Sweaty unclipped horses

[Woodland]

Hi
I only ride my mare once or twice a week this time of the year so not bothered to get her clipped out. She lives out 24/7 so when I return from hacking, she is warm/sweaty (not dripping) she gets her lightweight Weatherbeeta on and chucked back out in the field again. Now other liveries have started to moan saying that she could get a chill, whereas I think the rug is breathable and she is moving about in the field all day whilst she cools off. What does everyone else think? I am wrong?

 

[dozzie]

I think they are right. You would be almost better not to put a rug on at all. Let the horse out to roll and dry naturally if its a dry day. Horses seem to dry much more quickly without a rug on. Certainly i find horses that live out and go out even when hot are less likely to get a chill than those cooped up in a stable with millions of rugs. Just remember, in the wild if they sweated up they wouldnt have a rug to stop the air drying them! They would dry quickly and naturally. Even with my clipped TB horse, if shes sweaty i will turn her out to roll and dry. Then I bring her in about an hour later to brush her off and rug her up- but I only rug her up when shes dry. This has worked for me for thirty years!!( not with this horse- shes not that old!!!)

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

Hi there,
I would consider clipping your mare even with riding just twice a week, and/or waiting for her to cool off and dry out before rugging her and putting her out.

 

[loobylu]

I was always 'taught' that unclipped sweaty horses should be turned out straight away (obviously you walk them home anyway so breathing normal and cooled off) but, thinking about it, if the rug is breathable then surely it won't do any harm. If he is warm when you check him and holds condition I wouldn't worry.

 

[henryhorn]

I had a long disagreement with someone today who wants her horse (unclipped) sponged down his rug stuck back on and turned straight out. I would prefer he is rugged in the stable until dry, then his outdoor rug went on and he went out.
For the life of me I can't see this will do anything but provide perfect conditions for rainrash.. I don't like putting rugs on damp or wet horses!
As he isn't ours I have to do it their way, but I feel it's not the best method.
We used to thatch our horses backs with a thin layer of hay under their outdoor rug years ago, by morning it would have all dropped out and they had bone dry backs....

 

[Tierra]

My horse is also unclipped and in a reasonable amount of work (worked 5 / 6 days a week for an hour and he's competition fit. I also compete without clipping.)

I understand where you are coming from in that the newer rugs are breathable but I still cant come to terms with throwing a rug on a damp horse. As someone else mentioned - it screams of warm damp, lovely conditions for nasty bacterial type organisms

I either walk him off until he's dry (the remainder of him then dries off whilst I groom) or I hot cloth him immediatly after untacking (hot water, cap ful of savlon and a towel wrung out til its almost dry). Even with his winter coat, if he then has a cooler on, he's usually dry in 10 minutes or so.

Now to be fair, he probably has less coat than yours... he doesnt grow much of a winter coat anyway and due to his aversion to being clipped, I rug early and it minimises his coat growth but I honestly wouldnt be happy throwing a rug straight back on him while he was still damp.

 

[GatefieldHorses]

Give your horse a chaser clip or sumthing if you dont wish to do that, put a cooler on her until she is dry.
Putting a rug on when shes wet is like you having a shower, puttin on a coat so it gets wet on the inside then goin and standing outside.
Not pleasant

 

[Skhosu]

I have an unclipped pony, I don't do enough work to make him sweaty (more than very slightly dampe anyway)! which includes an hour of games.
Perhaps build up her work more gradually as she could be sweating as not as fit as she could be?
If you are only riding once/twice a week it might be worth reducing her workload or clipping (even a bib clip)
I don't put rugs on wet horses, as if it is waterproof one way, surely it is waterproof the other way?

 

[pottamus]

Well my boy is unclipped and rugged. He sweats on our rides because we do an hours hacking at trot up steep hills. But for the last mile downhill I walk him so he cools down and is just wet. He tends to sweat on his neck and belly more than anywhere else, so by the time I get back he has cooled. I dry off the saddle area and the worst of the sweat with a towel, put his rug on and stick him back out....oh how terrible I hear you all say...but I have never known him have any ill effects from this because the worst of the wet is exposed to the air to dry anyway and at the same time, his barrel, where his important organs are are kept warm.
Works for me...I may get shot down for doing it but he has been fine with this for 3 winters.

 

[PoppyPony]

the pony i used to ride was unclipped and in a fair amount of work, i found a fleece wicking type rug to be really helpful, i would ride, then fleece on, then do jobs,then he would be nice and dry so i could rug him and put him to bed

 

[WelshRareBit]

Murphy is unclipped and when we hack he does get sweaty, what I do is untack and stick his cooler on-perhaps under a rug if its cold, then wander about putting tack away, fill haynet, make food up, chat (lol) and then once thats all done he can have his food and I find after that he's dry anyway.
Personally I hate putting him out without him being dry, only once I did it and then it was just his saddle patch and neck that was wet and I felt awful - I dont know why but I imagine being sweaty and then (still sweaty) having a thick rug put on me and being turned out - just think it would feel uncomfortable. BUT that said I dont think it could cause TOO much damage...
Think its just personal choice really...

 

[AmyMay]

Not the route I would go down. Personally I would get a little belly clip done. Warm horses, rugs and turnout don't mix IMO.

 

[filly190]

The breathable rugs are excellent, however if you think about when the horses are out and the day gets hotter and hotter they can come in sweating under their rugs. I'm talking about spring, autum etc when its difficult to guage the weather and we pop on a turnout just in case and then the blumming weather changes.

The point I am making is, if the horse is already quite sweaty the rug does not particular aid the drying process.

My mare is only ridden at weekends, unclipped and I try not to get her too sweaty, which I think is what you are doing. I tend to turn her out if its a dry day for a roll and let her dry off. If however the weather is horrible, I pop her in the stable and thatch her with straw to dry off for an hour and then pop the rug on and turn her out.

I think its down to common sense and you are obviously taking great care of your horse and being sensible.

 

[Woodland]

Thanks for all your comments peeps, as much as i'd like to keep her in until she dries she would quite happily pop over the stable gate hence why she lives out, so im going to get a little bib clip done and see how hot she gets then. Thanks for all your advice, much appreciated.

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

I think a little bib clip will do wonders, mine just has an irish clip, as she gets sweaty when ridden and it really helps her stay cooler and dry quicker

 

[SpruceRI]

On the plus side, these days the rugs are so good that you can give your horse a full clip and they can still live out.