Why does he sweat sooo much?

[rache]

hey all!!

Well my freind and i are really curious to why his horse sweats up within 10 mins of the ride, He gets ridden every day for around 2 hours uphill, jumping the lot, he is fed weight gain, competetion mix and chaff!

Does any one have the faintest idea to why he sweats up so early in the ride?

Please HELP

[rache]

OO forgot to say his breed is a dutch warmblood, hes 8 years old and chestnut!

[galadriel]

Some horses just sweat more than others :)

[rache]

yes they do but when he was a different yard he was on a different mix and did not sweat up! ANY IDEAS NOW?

[galadriel]

Was it hot when he was on the different yard? It is just getting into summer now.

[rache]

No! no hotter than last year really! and he is ALOT fitter this year

[Sammys Mum]

Maybe it has something to do with his feed. *** was he fed before? Maybe try changing back? I've never really known feed effect sweating. Unless it is giving more energy so he is more wound up when he goes out and there for will be sweating more. Is he different to ride?

[galadriel]

(shrug) Maybe he's sweating more *because* he's more fit. It's really hard to say. If she's worried about it, why doesn't she try changing things around to see if he stops? Otherwise, just make sure he has access to enough liquids.

[rache]

he doesnt want him to loose weight again hence him feeding soo much! he was fed alfa a and chaff last year.

He is really the same to ride always been lively, so no change there.

[ilovebacara]

i think galadreil had the right idea. Maybe because he is fit now, he is using all his muscles more maybe cos he is wokring on the bit or putting more effort into his work. He maight be working harder now so it makes him get sweaty. Just because he is fit doesnt mean he shouldnt sweat. I mean look at athletes - even thugh they only do a 100m sprint 10 minutes after the race they are still sweating like a pig!!!
I dunno if that is the reason but it could be!!??

[rache]

thanks ilovebacara and galadriel it does make sense as they do say the fitter you are you become sweaty more quickly but he is kind of worried as he cant take his horse to a show as it looks as though hes been galloping round places and people look at him in shame kind of thing when all he has done is come out of the warm up ring. Do fly sprays or coat shine have any effect on his coat?

[ros]

Horses tend to sweat more if they're excited & uptight, and too much sweating means they often drop weight.

I'd suspect he doesn't really need the competition mix - it could be making him feel that bit more "hyped up", which is why he starts to sweat quite quickly. If he didn't sweat before, and the sweating coincides with the feed change, it's quite likely that's the cause.

I'd try cutting out the competition mix, maybe even revert back to what he was getting last year. If he stops sweating you know that was the problem; if he loses a bit of weight, then you can introduce some normal mix just to help him along. Basically play it by ear.