Thanks so much for the feedback- my guy is struggling this week (about to go up to a double dose of his Refresh.)
Does it warm up with body heat if it’s left on? Had you done anything else to reduce body temp before putting it on (hose the horse, stand in front of a fan, etc.?)
I’m going to order one of these tonight. Based on your sizing experience, if you were to do it again would you order the horse’s true size or size down?
I only kept the sheet on for approximately 10-15 minutes each time. I didn’t hose them off before applying the sheet, and they weren’t standing in front of a fan, but were in the barn (a shedrow oriented to the summer breezes, with an insulated roof, and shaded by large trees on both the east and west sides).
I didn’t leave it on for long and it didn’t seem to get hot. My older horse is small (800#, normally takes a 68"); the 69" was on clearance at Chick’s, so I ordered that for a trial (only other size on clearance was enormous). It is generous, IMO, and goes down long on the sides. My other gelding is 900#, and the sheet is easily large enough for him, with everything adjusted as small as the straps go.
Here’s the manufacturer’s info, but the blankets are less expensive elsewhere:
https://www.ridethebrand.com/exclusives/coolaid
Here are their videos on applying the sheet, and the results from using:
Thanks, sounds like it runs on “Rambo sizing”! I’ll be ordering one as soon as I get off this meeting…
I’ve been giving my older horse Guinness Stout all summer. He finally worked up a good sweat after his light workouts. Overall his health and energy seem much better through these hot and humid days.
Is there any benefit to continuing with the beer when the weather turns? Does anyone have a sense of how long it takes for this to work in the spring? It seemed to turn the corner for him after three weeks.
My mare stopped sweating for a while this summer. I had her on generic Benadryl for allergies, and apparently that can be a side effect, though it usually takes longer than a few weeks to show up. I took her off the Benadryl, and started her on OneAC. She got better, though she isn’t sweating as much as I’d like her to. It’s been worse since I ran out of OneAC, so I am going to try it again.
Mary, I knew one horse with anhydrosis who got one bottle of Guiness a day in the winter, and two in the summer. He was a big Friesian. It’s expensive, but the owner’s husband was willing to drive up to New Hampshire to get it there, as long as he could “steal” some for himself. 
COnversation with a friend the other day and she mentioned that starting One AC right away after noticing reduced sweating reversed the issue for her guy.
1AC has definitely helped my guy, but I think I started it too late in June. He sweats better just standing around in the pasture, and if I have a long slow ride, but he can’t handle short intense work. I accidently overheated him at doing canter sets in the coolest part of day a few weeks ago… I’ve been even more careful since then.
Unfortunately we’re in a heat wave right now, so even at 5am, it’s still 90* and 98% humidity which is ungodly and hellish and just not fair to any horse lol. Next year I’m going to start the 1AC in early spring, right now he’s enjoying time off!
I’ve been starting One AC early in the year (mid-February-ish), as it takes a few weeks to begin to kick in and the horse can’t be worked to a sweating state during those weeks (according to directions).
I give it through October, but a neighbor uses it year-round for her horse.
I didn’t have any luck with 1AC, but I did start it in June. I’ve hard you need to start it before it gets warm.
I did have fantastic results with acupuncture. I was told that it may take 2-3 weekly sessions to get her to sweat. She started after the first session. My vet who administers the acupuncture said that they usually need 4-6 weekly sessions then monthly after that to maintain it.
Are you somewhere with high humidity? I was wondering if these worked in humid conditions.
My mare was breathing heavily this last week in the heat and humidity, hosing didn’t seem to help her much. I was wondering if she’s developing anhidrosis, seemed she wasn’t sweaty but felt hot. I’ll get her this sheet if it works in humidity. Will also consider the sweating supplements.
I am in the mid-Atlantic. 75% humidity is the norm, 95% is unfortunately frequent. I got the sheet on Jarpur’s recommendation.
I do not find that it cools my horse anywhere near as effectively as a cold shower. However, I do find that it keeps an already-cool horse cooler for longer. The humidity actually helps keep it cool because it takes longer for the material to dry out. I don’t generally have the sheet on my horse in his stall unless it’s really miserable, because it gets in between him and his fan, but it’s great for farrier appointments and it would probably be super for horse shows. I get about 30 minutes out of it when I have the horse in front of a fan before I have to re-wet it, more like 45 if no forced air cooling.
We have medium to medium high humidity (average year round in the 60-70%), although not what @Renn_aissance experiences – it’s definitely not desert dry here. Most times I use the sheet, the benefit seems to come in the first 15 minutes; after that, if still needed, I re-wet it.
It takes less overall time to hose my horse off, if I count waiting until the sheet is dryish, once I get past the waterproof qualities of his coat (similar to a Labrador Retriever, lol), but with this sheet, I can wet it, put it on him, and leave him be, eating hay or whatever, while I do barn chores.
I’ve even been able to remove all of the belly and leg straps, using only the chest straps to keep it on (this is a very cooperative horse who seems to enjoy his sheet). I can dunk the sheet, squeeze out some of the excess water, and apply it to the horse, all in a couple of minutes. Without getting myself wet.
I consider this sheet as another tool in my toolbox.
eta: I wanted to add that, although our humidity level isn’t usually on the low side, we can generally count on a breeze. I think that makes a difference with this sheet.
My old gelding has issues with sweating and heat regulation as a result of Cushing’s. Prascend’s corrected every other symptom very well, but he still suffers with this.
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