galadriel
7th Jul 2004, 02:03 AM
Of my 3, Duchess is by far the darkest. She also has a much shorter, softer coat. In summer you can always tell that her skin is black underneath, because you can see the skin itself. I don't know, but I think that this darkness of coat and exposed skin may cause her to feel the heat more than the other 2 (a bright red bay and a pale chestnut).
It may be something less obvious; I have no idea. She sweats almost as much as the other two; she stays in the shade most of the time, so I think that's why she sweats (just a little) less--her neck and shoulders are covered with sweat when Kat's neck, shoulders, and some of her barrel are all sweaty. So I don't think she's anhydrotic. I can't think of anything else that would commonly make a horse more prone to overheating.
She is so, so hot. We spent a while out there watching her today; she stays in the barn where it's cooler, and even inside she blows/veins stick out like she's just run 30 miles. She seemed a bit happier when we hosed her down (still in the stall, in the shade), but she didn't stop blowing.
We're talking about piping water over to the stalls and putting in a periodic mister. We did some preliminary PVC plumbing today (finally installed a spigot that is OUTSIDE of the barn) and I don't think it would be terribly difficult, but supplies might be a bit expensive; fortunately the water would be from a well. May not happen immediately...and judging by the little that it helped today, it may not be enough anyway.
Anyone have any other suggestions for me? This poor mare is SO hot. Duchess is always whiny about minor injuries and discomforts--she seems a bit more sensitive than some horses--but this is legitimate distress, even if she just feels the heat more than the other two.
Edit: I have a few box fans, and was looking at the barn today to try to figure out where to put them. Due to the bizarre construction in there, I couldn't come up with a way to put in a fan that would be safe for the horses. I'm going to keep looking into it, but until/if I figure out a way to put one up, it's not a potential solution.
It may be something less obvious; I have no idea. She sweats almost as much as the other two; she stays in the shade most of the time, so I think that's why she sweats (just a little) less--her neck and shoulders are covered with sweat when Kat's neck, shoulders, and some of her barrel are all sweaty. So I don't think she's anhydrotic. I can't think of anything else that would commonly make a horse more prone to overheating.
She is so, so hot. We spent a while out there watching her today; she stays in the barn where it's cooler, and even inside she blows/veins stick out like she's just run 30 miles. She seemed a bit happier when we hosed her down (still in the stall, in the shade), but she didn't stop blowing.
We're talking about piping water over to the stalls and putting in a periodic mister. We did some preliminary PVC plumbing today (finally installed a spigot that is OUTSIDE of the barn) and I don't think it would be terribly difficult, but supplies might be a bit expensive; fortunately the water would be from a well. May not happen immediately...and judging by the little that it helped today, it may not be enough anyway.
Anyone have any other suggestions for me? This poor mare is SO hot. Duchess is always whiny about minor injuries and discomforts--she seems a bit more sensitive than some horses--but this is legitimate distress, even if she just feels the heat more than the other two.
Edit: I have a few box fans, and was looking at the barn today to try to figure out where to put them. Due to the bizarre construction in there, I couldn't come up with a way to put in a fan that would be safe for the horses. I'm going to keep looking into it, but until/if I figure out a way to put one up, it's not a potential solution.