Question for Horse Owners

This may seem like a wierd question, but I have a team of draft horses. For those who don't know, a lot of drafts are kind of known as sweaters. If I have mine hooked up and say pulling a wagon, not for into the ride they are sweating like crazy. Especially one will pretty much become soaked. They are not in shape yet for the year, but even in shape they sweat.
My question to anyone who does a lot of riding, or maybe showing horses is would it hurt anything to hose them down after using them? I have a well so the water gets kinda chilly. Not freezing or anything, but fairly cool. The idea behind the question is that my harness is what they call bio-thane, which is sort of a patent leather, which can be wet and not hurt anything. I am thinking I can wash the harness, and cool the horses at the same time. But I don't know for sure if the cool water would be hard on the horses. They are not really super hot and winded, just sweating. Any thoughts? Thanks - Bob

As long as you don't shock them... Start at thier hooves and legs and cool them down slow then wash them off. Sure they'll like it.... Pretty horses, how about some more pics??? Did you train them yoursel?

I do not "have any horses". but..you won't see any horses cooled down that way after training on a track...
Horses seem to "get down" too easily anyway...I believe I would take the time to cool them down the old fashioned way..
Maybe they are not only "not in shape", but heavy, also..??
Age and maybe a heart condition could be telling you something..?
I do hope NOT, but would be worth watching..

Great Picture..!!
Uncle of mine still raises Belgians, Heflingers and half-crosses ( Ed Ufferman 87) here in Ohio.
Well respected in the Amish community for his Teams..

Ron..

Hey Dave Got another horse question. Do you train a horse to work or do you "Break" it to drive or ride?
gitrib

Cool pics I always wanted a team but grandpa never would let me have them Probly because he spent half his life walking behind em.

(quoted from post at 12:29:42 05/14/12) Hey Dave Got another horse question. Do you train a horse to work or do you "Break" it to drive or ride?
gitrib

Click to expand...

If you meant that for me...... I don't know what you'd call it.... In no way breaking, just plenty of attention as early as possible and playing around at whatever we want them to do and how they should act...
Youngest baby is 10 days old and gives hooves, stands on a tarp and gets wrapped up, leads like a champ, and stand like a statue with a jacket hanging over her head... Key is keep em interested and don't let them get bored.... "never a dull moment" is the key.... Other folks do different, just what happens to work for us.....

Fellow draft owner here, Percherons too. If they're seating so much they're getting lathered or something just pulling a light wagon as pictured, then the best answer is lots of field work. Honestly, when mine were working hard they'd sweat a little, but if they're in shape it's not like they'd be drenched.

I don't know that hosing them down would hurt, but I'd consult an actual honest to God veterinary about it. Hot horses and cool water...just sounds like a recipe for trouble to me.

I have always been afraid to cool them down with a hose. Thanks for the tip about starting at the hooves.

What Dave2 said- start clear down at the hooves, gradually splash up the legs a little, and after a couple of minutes, you can gently run cold water all over them. Not a hard stream of water.

Blood vessels are close to the surface on the lower legs- so you'll start cooling the blood down there, and it gets pumped around through the rest of the critter. By the time you get to the body, it will no longer be a shock to the system.

I would definitely rinse them and the harness. Sweat contains salt and salt is hard on the horse's coat and your harness. Sweat doesn't really hurt biothane, but unless your hardware is solid brass, it can damage the metal.

I've had horses for many years and I always give them, the bridle and the pad a good rinsing if they're sweaty.

If they're warm (not hot) and sweaty from mild exertion and your water is chilly, start slowly. Use a low volume of water and a spray nozzle set to "shower". Start with the upper legs, chest, and belly. Do one horse, then move to the other. Then return to the first horse and rinse the neck, sides, back and rump. I use a rag (or sponge) and a bucket to rinse sweat from the face and ear area. Don't forget the mane and tail.

Once they are cool, you can increase the water flow. Rinse thoroughly until all sweat is rinsed off. Using a rubber curry while spraying will speed this process.

When done, you can use a sweat scraper to help remove the excess water. They're very cheap and your horse will dry much faster. Your horses will appreciate it.

I built a wash stall in the barn just for this purpose. There are hooks on the wall to hold tack so it can be rinsed.

If the horse is hot, they should be walked until cool then rinsed thoroughly. Chilly water on a hot horse can cause cramping and other problems.

My bridles are biothane with brass hardware. I rinse them frequently. Its much easier to care for than leather.

It would be a very good idea to get base line, or resting, heart rates and respiration rates for your horses. It can be very important if trouble strikes. One of the first indicators of pain can be an increased pulse rate.

If you don't have a stethoscope, get one. They're not expensive and makes checking pulse & respiration much easier. You can check the pulse without a stethoscope by locating the large artery that runs at a right angle to the jaw bone on the left side. Feel around the edge of the jaw bone until you find it.

Make sure your horse is calm before you start to check the pulse. I'm not sure what the at rest pulse rate would be for a draft horse, but I would guess it would be somewhere around 28 to 32 bpm. Take the pulse for 15 seconds, then multiply by 4.

Respiration should be 3 maybe 4 per 15 second interval. You can check respiration by watching the horse's flank.

Enjoy your team. They're lovely.

Horses coming off a track are way too hot to be sprayed with cold water. That's why you often see them put light sheet (cooler) on them. That keeps them from cooling off too fast and cramping, etc.

The work horses at my sisters farm have a run in shed and will stay out in all kinds of weather from -30 to +30 C, sun or snow, except cold rain, so I'm assuming they don't like being cold and wet. The work horses have never been washed other than rain so I can't help you there.