Care in hot weather?

[Che's]

I want to make sure my pony has the best care in this hot weather. He's a 13.2hh coloured cob - mainly for my daughter, but he carries me just fine. He's fully clipped and hogged. He's normally a good doer - but has lost a bit of condition on recent weeks as our pasture is really poor. He's a great escape artist so when everyone else can rotate onto better grazing he's stuck in the one paddock he can't crawl out of.

I don't normally see much sweat on him - because he's clipped out. But the last few days he has been really sweaty. When my daughter got back from hacking him today he was dripping sweat - I've never seen him like that. We made sure he was walked cool - although really he had come back the last mile or so at walk and was pretty much cool on arrival. We offered him resticted water - which he refused. We then washed him off - which I think he liked. He still wouldn't drink but was frantic for his feed so we fed him and made sure he had plenty of water for the night.

Should I do more for him? We tried salk licks last hot spell but he's the sort who eats them in the night like a lickit. I checked with my yard owner and vet and both said he's just like that and not to give him a lick. Should I add hard salt to his feed? He's in moderate to heavy work at the moment as he is competed at least 1 day per week and worked fairly hard in the middle. I've increased his haylage and chaff to compensate for the poor pasture just now, but increasing his concentrate makes him too hard for my daughter to hold on cross country without making his bit more severe which I don't want to do. (he's in a snaffle now - we can go up to a dutch gag on the snaffle ring if he gets full of himself.) He's competing really well - no sign of problems in his performance. He just looks a bit poor around to quarters for a cob - he should be fuller than that at this time of year.

Any thoughts? Should I try to get him to drink more (not that I know how to - you know the old adage about leading a horse to water!) Would more salt work? Should I have left him longer before feeding him?

[eml]

I am not sure where you are but if in the UK why do you need to have clipped, has your pony retained his winter coat? If so you are looking at much more intensive care.

I think the message that comes out of all the current research is to cool as quickly as possible and not restrict water intake. If he is really sweating up try a bucket of ordinary water and a bucket of water with electrolytes, he will choose which he needs.

He sounds as if you stable at night. You may be better to stable in the day when he will eat more and let him out at night when it is cooler.

[Che's]

He's clipped out becuase thats what his owners want - he's on lease to us for competition purposes. Cobs are conventially hogged and he suffers mud fever if his legs are not kept absolutely clean. Clipping the rest is more convenience. He hasn't retained his winter coat so far as I am aware - but he was fully clipped all winter too. He does grow a fairly thick coat quite quickly - but not becuase of any metabolic disorder like Cushings. I know care of a fully clipped horse is different.

Yes he is stabled at night - again that is part of the lease agreement. There have been several attempts to take him from the field - becuase of what he is and where we live (which is in the south east incidentially) and his owners are concerned that he is at greater risk were he to be out at night rather than during the day when there are people on the yard all the time.

I'm less worried about his feed and condition than I am about his water loss in very hot weather; especially when working hard or competeing. Some people say horses don't eat more of thier salt lick than they need. Mine seems to and the vet seems to agree that some horses do. I know how to check for dehydration with a skin pinch.

I'm surprised about the research which sugegsts not limiting water intake when the horse is hot. Can you point me in the direction of that please as it seems to run contrary to "conventional" wisdom at shows etc. Not that I want to follow the crowd particularly - but I'd like to be able to support my approach with his owners or other competitors if needed!

[eml]

Look at the Atlanta research which was done to work out how to run eventers in the climate at the then Olympics, admittedly with TBs. Also look at the research done by the endurance riders. Frequent access to water and little and often seems to be the latest thinking.

Sadly show horses are frequenty deprived of water as it 'calms' them...well I would be calm if dehydrated!

As a show cob I can see the use of clippers on mane/legs but am still surprised that the coat needs taklng off, it must be fairly long/thick. How do you produce the summer coat shine effect?

Sorry just reread, he is too small to be a true show cob what do you do with him?

[rtk]

Our cob wont drink at competitions either.

The only way we can get fluid into her is to take along a large bucket of very sloppy soaked sugar beet. I can get small quantities into her with a squeezy drink bottle just before classes too.

[Soot]

After rides in the heat I also offer sloppy chaff - VERY sloppy chaff .. As in a handful of chaff in half a bucket of water. Lucy can't resist whatever the weather. I also make sure I fill a bucket before riding out so that it's drinking temp when we get back - she prefers this to cold water anyway. Electrolytes are a must for big sweaters in summer. A big Himalayan salt lick - perhaps you could give him access for a few hours a day. Lucy will gorge herself on a new one but gets bored after a while and then return to normal consumption - can't be too different from me gorging on a huge party pack of crisps all on my own ;) .

[NoviceNic]

My cob never drinks at competitions. I still take water though, just incase. I also take bottled water that I can squirt into his mouth. :)

[Che's]

He's used for Show jumping and XC mainly - although she will do ODE's on him dressage isn't really his thing! He'll do eventers, team chasing, hunting... anything that involves jumps and as much speed as he can get. He isn't a "Show" cob so I don't need a shiny coat - just a pony who jumps well. I have a tough enough time getting the poo stains off his hocks!

He will drink at shows and he has access to water all the time when we're out, but obviously not when he's actually working. I did find the way to get him to drink though! You know those "ezee carrots" falcon foods just started doing - I just put the left over soaking water into his bucket of water - instant response!

Normally he isn't a sweaty boy - which is what surprised me last weekend. I'm going to try him back on a lick and see what happens. Failing that - I think salt in his feed is the way to go. I'm glad to see restricted water intake when hot isn't reccommended any longer!