by Deborah Messner

Created on: August 17, 2008   Last Updated: June 25, 2009

Horses have similar needs to humans when it comes to cooling down after strenuous exercise and competition. If a horse makes an immediate transition from a vigorous workout to standing completely still, complications such as muscle cramping, shock, and colic can quickly occur. Preventing these potentially deadly hazards is simple, as long as you follow some guidelines to the proper equine cool down.

Whether your horse is working hard in competition or on the trails, it's important to estimate how long it will take for its heart rate to return to a normal level based on age, overall physical condition, weather, air temperature and other factors. Horses that are younger and in better overall physical condition tend to cool down faster than older horses that aren't at their peak physical condition. Horses that are sweating profusely in mild summer temperatures after a hard workout are often easier to cool down than horses in the same condition during the cold winter months.

Imagine yourself running on a treadmill until your heart is pounding, you're sweating profusely, and you're breathing hard. Chances are that if you sat down immediately following a workout like that, you would have problems with muscle cramping, a stomach ache, and possibly the chills or a headache. If you drank small amounts of room temperature water and walked at a normal pace for a while to allow your body to slow down from its fast pace, you would avoid a lot of those problems. The same rules apply to horses as well.

The number one rule of thumb to cool down an overworked horse is to keep it moving, usually by walking at a natural pace on flat ground until their breathing and heart rate slows down to normal. Walking for 20-30 minutes will keep the blood and oxygen flowing through its system, while allowing the muscles to relax naturally and not cramp. Allowing a few sips of room temperature water from a clean bucket during this cool down period will also help regulate body temperature and hydrate their body, which has probably dehydrated during strenuous exercise. Allowing a horse to drink large quantities of water at once, or allowing them to drink water that is too cold, could cause colic or a potentially deadly muscle cramping condition often referred to as "tying up."

During cooler months, using a breathable cool-out sheet or light blanket will help wick moisture away from your horse's body while keeping it from getting a chill as their body temperature decreases back to normal. A dry

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