out of shape mare

[K&K]

i just bought a mare who's overweight, as she's been out on pasture as a broodmare with barely any riding the last few years. i lunged her yesterday and after ten minutes of walk & trot she was puffing and sweating. i have a knowledgable horseperson helping me create an exercise program for her to get back into shape gradually, but i have a question - after her workouts when she's hot & puffing, what should i do to keep her from getting sick or stocking up? when i was done yesterday i walked her until she wasn't puffing anymore, then i put her in her stall and gave her half a bucket of water to drink. am i doing anything wrong, and is there anything else i should be doing after her workouts?

[galadriel]

Walking her until she is cool is exact the right thing to do :)

When you get there next tim, put your hand between her front legsand feel how warm it is. After she has worked, feel it again. As long as it is hotter than usual, or hotter than when she hasn't been working, she needs to walk some more. Once she is cool--back to normal temperatures--you should be okay to hose her down (yuck! sweat! :) ), put her back in her stall, turn her out, etc.

If you end up working her REALLY hard you may want to wrap her legs for the night (pressure wrap over thick quilts) or rub her down with liniment or some such. You're trying to be conscientious, though, so I doubt you'll end up overworking her and needing to take more drastic measures :)

[lamprellsarah]

sounds like you know what u are doing!!
u did the right thing!! i always give a long walk and rest before feeding, putting back to graze, or giving water!