what do you do with your sweaty unclipped horses?

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Jericho

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Ok I know the ideal thing to do is to walk around with a cooler on until dry but after a 90 mins hack with my boy today he got pretty hot (he is unclipped but as I only ride him once a week dont think its worth it to get him clipped and he usually doesnt get that hot).

By the time we got home he was cool but still wet and 20 mins later was still not really any different so I chucked him out in field with his m/w TO on - he wandered off and had a good roll and a drink but I was worried about him being wet from sweat still? I come from the old school of thatching a horse etc but wondered if that is still the current trend? (and I simply didnt have the time to do today!)

I gave him a good brush and changed his rug when I bought him back in for his tea this evening - no ill effects? just wondered what anyone else did, particularly if pressed for time? do you just chuck rugs back on cooled but still wet from sweat horses and turnout?
 
oo a difficult one, i personally would do a little clip, if only a bib, then atleast he wont get so hot
i too come form the school of not turning out hot horses, so this is what i would do, as i would be very wary of turning out a sweaty horse on a cold wet day for example
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I wouldn't put a turnout rug on a wet horse. The liner will absorb the damp and then hold it on them for ages.

I school an unclipped horse once a week. His owner puts a cooler on and leaves him in the stable until he dries off.

My be worth giving him a small clip?
 
Star is only in a modest amount of work at the moment, but she grows a VERY thick coat, and can't work at all without having a mega clip, so that is what I do. I tried to get away without it for ages, but have come to the conclusion that she is far better off having it all off. She doesn't feel really feel the cold, and never needs more than one rug even when clipped out and she is certainly more comfortable for it
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Modern rugs are breathable so won't hold the wet against the horse. I bet when you brought the horse in later he was clean, dry and cosy, the rug had done it's job.

He will probably dry off better wandering around his field, happy and relaxed that standing in a stable in a cooler.

I pop a cooler on until they are cool then rug up in their Rambos and turn out, they are all brought in a checked later.
 
Well, unclipped ponio today got turfed out a bit sweaty with his mw turnout on to go and wander around. I try and walk as much as I can for the last bit to cool him off, so he isn't actively sweating when we get back, just still a bit damp.

I think with modern rugs there is not much to worry about, if the horse is turned out and walking round, that is much better (imho) than standing in a stable with a cooler on.
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A lot of traditional ways of looking after/managing horses are now a bit obsolete given the advances in materials/technology. I'm not saying they are bad, but probably don't always need to be taken word for word so much anymore
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We have always turned ours out (rugged or unrugged) if they are a bit damp, and none of them have had any ill effects yet.
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I thatch my horse at the moment!
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She is not clipped (but will be getting trace/bib soon) and so is very wet/sweaty after work, so i walk her till she stops puffing and then I thatch using straw
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with a light cooler on top
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thatching may be out out of fashion but I am on traditional yard so know all the old tricks
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I have to turn out if merlin gets hot, but his rug is a rambo duo and is breatable so he dries off underneath it
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He would stress out in his stable and get chilly with just a cooler on
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It does sometimes make the rugs smell a bit, but the liners are washable and dry within hours anyway
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Mine live out, so if very wet after ride i'll chuck a cooler on underneath t/o, if not too bad will put turnout on and leave 'em be. Larry (hairest of the bunch) has a belly clip which helps a lot.
 
As others have said, if its a good quality modern rug then its breathable so don't worry if a little damp. Frankie isn't clipped, but he has his thermatex on under his t/o, then I go back in an hour's time and whip the thermatex of. Toasty, dry horse :-)
 
After working furry pig last wk,clip every time,he was sooo wet and took ages to dry him off!!!
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However if short of time i will turn out after he has dried off soo much
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turnout rugs of today are breathable and i do believe they dry off quicker turned out walking about...their own bodyheat dries them and keeps them warm
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Mine live out all year....they too are unclipped.
I usually walk them round with a cooler on for a while, then chuck a light turnout rug over the top. Later when catching them for tea i remove the cooler. My horses always seem comfortable with this.

Besides this, horses will wander and roll to relieve themselves anyway. If they were cold, they'd soon let you know!!
 
I was spending up to an hour cooling my horse out after a jumping lesson until she was clipped. But I've heard that if you just hose them off and towel dry, throwing on the blanket won't do any harm except they'll have messy fur when you go to ride them next.
 
My girl is kept rugged and comes in at night. She sweats up if cantering. I dry her off with a towel and then rug up as normal.She is usually dry when I bring her in later for her tea!
 
I have the same problem - I put on a cooler til he is dry then his outdoor rugs and put him out.

This year for the first time I have decided to try not to clip. He needs sedating and what with the cost of that and having him clipped (needs to be professioanlly done as has to be very quick before the sedation wears off) it is about £100.

Workwise he has light work and generally doesnt sweat much ( 7/8 TB)unless I am having a strenuous lessons! I started rugging him early plus neck cover to try to prevent hair growing - with dubious success! Ill report back in about Feb!
 
My girl is aways sweaty at the moment, especially after schooling. I put a cooler on her as soon as we get back and she normally has her breakfast etc before I turn her out (lives out 24/7) I leave the cooler on and put her TO over the top.

She is being clipped tomorrow though!!
 
I would wash him down with warm water and some lavender wash or similar. Sweat scrape him and then put a breathable rug on and turn him out.
 
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