Riding a WET horse ???

I towel mine where the saddle goes and ride. She comes back dry. Not had any issues. She lives out and is not rugged so would be severely restricted if I did not do this. She is better off getting exercise than not.
 
Cocorules said:
I towel mine where the saddle goes and ride. She comes back dry. Not had any issues. She lives out and is not rugged so would be severely restricted if I did not do this. She is better off getting exercise than not.
Click to expand...

this.

i presume that you are talking about a wet horse not a wet and muddy horse. If there was wet mud where the tack goes then thats different - it could make them very sore.
 
I don't like to ride them wet - I feel like it would cause discomfort - imagine putting your clothes on and going for a run when you've just got out of the shower...

I have a really handy fly rug which has a waterproof top so when I plan on riding in the summer I pop that on to keep them dry if it looks like it could rain.

If we get caught out I will try and speed up the process by towel drying and/or wait until they're as dry as possible. If soaked through and lacking time I would rather just lunge or loose school.
 
I wouldn't like to do it everyday but I have no problem riding a clean wet horse if needs be. I would try and get as much of the wet off as possible with a towel and I use a sheepskin numnah so would like to think that will help to wick the moisture away while riding.

If wet and muddy it's a bit different, if I couldn't get them clean enough I probably wouldn't ride.
 
As long as they're just wet and not muddy, I'll towel off saddle and girth area and ride as normal.

I ride often enough in the rain when we both get soaked to the skin.

this year the weather has been absolutely awful. If I only ride when it (or my pony) was dry, I wouldn't be riding very much at all!
 
I wonder if any of the posters saying they wouldn't ride a wet horse live in Wales, or Manchester, or Cumbria?

Horses are not made of sugar. Get the mud off them as best you can, and crack on. They only go and roll in the worst mud hole they can find afterwards anyway!
 
I do, a wet but clean one, and if he is not clean I will wash the mud off and towel dry. I do use a numnah, and put the saddle on 10 minutes early, so it all warms up.

I agree with the poster that says it is just like sweat, when eventing they can be soaking under the saddle, as long as I give his back time to warm up it is no different.
 
If horse is fit and not covered in mud as well then yes. If horse is unfit or covered in mud then no. I will longrein in these circumstances though as roller doesn't have to be tight and generally only walk and trot, working on bend and contact etc

It also depends on what is happening to the horse afterwards as well. If they are going back out or staying in, being rugged etc.
 
I live in Wales and it's not THAT bad here! I was always told at pony club that the only thing you shouldn't do to a wet horse is brush it. If mine are wet and muddy (not unusual :rolleyes:) I hose off the mud, towel dry and crack on. If just wet, I wipe them down to get any excess water or bits of grass / leaf etc off.
 
Like others have said, I hose down the horses in the summer (40 degrees C) and just dry where the saddle and girth goes (as well as bridle areas, behind ears etc).

But I'm not too keen on the smell of wet horse so it's not my favourite way to ride :D
 
Get mud off, ride. If riding a wet (non-muddy) horse were a real problem, no endurance rider would ever leave the first vet gate. However, good gear is sensible: in my case, plentiful dead sheep.
 
I have no qualms tacking up (with a good saddle cloth) and riding a wet (not dirty) horse.

When i event or have more than one class, if its warm i'll un tack wash the horse off and re tack off often still wet/ damp.
 
Interested in this thread! For those who say towel off first, why do you do this? (serious question) - presumably you can't get the horse completely dry by doing this so why is it better to be damp rather than wet? And does it matter if by towelling you rub the hair in the wrong direction?
 
I occasionally have to bath in winter. After I will tack up and ride as a way of warming my horse up quickly. He has made it to old age with this treatment.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top