasn't been sweaty at night in their sauna like stables! He's not in work at the moment but he does sweat, however it's a lot less than other ponies I've owned.
 
Ive got a fairly fit part bred welsh mare that is white with sweat within 10 mins whenever we do something new/exciting. She is such a little stresshead she just gets herself in a tizz!
 
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My little PBA sweats in the normal areas, under saddle and girth mainly either when the weather is hot or doing hard work (not so much now she's partially retired).

The other two sweat at the drop of a hat, if it's warm, cold, minus seven hundred :rolleyes3:. Topaz in particular can be foamy without doing much, despite being in moderate work (training PSG at home competing AM/ Advanced), with her I think it is connected to anxiety. When she feels more stressed she will sweat more, so an indoor venue will have her foamy from just a trot round...

Never had one who doesn't sweat, though the PBA has a random sweat patch on her bum which has been put down to damaged nerves from an old kick injury.
 
The highlands, one - 8- is doing limited work, not overly fit, and sweats after 20 minutes of school work, or 40 minutes of slow hacking in the day time (but not if we ride at 9pm). Fergus (who is 12) is pretty fit, can do 15 minutes of solid canter work in the arena, or hack out at proper speeds happily in the heat, but will come back very sweated up, pretty much all over. The mare only sweats under her saddle out hacking, but in the arena, will be very wet and foamy if she's been stick and balling in the heat. I'd say she's fit - not 3DE fit, but pretty decently fit for the average amateur owned 5 y/old.
 
Diva gets damp sweaty patches on her neck and shoulders just stood in at the moment. She is overweight, which I am constantly battling. I haven’t been able to work her for the last couple of weeks as it’s too hot for her,

Polly gets very sweaty just stood in and she will sweat a lot if worried or tense.

Millie has been getting ridden about 6pm and has slight damp patches under her saddle and girth area afterwards, but that’s all. Me, on the other hand...!
 
My WB doesn’t believe in working hard enough to really sweat. He’s the non sweatiest least hairiest horse I know.

After a lesson (although at 23 he’s no longer schooled) he would come away with a lightly damp girth whilst I’d look like I’d just had a shower!
 
Mary doesn't really sweat. She can get slightly damp under her saddle and girth, but with the walk and trot hacks we're doing at the minute, she comes back as dry as a bone despite the heat.
 
Cob cross mare in reasonable work (interval fitness training, fast hacks and schooling/lunging properly) sweats buckets. Very laid back so don't think it's a stress related thing. Currently blanket clipped which does the trick, although she will still be sweaty under the saddle. HATES the heat! In winter she grows a full on yeti coat but will rarely sweat even in the same amount of work.
 
JJS said:
Mary doesn't really sweat. She can get slightly damp under her saddle and girth, but with the walk and trot hacks we're doing at the minute, she comes back as dry as a bone despite the heat.
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Does she seem to struggle at all? My one who has stopped sweating will pant heavily in faster work in the heat and I can see veins standing out.

I'm really interested to see the difference in people's horses. I'm obviously backing off doing too much work in the heat but then I hear of other horses not sweating much and wonder whether I'm over reacting.
 
Tartine always gets sweaty under the saddle cloth, her neck and her flank; she isn’t doing much at the moment.

Blitz is constantly moist all over at the moment; he gets at least 1 shower a day to ensure the sweat isn’t laying next to his skin. When being schooled he sweats profusely under the saddle cloth (soaking through the cloth), neck, flank, between the legs. He runs with sweat down his face and over his haunches till he is literally dripping. He does work quite hard, with lots of canter work at the moment, but still only for 30-45 mins at a time.

Although it is raining today, for the past few weeks it has been high 20’s, low 30’s, but in the school, which is in full sun, temps are often over 40 mid afternoon.
 
Henry is a very sweaty betty! At first, i thought it was because he was so overweight and unfit, but now he's a perfect weight and very fit and still sweats buckets, though not as much as he used to. He'll be sweaty under his headcollar pretty quickly after putting it on, and is always sweaty under bridle/saddle/girth. If it's warm he also gets sweaty on his head and neck, and between his back legs.

I also find that he gets incredibly sweaty (dripping and foaming everywhere) whenever he gets himself worked up, excited or stressed. This means that bizarrely, he often gets sweatier standing or walking/trotting out hunting than he does when we are cantering ;) (we are working on chilling him out, but it's slow progress because I can't get out as often as I'd like).
 
Most of mine sweat if necessary, but the yearling and 2yo have never really had need to. However on a really hot day when the adults were sweating the 2yo was not but was heavily panting and was brought in. I don't think i have ever seen her sweat, so i did worry about this! Shes 100% american breeding, but both parents sweat. Its something i deffo keep an eye on.
 
It's interesting that for some it seems to relate to fitness Frank has always sweated a lot regardless of how fit he has been at the time. He's never been the sort that likes the heat either.
 
My mare looks like she’s had a shower when we finish a session (as do I!)

I would get yours checked OP as it can be a sign of heatstroke in humans....
 
Dave is "tacky" just standing in the field, but he does like to stand in the full sun.

In work, he sweats under saddle & girth & under the headpiece of his bridle.

We're not working THAT hard yet, so will report back.

Oh & he will be running sweat coming off a hot lorry or if he is stressed.
 
Dave's Mam said:
Dave is "tacky" just standing in the field, but he does like to stand in the full sun.

In work, he sweats under saddle & girth & under the headpiece of his bridle.

We're not working THAT hard yet, so will report back.

Oh & he will be running sweat coming off a hot lorry or if he is stressed.
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That sounds like Militaire - he comes off lorries foaming, which always makes me feel bad. He's another for standing in the sun and I've had to start washing the baggy skin under his armpits because the sweat was making them a bit horrible. Trouble is the non-sweaty one then stands with him.

The OP’s horse has anhydrosis.
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She does indeed. Its a breakdown in the central nervous system and it was trauma that caused it initially. The re-start last year was when our farmer felled 50 trees in quick succession and each and every time she jumped and cantered off - that gave her central nervous system a jolt and got the sweating going again. I was really hoping it would be permanent, but had my doubts when she tied-up in Feb without any sweating. Its very, very obvious now. We rode with a much fitter horse at 7am this morning and he was soaked under his numnah. We had a tiny bit of damp by one of the girth buckles.

Casey76 - sounds like Blitz is at the other end of the scale! I've actually had to ask for advice on how much salt to feed as obviously she isn't sweating it out. I think I'd prefer your problem of it pouring out when its this hot though!!
 
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