It's been pretty warm outside lately and our poor Indie is a giant sweat ball after Maddie gets done riding. Maddie walks him out and then we normally hose him down before we put him up. I started wondering the other day if how we are cooling him down is healthy for him. I decided to do some research on how to properly cool down a horse. Here's a few points I felt everyone should know.
1.) Begin cooling down with a 15 min walk. Loosen the saddle to help with airflow up the back to help prevent cramping.
2.) Give your horse a minimal amount of cold water. To much water can create cramping in the stomach.
3.) A curry comb or towel to dry them down is sufficient. You may choose to hose them down, but dry afterwards.
4.) It is more important to cool your horse down in the winter than it is in the summer. Cool down in the winter can consist of not only the above, but also a large flake of grass hay.
For more information you can read the complete article by Horse Magazine at the link below.
http://www.horsemanmagazine.com/2008/08/cooling-down-a-horse-correctly/
