As much as I tell myself I am not going to get my horse all sweated up I just can't seem to help but find myself galloping across the snow covered fields. I always end up riding a steaming horse back to the barn. Now if you are like me and keep your horses out 24/7 you worry about turning out a wet horse and catching a chill in that cold winter air.
Let me say my horse does have a large shed he can get out of the wind and snow and access water and hay and bedding anytime he wants. It is important horses have some where to go even if it is into a wood lot to get away from the wind.
Now back to the sweaty horse. The first thing I do is untack and dry my horse off with a towel. Be sure to get their legs and go against the lie of the hair. This allows more air to get at the coat and keeps hair from freezing together. Next I give him a good curry, again the point of this is to prevent wet hair from lying flat agains the skin. I work very hard and fast at this for two reasons; one it helps me warm up and two it is not good to have your horse standing around wet. Next I throw a wool cooler on him. Wool is excellent at wisking away the moisture from the coat and providing warmth at the same time. Lastly I let him eat some hay. Eating hay is vital in getting the gut working and generating heat. I spend the hour or so cleaning up or handling some other horses and by the time I'm done the horse is dry enough to take the wool cooler off, and leave to their own devices.
My next blog I will give you some cost saving ideas on tack and equipment. I know I certainly need them after my wife gets through with the Christmas shopping.
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