by CD Gozzi

Created on: July 30, 2008   Last Updated: October 02, 2010

Horses, like all other athletes need to warm up and cool down when engaging in strenuous activities. If you have the ability to walk your horse, do so the last mile of a ride. This will help to slow his heart rate and breathing down to a more normal rate. Your horse will likely be wet with sweat and you will want to monitor his body heat before turning him out or putting him in his stall.

If you are not accustomed to when your horse's breathing has returned to normal, watch his nostrils or his sides. Flaring nostrils or heaving sides indicate he is still out of breath. Run your hand along his skin on his neck and shoulders. If it still feels hot to the touch, he still needs to cool down.

Once you have returned to the stable, remove the saddle. If you are in cooler climates, you can leave the blanket or pad on the animal until he cools down. If you have a blanket or a cooler, you can put on him, use that, and remove his saddle blanket/pad. You want to avoid allowing him to be chilled. In warmer climates and times of the year, your focus will be on the continued cooling of your equine friend.

Give your horse a little tepid water to drink about ten to fifteen swallows to ward off any potential dehydration. Do not let him drink too much or cold water and get stomach cramps. Turn a cool hose onto him and rub him down with a towel. Focus on the area where the saddle was to increase circulation but do not neglect his flanks, neck, and withers. Scrub any accumulated dirt marks off his back and help his cooling with squirting water on his belly. Make sure his head, mouth, and poll are rinsed off as well and rinse/wipe off his legs.

You may use a squeegee to remove some of the excess water or just rub him well with an absorbent towel. Check your steed's hooves to see if there is any accumulated dirt or rocks. Continue to walk your horse so that his muscles do not have a chance to cramp up.

A final touch to your cooled horse it to make sure all his hair is brushed in the right direction. Not just for aesthetic sake, but for the comfort of the animal as well.

The horse is fortunate in that it has several physical temperature regulatory mechanisms in its make up to help keeps its cool. Horses' hair has a wicking ability that when it gets wet, the heat of their bodies pushes the moisture to the tips of each hair. Here it can evaporate in a slight breeze allowing the animal to cool. In cooler climates, the heavy winter horsehair actually acts as an insulating layer. Each hair stands on end and creates a little pocket of warm air.

Just think about how a cooling shower and a good stretch feels to you after a long, hard ride with your horse. You want to give your equine friend the same ability to recover as you do to yourself.

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