How soon after exercising do you turn out?

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bluestar

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I was just wondering how long you leave your horse to cool down after a good work out? I used to leave mine for quite a while to cool down, have a drink and eat some hay, however, i have seen people turn their horse out (with and without rugs) almost as soon as the tacks off. I've always been brought up to understand that a horse needs time to cool first. Maybe I'm just getting old? :rolleyes:
 
as long as my horse isnt sweating or blowing i will turn her out, if shes cooled off properly i will bring her on the yard untack, go and get her a treat and turn out. the time i take just putting my tack away and getting a treat gives her at least 5 mins to settle again before being turned out
 
As long as the horse isn't sweaty, I'd turn them out as soon as I could. There is really nothing to gain by leaving the horse stood in, in fact its better for the legs to be gently moving around than standing still in a stable...
 
bluestar said:
I was just wondering how long you leave your horse to cool down after a good work out? I used to leave mine for quite a while to cool down, have a drink and eat some hay, however, i have seen people turn their horse out (with and without rugs) almost as soon as the tacks off. I've always been brought up to understand that a horse needs time to cool first. Maybe I'm just getting old? :rolleyes:
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This in one of the differences that I was referring to in another of my posts between where I used to live and where I do now, where I used to live I would have been horse whipped if I got off and turned straight out, but in general that is what I do now, unless I ride and ebony is sweaty, in which case I sponge/bath then turn out. I always turn her out asap, because she has always (except this year) hated being stabled, to a point where she would have been more worked up and heated than when she went in. So as a rule for her, it is tack off and out in field, but with ben who loves to chillax in his stable, I will probably leave for 20 mins 1/2 hour because it will do him no harm to be in.
 
my horses are always cooled down before i get off, and if they are a bit sweaty i sponge them down. Turn out either naked damp or out on a fleece to dry off if its cold and im rugging. So in the summer they've gone out pretty quick
 
I tend to take tack off, give her a quick groom/sponge if need be then try to wait about 15 minutes before turning her out. If we've been out for a light hack and done no more than a few short bursts of trot as soon as her tacks off she's free to go out. Plus if I'm feeding after she's been ridden I wait so she's had half an hour at grass to get her stomach working again before giving her her feed. (Note it's normally only chaff unless its been a hard day then I'll keep her in for about half an hour before turning out. To then feed half an hour later)

Edit: She is prone to tying up however so could be a little different to everybody else's methods :)
 
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I have been known, in torrential rain, to ride back past the field, put horse in, remove tack, carry tack back to tack room.

OP, what happens if your horse has a hoon about and gets hot and sweaty in the field? Does it put itself in the stable to cool?! ;)
 
We only take leisurely hacks out on Bertie for 1 - 2 hours so he doesn't get too hard a workout. I generally turnout as soon as I have brushed / hosed his saddle patch, picked his feet out and put my tack away. I never feel that he needs to be stabled before turnout. :)
 
I'd never get off until horse was cooled down/not blowing and muscles relaxed so no problem turning out after, better to be mooching round the field keeping muscles loose with a rug than stood in stiffening up. Had to rethink with new boy though as he doesn't yet walk after canter so harder to cool off! He also hops out of stable to turn himself out if I leave unattended. Tend to walk off in hand, then turn out. If he's sweaty i'll rinse if warm enough and leave under a fleece or sheet to dry off in the field moving about.
 
Honey08 said:
As long as the horse isn't sweaty, I'd turn them out as soon as I could. There is really nothing to gain by leaving the horse stood in, in fact its better for the legs to be gently moving around than standing still in a stable...
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Ditto.

I don't do all the hosing ect, they wouldn't get hosed down in the wild after running away from predators, I let mine cool off naturally and turn out.
 
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My boys get chucked out straight after being ridden, I prefer them to be moving about than standing in after exercise. That is unless I have to ride in the evening and it's winter, in which case they stay in stables overnight but I ensure they've had plenty of cool down time!
 
bluestar said:
I was just wondering how long you leave your horse to cool down after a good work out? I used to leave mine for quite a while to cool down, have a drink and eat some hay, however, i have seen people turn their horse out (with and without rugs) almost as soon as the tacks off. I've always been brought up to understand that a horse needs time to cool first. Maybe I'm just getting old? :rolleyes:
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Probably not as old as me - I was always taught to cool the horse down before putting it in the stable.
 
If they are going back out after I ride then as soon as possible. Quick sponge off if they're a bit sweaty. Its good to be moving around the field and keeping the circulation going.

That said I never gallop around and then jump straight off, they always have a bit of a cool down ridden anyway, or in the walker at the very least.
 
I aim to turn out asap. If for any reason I can't turn out after I've schooled I ensure I give my horse a 'proper' cool down period when finishing with lots of stretching (not so bothered when hacking as I always walk the last 15 mins anyway). I believe that mooching around field will be better for horses' muscles then standing relatively still in stable.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Probably not as old as me - I was always taught to cool the horse down before putting it in the stable.
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The old "loosen the girth a hole or two and walk the last half mile home" mantra?

Me too.

I have to admit that I do sponge off sweaty backs and girths simply because I hate to see sweat marks on horses turned out, and it's easier than brushing off dried sweat next time. If the horse isn't being fed then it goes straight out.
 
A lot depends on the horse and the condition he is in when he returns from work.

Yesterday I turned two horses that had been led straight out on y way back from the ride, whilst the three ridden horses were put in the stable to have the sweat brushed off.

I hate seing horses turned out still wearing sweaty saddles and bridles!

I did have one horse that when he returned from hunting he was very wound up and would not settle so, he would have 10 minutes turned out when he returned from hunting and this relaxed him - he was then bathed down with hot water and would happily settle. This went against the grain with me to turn a hot tired horse out but with him it was the best thing.
 
I cool mine down whilst I'm on her, untack, hose or sponge any sweat off because it attracts flies and put her out. Much better to be out in the field moving around than stuck in.
If there is no turnout out, in the winter, I would do the same as above then put her on the walker for a little while
 
I run them a hot bath, with a bath-bomb (I like lavender & cucumber flavour), scrub their backs and armpits.

Then, they come in and have a set & blowdry, have a french manicure and then they get a dressing gown and go out and sip a cocktail of grass and clover.
 
By the time I've untacked, hosed legs, given them a flick with a brush, offered a bit of water, smacked on some hay and some neck stretches I bob them back out, but I've never returned with them blowing or very sweaty anyway, guess it depends on what work you've been doing, school work in a warm indoor will create a hot horse so providing they have been walked off, washed down and towel dried and turned out I don't see a problem, rather than being stood in a stable which I consider worse.
 
Pedantic said:
Ditto.

I don't do all the hosing ect, they wouldn't get hosed down in the wild after running away from predators, I let mine cool off naturally and turn out.
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You're quite right, they wouldn't get a wash after getting sweaty in the wild - but they also wouldn't get tack put on over the (now dried) sweaty areas that might rub and/or cause irritation . . . which is why I always sponge him off. He's in all day anyway (out all night) so I rug or not rug depending on the weather and leave him to munch haylage and have a snooze.

Also, I was taught to cool off the horse's muscles before dismounting - so Kal gets a gentle walk at the end of every working session until he is no longer blowing/puffing.

P
 
I was always taught that it was better to turn the horse straight out after a quick rubdown so that they can roll and have a drink.

The reason being that if you keep them in and feed them in time they begin to anticipate the feed and don't bother to have the drink - increasing the risk for colic
 
SpottedCat said:
I have been known, in torrential rain, to ride back past the field, put horse in, remove tack, carry tack back to tack room.

OP, what happens if your horse has a hoon about and gets hot and sweaty in the field? Does it put itself in the stable to cool?! ;)
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Same here but why are horses coming back in sweaty now? Don't any of you cool your horses down in the last ten minutes of work to allow their muscles to cool down naturally?
The old adage of walking at least the first and last mile of work still holds very true even if you are in a school, anything less is bad management and very slapdash and unprofessional.
 
PolarSkye said:
You're quite right, they wouldn't get a wash after getting sweaty in the wild - but they also wouldn't get tack put on over the (now dried) sweaty areas that might rub and/or cause irritation . . .

P
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That's a lame excuse and the height of laziness if they aren't brushed clean before riding at least on parts that tack comes into contact with. Appalling stable management if that happens anywhere, the riders should be ashamed of themselves for causing at the very least, irritation if not downright suffering.
 
wow, lots of replys and different ideas :-)

With mine, I used to always let them have a drink, and sponge them off/give them a good brush, and make sure they were'nt too sweaty before turning them out. I did'nt mean I'd keep them in for hours ;-) I just felt that turning them out if they were still sweaty was a bit mean. However, as some of you have said, if they were in the wild they wouldnt get brushed. :o

Altho getting my last horse to even break a sweat would have taken a rocket up his bum! LOL :p
 
I always make sure i cool off before bringing back to untack and then I spend about half hour grooming her but have been known to do this for up to an hour as they have adlib hay in their paddock so I'm petrified that if they go back too early 'they WILL get colic and die' :p (slight exaggeration) but I am generally paranoid about these things ;) xx
 
I would never bring my horse back to the yard blowing and covered in sweat so he's cooled down anyway. I just sponge off any sweaty marks made by the tack, make a bit of a fuss of him and then turn him out.
 
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