Cooler with Belly Band?

[Pico_Banana]

My winter plans have taken an unexpected turn and I’ve been hauling my gelding to my trainer’s for lessons. I did not clip him because he lives outside, runs cold, and I only have an outdoor so leaving him hairy seemed to make the most sense. Plus, I wasn’t expecting him to get as furry as he did this year.

At the end of our ride, I put two layers of coolers on him (thin fleece ones) and trailer him home. Sometimes I throw a BOT on top if it’s on the colder side. We are only 15 min away so he’s plenty warm even when it’s 30 degrees outside.

My challenge is getting his underside to dry. His back and anything covered by fleece is usually dry enough to blanket him when we get home, but basically his whole underside - between front legs, belly, between his hind legs, is still sweaty. I have been putting gold bond powder on those spots when I get home to help speed the process but it doesn’t seem to help that much plus he doesn’t like it. Maybe he doesn’t appreciate the menthol when it’s cold outside? (Eek!)

Any thoughts on how to improve the situation? I was thinking of trying to find a cooler with a belly band. Most of those wouldn’t do anything for the between the legs parts. Maybe this? It seems to have fuller coverage than anything else I’ve seen:

Jams Fleece Stable Horse Rug - Fleecy Warm Winter Rugs

What say you, COTH?

[Arzny]

I’d probably be more inclined to go the route of a very low trace clip. I just feel that all that sweat drying can’t feel nice or be good for their skin!

If clipping is an absolute no, I’d spray him with rubbing alcohol in the sweaty areas before buying a $$$ rug.

[2DogsFarm]

You could go Old School & use a surcingle over the cooler to hold a flake/handfuls of hay on his belly.
I used to stuff hay under a wool cooler to help horse dry faster.
Bonus: he gets to eat his insulation.

[jvanrens]

If you have a square cooler, you could maybe clip it under his belly so it’s covered, if the cooler is big enough.

[Pico_Banana]

@Arzny

I’d probably be more inclined to go the route of a very low trace clip. I just feel that all that sweat drying can’t feel nice or be good for their skin!

I thought about this but isn’t it too late to clip? Their spring coat is already coming in.

[Pico_Banana]

@2DogsFarm

You could go Old School & use a surcingle over the cooler to hold a flake/handfuls of hay on his belly.

I thought of that, but the most critical parts are not susceptible to this method!

[Pico_Banana]

@jvanrens

If you have a square cooler, you could maybe clip it under his belly so it’s covered, if the cooler is big enough.

Just fitted ones, unfortunately. Both of which are a little small on him, truth be told, as they are hand-me-downs. He’s an 81 and the one I put on him first in a 78 and the one I layer over the top is a "small’ but is definitely shorter than the 78. The 78 leaves just an inch or so of tushy exposed.

[Xanthoria]

I would say pretty easy to add a doubled square of fleece to a cooler and Velcro fasteners to make a belly band?

[Xanthoria]

Not too late - I clip all the remaining winter coat off mine when it starts to get warm enough so I don’t have to deal with shedding.

[Arzny]

That’s a myth. They’re always growing hair - if they weren’t, then any scrapes or cuts wouldn’t grow hair until their “new winter/spring” coat comes in.

I clip year round.

[goodhors]

I would second 2DogsFarm, with putting on a big square cooler and an elastic surcingle to hold the fabric against his belly area. Not sure hay would stay in place during trailer ride, but worth trying.

I bought Acrylic bed blankets, cheap at Walmart for use as coolers on our horses. I got king-size for our big horses. Thy have length to hang past the stomach, more length to go up necks a bit while still covering rumps. Layering on two or three (very heavy coated horse) seems to pull off moisture, which shows as a dewy wet on the top of outside cooler. Remove top cover, let the second one get dewy, which leaves most horses pretty dry. For our heavy coated horse, unclipped, unblanketed outside, he needed that third layer to get finished drying before he could be turned out or left overnight. I sewed strings on my blankets, but big spring clips work to hold blankets on, clipped at the chest of horse to hold things forward, in place.

With constant use, the coolers did get dirty fast, but so easy to wash and dry being acylic instead of wool. I washed them weekly when husband starts working horses in the spring. No fabric softener, makes them less slippery.

The elastic surcingles are a must, to keep coolers in place and help cover the belly to dry it better. Only one needed per horse, over all the layers.

Towels are the option for places he is not drying and coolers do not cover. Old towels or maybe some from a thrift store to rub him dry. Do you have a vacuum/shop vac? Blowing horse dry does shorten time of waiting for long hair. Just make sure the vac is clean, not blowing dirty stuff in the cannister onto him. Air will finally get warm if you use the narrow nozzle, just takes time being forced thru hose into little space of nozzle end.

[Pico_Banana]

@goodhors

Towels are the option for places he is not drying and coolers do not cover. Old towels or maybe some from a thrift store to rub him dry. Do you have a vacuum/shop vac? Blowing horse dry does shorten time of waiting for long hair. Just make sure the vac is clean, not blowing dirty stuff in the cannister onto him. Air will finally get warm if you use the narrow nozzle, just takes time being forced thru hose into little space of nozzle end.

I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. Now I feel a bit idiotic! Yes, I have plenty of old towels. I also have some of those “fast drying” towels that might work really well. And I also have an unused hair dryer that I could use to help dry those spots.

I have acrylic comforters that I use on top of my dog beds in the house. Love that they are so easy to throw in the washer and dryer on a regular basis.

[avjudge]

@Arzny

That’s a myth. They’re always growing hair - if they weren’t, then any scrapes or cuts wouldn’t grow hair until their “new winter/spring” coat comes in.

Which is exactly what happened when my horse was in the clinic with an IV in late October 2023, and then December 2024.

All through last winter she had a naked square on each side of her neck, which only grew any hair well into shedding season.

And now, a month after coming home from another stay in the clinic, she has the same naked square with no hair growth, and following last winter I expect to see no hair growth on that spot until April.

Perhaps other horses grow their hair differently, but when I commented on the persistence of the bare spot to my vet last spring she was not surprised.

[Arzny]

If they’re ill enough to be in the clinic and receiving IVs, I’m not shocked their hair coat is not healthy and/or is struggling to grow. I hope your mare is doing better now!

[avjudge]

@Arzny

If they’re ill enough to be in the clinic and receiving IVs, I’m not shocked their hair coat is not healthy and/or is struggling to grow. I hope your mare is doing better now!

No, she’s generally perfectly healthy, the clinic stays were acute issues. She is just really talented at dreaming up ways to transfer my money to vets. 2023 was an abscess that was draining above the coronary right next to 2022’s issue, a deep puncture wound, and was maybe related to that so we did an MRI to check, then opened it up. A month ago was a colic which did not resolve and apparently was due to an infection, maybe tick-related but tests were negative, so she stayed in for IV antibiotics. But she does not appear to have any chronic issues, and her coat always appears healthy.

There must just be some variation in hair growth, where some horses grow the coat and are done for the season. I know Flicka is not alone, because I remember I have shared this story on a different horse board in response to someone asking whether it was normal that their horse was showing the same thing (no hair growth on a shaved or nicked spot).

[RedHorses]

I think the climate probably has more to do with coat growth than the individual horse. Here we have winter that goes from some time in November to some time in March/April. Because the light change at the solstices is what triggers the change in summer/winter coats there is a period of limbo covering January and much of February during which the horses coats stop growing.

The winter coat stops growing, but it’s too cold to grow the summer coat and shed out the winter coat. Areas clipped after New Year’s don’t show any growth in the clipped hair. Later in February things start going again and the winter coat begins to drop as the summer hair starts to grow. This happens earlier for horses that are inside at night, and later for horses that live out and need extra warmth at night.

In the summer the coat change is accelerated, with winter shedding continuing into May. The summer solstice comes along in June, and by July the summer shed and winter growth process is in full swing. Summer hairs are very short, and many people do less grooming and more hosing/bathing and completely miss the summer shed. During the worst of the summer heat the summer coat is thinning out and the winter hairs are super short. By the time the nights begin to get cooler the winter coat is established and growing right up to the winter solstice in December.

I wouldn’t be surprised if hotter climates have the reverse pattern of a quick flip winter coat, and a period of stagnant growth in the summer coat.

I did clip in July one year, and it did nick the top of the winter coat, staying visible for weeks after the summer coat had shed. However, that was an unusual clip and most clip patterns haven’t got enough lines between clipped and unclipped areas for the lines to be noticeable. By mid September the lines weren’t visible.

For the OP - if he’s cooled out and you towel dry before shipping home, you may find his underside dry enough by the time you get there even without being covered by anything.

[Mallard]

We use a human hair dryer on our pony. Only takes a couple of minutes.

[hwake]

It doesn’t help with the between the legs parts, but Schneiders does have a cooler with a belly band:

https://www.sstack.com/dura-tech-rapid-dry-fleece-coolers/p/40475c/?variant=true

caveat emptor, I bought this cooler for my pony in the same size as her turnout (also purchased from Schneiders) and for whatever reason after several months the pony would no longer fit in the cooler - the belly band wouldn’t extend long enough for the velcro to attach and it also seemed too short front to back. This was without washing, and her turnouts still fit her perfectly - and the pony is competition fit, so it’s not a matter of her gaining too much weight!

[joiedevie99]

It’s not too late to clip - especially when you are talking about just the belly. You can always choose a longer length blade too.

Also, if you have a hair dryer, just towel dry for a minute and then hit him with a hair dryer (or turn your vacuum to the blower setting if you have one).

[Kirikou]

@Mallard

We use a human hair dryer on our pony. Only takes a couple of minutes.

I do too!