My 25 year old is doing very well, knock on wood. He’s drinking plenty of water, has quality manure, has a good appetite, and is bright-eyed and engaged.
I did the ten days of Equiwinner patches a couple of weeks ago, along with Platinum Refresh, One AC (already had on hand), and then added in True Sweat – I’ve been gradually segueing over from the PR to TS (similar ingredients in several respects, much smaller serving size – PR serving is large, and apparently not very tasty). I’m also feeding a little citrus Stress Dex (the only flavored electrolyte available at my local TSC).
I also purchased a Portacool (the model 510 single stall size), and a waterproof, sealed outdoor fan designed for barn use plus its optional six nozzle misting system, along with an inexpensive six nozzle linear misting system from Lowes.
In total, the equipment cost $840 plus tax – the fan was on sale, the Lowes system was only $20, and I could’ve saved $100 ordering the Portacool from Lowes and then waiting for a shipment, but decided that I’d rather pick up one in stock at my local Tractor Supply even though it was list price.
I think the equipment was money well spent. Today, it’s 102 in the shade in my shedrow barn (insulated roof, large shade trees at either end) with a heat index several degrees higher. The real temperature is predicted to also be several degrees higher in the next few days, and I was concerned about whether this system was adequate.
I just checked – with the Portacool on high, and the fan and misters all going, the temperature in the stall was immediately mid 90s, and the thermometer all the way down to 82 degrees within a minute or two. I was amazed. My horse is slightly damp, as though he’s been in a light drizzle, but not wet to the skin. I turn the misting off now and then (turn fan misting initially on around noon or 1, and the linear misting on around 3 or 4, depending upon the temp), so that he gets a break. The Portacool stays on from roughly 11 in the morning until after 8 at night, when he’s in the controlled environment of his stall. I leave the fan on later into the evening, to help dry the stall out from all the misting.
I don’t have to hose him off several times a day anymore but, when I do, he shows lots of latherin, and he’s not panting. Fingers crossed that he continues to do well as the temp goes even higher. To me, the especially hard part is that it doesn’t cool off much in the evening.
The Portacool does have to be refilled with water a few times during the day, and there have been some issues with it (customer service has been stellar). We’ve had to soak the misting nozzles in a vinegar solution to keep them operating their best, plus we bought the optional hard water treatment sticks for the Portacool.
It’s been an expense with a lot of trial and error, but we have a system that’s working well now, and I can schedule activities around managing it. The supplements have been worthwhile; I plan to simplify down to just the True Sweat, One AC, and Stress Dex (he prefers the latter added to his small meals, instead of drinking treated water). I’m not sorry I got the Equiwinner patches, either. I’ve been able to cut his Guinness Extra Stout down all the way to just a splash added to his food morning and evening, too, as I’ve been reducing the amount of Refresh.
I’m very hopeful that we can get through the next couple of weeks. What we really need, sad to say, is for a hurricane somewhere that then causes a tropical storm to reach us.
