Should I Use A Cooler?

[racing_barrels]

Wondering if I should use a cooler for my mare.
No matter how much I walk her she ALWAYS arrives at the trailer with a heavy coat of sweat, She is on pasture year round and with Albertan winters are cold. I've been putting a wool bedsheet on her while I take care of the other horses but looking for a better solution. I live an hour away and can't come back later to remove the cooler. Advice?

 

[PePo]

Is she clipped? If not, I'd consider clipping to help her get less sweaty & so she doesn't catch a chill

I swear by Thermatex(s) in winter.

 

[racing_barrels]

Kiska's never been clipped, mostly because our winter nights can be around - 40, and I am mostly out on the weekends so I can't be around to take the blanket on and off.

 

[Bodshi]

Hi. Sorry, no help with your question at all, but I've always wondered how horse management works in places with extreme weather conditions. Here in the UK it's fairly straightforward - if they get too hot in winter with their thick winter coats, you clip and rug. But with temperatures of -40 I can imagine you wouldn't want to take the coat off. But how do you manage to work them with a full coat? And when you say a wool bedsheet, do you mean a human bed sheet? Sorry, I've asked questions instead of answering yours, but I'm really curious to know how things work over there. I have a Canadian colleague but sadly she doesn't know much about horse management!

(Incidentally I'm ashamed to say I had to Google Alberta because I wasn't sure where it was ... what is it with Alberta and Norwegian rats? The first thing that came up was Wikipedia telling me that it's illegal for Albertans to keep any kind of Norwegian rat Is that the most random fact ever?)

 

[Jessey]

I think dealing with those kind of temps you can't really clip unless she is stalled inside. Realistically she needs to be cooled out and dry before she goes back to pasture or that sweat could cause serious problems, not really sure how you can go about that, can you just avoid doing any work to get her sweaty in the first place? how do others around you manage?
My mini Shetland can get himself in a hot mess when I ride my mare, so last winter I only rode on my days off when I could ride first thing in the morning so that he had the rest of the day to dry out before temps got to freezing, he needed 4-6 hours to dry as he has so much coat, I suspect if your nights are -40 your days aren't above freezing to allow you to do that.

 

[racing_barrels]

when I ride with other horses they won't break a sweat but she 'll be drenched.

 

[Jessey]

when I ride with other horses they won't break a sweat but she 'll be drenched.

Are they similarly fluffy like her? how old is she? what is her fitness level? If she is older (teens plus generally) and more wooly than usual you might consider something like PPID could be effecting her, if she's not older/fluffier then perhaps she simply isn't fit enough to keep up with the other horses at this time and needs more work to get her to the point where she can be ridden with them without compromising her.

 

[racing_barrels]

Are they similarly fluffy like her? how old is she? what is her fitness level? If she is older (teens plus generally) and more wooly than usual you might consider something like PPID could be effecting her, if she's not older/fluffier then perhaps she simply isn't fit enough to keep up with the other horses at this time and needs more work to get her to the point where she can be ridden with them without compromising her.

she has the same (if less) amount of hair, and The other horses are 6,9 and 10. Kiska's 11. I've started using a lighter saddle or just riding bareback. The lighter saddle is helping,

 

[Jessey]

If a lighter saddle means she's sweating less that could indicate she's just not as fit as she could be. Some horses just take a bit more to get fit than others

 

[Mary Poppins]

If she is getting really sweaty, you need to cool her down before you turn her out. So, yes you could put a cooler on her while you sort out the other horses, but you need to make sure the sweat has gone before you turn her out. Otherwise is it really fair to be riding her?

 

[racing_barrels]

Hi. Sorry, no help with your question at all, but I've always wondered how horse management works in places with extreme weather conditions. Here in the UK it's fairly straightforward - if they get too hot in winter with their thick winter coats, you clip and rug. But with temperatures of -40 I can imagine you wouldn't want to take the coat off. But how do you manage to work them with a full coat? And when you say a wool bedsheet, do you mean a human bed sheet? Sorry, I've asked questions instead of answering yours, but I'm really curious to know how things work over there. I have a Canadian colleague but sadly she doesn't know much about horse management!

(Incidentally I'm ashamed to say I had to Google Alberta because I wasn't sure where it was ... what is it with Alberta and Norwegian rats? The first thing that came up was Wikipedia telling me that it's illegal for Albertans to keep any kind of Norwegian rat Is that the most random fact ever?)

I mostly do trail riding with a bit of barrel racing, and it is about a 3-4km ride to the arena so they have time to cool off. The cooler that I ordered can't come until the middle of December, so yes I'm using a "human bed sheet." I just tie her up while doing some groundwork with other horses. My horses are boarded in the middle of nowhere with no indoor space, and I don't see anyone other than the other borders around. So I don't really know how other Albertans deal with their horses the winter.

 

[Frances144]

What about joining a FB horsey group for your area. There may be one and it is worth looking, imho. Then you can see how others deal with their horses in your climate.

 

[Trewsers]

Hi. Sorry, no help with your question at all, but I've always wondered how horse management works in places with extreme weather conditions. Here in the UK it's fairly straightforward - if they get too hot in winter with their thick winter coats, you clip and rug. But with temperatures of -40 I can imagine you wouldn't want to take the coat off. But how do you manage to work them with a full coat? And when you say a wool bedsheet, do you mean a human bed sheet? Sorry, I've asked questions instead of answering yours, but I'm really curious to know how things work over there. I have a Canadian colleague but sadly she doesn't know much about horse management!

(Incidentally I'm ashamed to say I had to Google Alberta because I wasn't sure where it was ... what is it with Alberta and Norwegian rats? The first thing that came up was Wikipedia telling me that it's illegal for Albertans to keep any kind of Norwegian rat Is that the most random fact ever?)

Hahahaa that's really funny lol you learn something new everyday

 

[racing_barrels]

What about joining a FB horsey group for your area. There may be one and it is worth looking, imho. Then you can see how others deal with their horses in your climate.

I've looked into that before but there aren't too many people in my situation. I've got my most valued opinions with people who board in the same paddock, and we go through the struggles of hay, water, and ice together. (not to mention the mystery of who lost the trailer key.)