How to manage a very sweaty hot cob?

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booandellie

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Help! i'm not sure how to manage my sweaty cob, she has a blanket clip already and is currently out in the day either naked or with a no fill if i plan to ride. She is in at night currently naked. I ride 4/5 times a week for about 45 mins to an hour mostly hacking but there's lots of hills and she is coming back steaming even though i walk the last 10/15 minutes. I have never had such a sweaty horse so i don't know how to manage it without her getting a chill. Sweat rugs seem to make her hotter ( she travels better without a cooler, with cooler she pours with sweat literally). not sure whether i should sponge her down now or leave her to dry with a cooler on or indeed no cooler. The rides we do aren't fast- mostly walk and a little trot, occasional canter. at the moment i ride after work so she is in after i ride but when the clocks change i will ride in the morning and then turn out in her no fill- worried if i put a cooler on underneath she will be too hot- any advice?
 
I'd clip her out personally. That will give her a chance to cool down properly prior to being turned out. Then you can pop a lighly filled rug on her after giving a light sponging.
 
amymay said:
I'd clip her out personally. That will give her a chance to cool down properly prior to being turned out. Then you can pop a lighly filled rug on her after giving a light sponging.
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yes, so would I tbh, the hot ones are a lot easier to manage during the winter when you can get them dry again quickly.
 
Hi thanks, yes that's the problem- even after an hour she is still wet, with or without cooler rug but in the areas that she is already clipped and not all over and when I swap to morning rides I won't have time to wait for her to dry off before she goes out due to work. I figured if her rugs are breathable she would be best turned straight out to keep moving.
 
Full clip! Mine is fully clipped every winter and very rarely wears more than a 200g even at -12! She doesn't sweat excessively at all and this seems to have her just right. She's in a no fill rain sheet at night while turned out and is naked in the day still. I usually pop her in something with fill when we get to about 3 degrees or so.
 
Is she a bit of a worrier OP? I had a youngster (double whammy - was also a Welsh Cob so naturally quite anxious) who would be drenched in sweat after a ride even if it wasn't very strenuous. As he became more relaxed about everything he sweat much less.

I'd take everything off if I were you, too.
 
SpringArising said:
Is she a bit of a worrier OP? I had a youngster (double whammy - was also a Welsh Cob so naturally quite anxious) who would be drenched in sweat after a ride even if it wasn't very strenuous. As he became more relaxed about everything he sweat much less.

I'd take everything off if I were you, too.
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yes, my welsh got very warm in the lorry through stressing until she got the hang of it all (mentally)by doing weekly trips out.
Some of them do just seem to run quite warm. Mine gets really cold when she is wet, but otherwise seems to require a bit less rugging than others, even though she's not as woolly.
 
FfionWinnie said:
I would clip her out but I would also ask why is she getting so sweaty. Is she very fat, very unfit, or is there something else going on here.
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Fw she is overweight but i don't know if i'd say very fat, she is built like a tank but you can feel her ribs- my vet on first meeting her told me to keep an eye on her weight but then when he felt her ribs said she was deceptive. she has a massive barrel, she has an appley bum but no crest. The weigh tape doesn't give a measuremant as she is 'off scale'. I got her in spring and she was overweight when i got her but the plan is to get her weight down over winter but i do stress stress the vet wasn't overly concerned about it. she does a maintenance of 4/5 days a week which i have built up gradually since i got her when she had had the last winter off . i was planning on doing more trot work but am loath to at the moment with how sweaty she gets.
 
SpringArising said:
Is she a bit of a worrier OP? I had a youngster (double whammy - was also a Welsh Cob so naturally quite anxious) who would be drenched in sweat after a ride even if it wasn't very strenuous. As he became more relaxed about everything he sweat much less.

I'd take everything off if I were you, too.
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Spring arising no she isn't a worrier, she travels really well, we watch her on the camera, she just sweats with layers on but naked is fine.
 
I have a very sweaty cob. She's a picture of health, fit, and has never been overweight. But she gets absolutely boiling and always has done! I took all her mane and feather off and she's clipped out. She very rarely needs anything more than an unfilled lightweight T/O and wouldn't thank me for anything heavier!
 
Adorable alice she is 6, a heavyweight traditional cob with an immensely long and very very thick mane which i really couldn't bring myself to hog. Healthwise she's the picture of health, loves to be out and very forward going for a cob, definately not a plod.
 
I have the same issue with my 4 year old cob and she pretty much sweats when she sees her saddle, she is very fit but just a sweaty horse. I have fully clipped her already and plan to do it again as trying to keep her fit for a mock hunt. So this time, I will be taking everything off, head and legs and then when shes turned away, let it grow again. Shes in most of the time due to the wet weather at the moment but doesnt need a heavy rug either.

Put her mane into a running plait when you are working her to help cool her down.
 
booandellie said:
Adorable alice she is 6, a heavyweight traditional cob with an immensely long and very very thick mane which i really couldn't bring myself to hog. Healthwise she's the picture of health, loves to be out and very forward going for a cob, definately not a plod.
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I asked her age as I was thinking cushings if she was an older horse.
I would clip her right out and perhaps have her main plaited whilst she is ridden to allow the air to get to her neck. At this time of year as fast as you clip it will grow again.
 
I have one very similar who gets fully clipped, hogged and lives out in a no fill or 100g rug its never been cold enough to get up to 200g, she lives out all the time like that and she tells me when the rugs are too much by trashing them, I think she is just naturally a hot person not a cold one and she is also prone to weight gain so I prefer to leave her a little colder anyway provided she is cool before turning out.
 
Thankyou! good suggestion about the running plait too. she was clipped a few weeks ago and stood like a lamb so will get someone out to fully clip asap and see how we get on!
 
I always clip my horses right out but they are Arabs and even they are sweating when ridden it is unusually hot at the moment, but I heard that as the week goes on its getting much colder so it might be a solution to your problem, as lovely as it is riding at the end of October in a t shirt it just is not normal.
 
I would clip her out. I clip my hot cob out all year. We do endurance and he just gets too hot, even with his summer coat. In the winter he never has 200 gram on even when out at night. He is out naked tonight as brought him in this morning and he was sweaty under his lightweight no fill rug.
 
Thankyou for all the advice and tips, her hotness is a revelation to me as non of my others ever needed clipping at all!! I will get the rest off as soon as I can and see how she goes- it wasn't such a worry in summer as she was just sponged down and turned out, I was just worrying about her catching a chill now the weather is turning nippy!
 
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