keeping a horse cool whilst on box rest

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Horsekaren

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Its looking to be a hot weekend and my boy is a naturally hot horse anyway.
We have no electricity so i cant use a fan.

What can i do to stop him from overheating?

all ideas welcome
 
I have stall guards across the front of my stables which lets a bit of a breeze in but I can't use them with one of my horses as he just walks through them. You could try fixing a couple of slip rails to the door frame to let in some air.

When my mare was on box rest at a different yard many years ago during a very hot summer we just kept on regularly spraying her with the hose (no need to scrape the water off).
 
Mine's on box rest too and last Saturday was horribly hot. I washed her down a couple of times with a sponge which seemed to help, spent the next morning grooming the scanky bits out of her which she seemed to appreciate... If I was you I'd be keeping him at horspital too, I don't have that option and she's on her tod (but coping OK BTW but she is very stoic).
 
Its being done this afternoon on our yard so he will be in until Sunday afternoon. Its the local vets doing this, there practice wouldn't keep him over the weekend plus he would be entirely alone as its a small practice.

Bucket and Sponge it is :)

Does anyone know if putting wet towels over them helps or does this just trap heat
 
Horsekaren said:
Its being done this afternoon on our yard so he will be in until Sunday afternoon. Its the local vets doing this, there practice wouldn't keep him over the weekend plus he would be entirely alone as its a small practice.

Bucket and Sponge it is :)

Does anyone know if putting wet towels over them helps or does this just trap heat
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I think it will trap heat - much more effective to let the water evaporate. Bucket and sponge is a sensible idea though.
 
Bucket and sponge regular.

Perhaps some apples in his water bucket to encourage him to drink plenty. You're not too far from me and we are forecast cloudy and overcast both days at around 21 degrees. He should be fine :) good luck for later.
 
Horsekaren said:
Its being done this afternoon on our yard so he will be in until Sunday afternoon. Its the local vets doing this, there practice wouldn't keep him over the weekend plus he would be entirely alone as its a small practice.

Bucket and Sponge it is :)

Does anyone know if putting wet towels over them helps or does this just trap heat
Click to expand...

Have you got uninsulated wooden stables direct in the sun or something? Because it’s only going to be low 20’s this weekend! If so is a tiny leccy pen in the outside shade an option?

I’ve always wondered if soaking a rug and putting it on would help. Probably.
 
I’m wondering if anyone makes cool coats for horses, like the purple one the JRT is currently sporting? Can’t see why they can’t be scaled up, though they’d be a bit of a faff to put on. They work by evaporation, and stay wet and cool for hours.

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Do the stables get hot, are they outdoor? You could buy one of those stable door guards. They let in a lot more air.
Well.. depending how sensible he is.. one of mine is brilliant and won't touch it, the other one is naughty and will rip it apart so isn't allowed one.
Don't panic to much weather is predicted to be 20-22 degrees, which isn't that hot considering we had 30 degrees not long ago!

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Ive had mine in this afternoon whilst waiting for the dentist, the stall guard does let a lot more air through and it was noticeably cooler than with the door shut. I would fit one if you can and sponge down at regular intervals through the day. It is supposed to be a bit cooler tomorrow though
 
We put those windscreen reflectors up against roof skylights. They bounce the sun back out. We also have bars or chains across the doors so they can be left open. We sponge them down twice a day and leave them wet. We also have fans, but i know youve no electricity and im always nervous of leaving them unattended anyway. i have considered putting a damp/wet summer sheet on them.
 
Well the bucket and sponge idea worked a treat.
We didn't quiet make 48 hours :( but we managed about 40hrs then he threw a tantrum on sunday morning.
Rehab starts today-in hand hack, tomorrow in hand hack with saddle, Thursday hack with me on board, same Friday and then trot on the weekend, and chiro booked for saturday.

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As for stable grills, will a full grill stop them from being able to rear up and bend it? im worried because when he did that to the weave grill the fixture came out and could have impaled him :'(
 
I have an insert for my weave grill that drops in when I need to secure the door, which effectively makes a full grill, only I don't have to keep lifting it off.
I have to use it to leave one of mine in on her own, otherwise she tries to come over the door. The full grill does stop her trying to get too close so I do think they are effective and safer than just a weave grill. Bit miserable when they can't see out properly but needs must sometimes.
 
In the past, I've used a wet cotton sheet but when it's really hot, the sheet gets warm and dries fairly quickly, so needs to be checked regularly in case the horse becomes too hot or cold.
In an ideal world, the best solution would be to electric fence off a small area under a tree.
 
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