From what I’ve read, the high humidity is the factor that
Pushes many horses into anhydrosis.
With adequate and balanced nutrition your horse may go back to normal sweating.
Those of you feeding/adding salt are you adding that in addition to electrolytes that already include some salt?
My experience is that as soon as the weather breaks here (especially the humidity), mine will start sweating at least a little bit again. Once we change seasons, he seems to reset over fall, winter, and spring, and is sweating normally once warm weather returns…until it gets super hot and humid for a stretch, and then he shuts down again.
I’ve also read that most horses who are relocated to a cooler, drier climate regain their ability to sweat.
So, it’s very likely that your boy will return to his regular sweating level once you go back to Wyoming.
Want to take mine with you? I think he’d like Wyoming. LOL.
Mine will get on that truck too. As long as he can bring his best friend. And as long as they can then go south in winter. He’s been telling me for years that if I really loved him he would have a summer home in Vermont and then winter in Southern Pines. I’ve explained there are complications- including that even if his best friend would get on the trailer, which he would not at his time of life, he is not mine to bring- but my horse seems to feel that my objections are simply a lack of creative thinking. He puts up with so much.
It’s currently a real feel of 61 degrees and raining, and in about an hour I’m going to have to text the barn staff with apologies that my horse is refusing to come in.
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That sounds like heaven!
It’s a muggy 79 here but overcast with a bit of a breeze. Feels like 82 according to the local weather. My guy thinks it’s pretty splendid already. It’s supposed to start raining later today and could be some significant downpours. Tomorrow’s high is…81!! That seems like a dream! Low is 64. We aren’t forecast to hit 90 until next Saturday. A week of highs in the 80s. Bliss!
Praying for a sweat reset!!!
Me too! My senior decided to try the not sweating thing for the first time this week -hoping the cooler weather over the next week resets him as well. He’s never been heat intolerant before or had issues sweating, but he’s obviously getting older and is now Cushings positive so…
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I wonder if significantly cooling these horses for several hours every night would work - lower night time temps seem to be what triggers sweating again in the fall after all. Maybe an enclosed area with a portable ac unit they could be in for 4-6 hours would trigger sweat?
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Probably. My horse’s reset button hits when he gets several nights in a row of temps in the 60’s. The 5-6 days in a row of the heat index never dropping below 80 is what really wears him down. I’ve never been able to try it. I’m not saying the horse has never been in the air-conditioned tack room, but the barn owner would probably object to him living there overnight.
I wonder if it has to be at night? Maybe you could rig something similar in their stall with plastic dropcloths and they could spend the day in a cold box and see if that worked. Portable ac units are cheap.
BBC just reported on the affects of global warming/ climate change on the human brain. The
Additional stress on the brain and body from excessive heat waves is showing up in many new conditions including neurological conditions and temperature dysregulation.
Mood disorders seem to be connected also as well as anhydrosis.
It also discusses the stress on the body and brain when humidity is high and also when night time temps remain elevated.
I couldn’t help but think there are similarities to what our horses are experiencing due to anhydrosis.
Buckle up folks, this may become a worsening problem due to climate change.
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Yes I agree with you.
I just told someone the other day I want to get a big vinyl enclosed tent with a small room sized a/c. I do believe they need the night time relief from the stressors of daytime temps. I can cool my horse with a hose during the day but hot humid nights are an additional problem.
A new to me vet told me a month ago that people here in Fl. Are putting in a/c in their barns for their horses.
If I had to go out and hose my horse off several times a day and not work those hours then it would be a lot cheaper for me to put up temp solid walls in their stall and put an AC in it to run when they are in during the day. We have one in our tackroom and despite the lack of insulation and the drafty door and window it keeps it very pleasant in there and apparently does not cost much.
Several times this summer I’ve thought how much I wanted to put mine in AC just long enough for him to truly cool down and be able to reset. When they live out there in it 24/7 with no relief other than some shade and fans (but it’s still hot and humid), it just seems so awful.
I can imagine our brains (and theirs) are suffering. I get irritable, mostly because my poor horse cannot find relief, but also because I’m literally pouring with sweat while trying to do everything I can to keep my horse as cool as possible. I sweat through t-shirts to the point it looks like I’ve been swimming by the time I’m done doing anything outside. And when I’m not outside sweating, I’m inside hiding from the heat, not wanting to do anything at all. I go to the barn three times a day in 100-degree heat and 80% humidity to take care of my poor horse who just wants to be able to cool himself and breathe and be a horse.
It’s so frustrating. I’ve actually welcomed going back to work (school) this past week because it allows me to think about something else. Of course, I had to work four half-days instead of two full days because I needed to be able to go to the barn by noon to take care of the horse. That won’t be possible any longer as I’m back full-time Monday. Luckily, we’re slightly cooler then. And I can always close him up in the mornings for the day. Of course, one day they used heavy machinery about three feet away from the back door (dutch) of his stall to spread out an enormous pile of dirt, and he got so worked up over that he was standing in his stall with the fan blowing on him, hyperventilating. Ugh!!! And was that better than him being able to go to the back of the pasture and stand in the blazing sun getting heat exhaustion?
Darned if I do, darned if I don’t!
Yeah…it’s taking a toll. I get like this when it’s rainy and cold for a straight week or two in the winter too. I need to see the sun. Right now, I’m so glad to NOT see the sun!!!
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I don’t think my barn owner would go for that. I have thought about it.
Reasons include the additional burden on the electric system and the fact that the plastic would make a noise and petrify the horse next door, because horses. 
Plywood or similar would work better but be more challenging to remove.
Yet another reason I need to win the lottery, buy a little farmette, and bring him (and his best friend) home.
I was discussing with some friends yesterday that apparently people are starting to develop seasonal affective disorder in summer because they’re staying inside for their health and never seeing the sun. My seasonal disorder is being completely freaking exhausted at the end of the day because, ironically, I am an extremely profuse sweater, and I really struggle in the heat because I’m constantly fighting overheating.
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Hate to be a Negative Nellie BUT
In all my reading lately on this problem, some researchers believe anhydrosis is commonly seen in “oversweating horses”,
Before the thermal regulation completely turns off.
As I mentioned earlier, my horse seemed to over sweat this past winter- under her very light. Weight blanket. She would be sopping wet on cool mornings.
Very odd.
So be careful out there.
PS/ sounds like there’s a niche market for Boarding Anhydrotic horses in an A/C barn.
Mine is an oversweater. Despite living in a high mountain desert (read DRY and very cold in the winter) he is a swamp creature when worked. I have to keep him fully body clipped to ride through the winter (which is its own pain in the ass) in order to avoid 3 hours of toweling, blow drying, and hand walking after each ride. I usually rejoice in the summer when he can remain clipped without having to watch the forecast for what blanket combo I need to do and how many times I need to change it on a given day.
Someone suggested An Apple A Day electrolytes has helped her in the past. I questioned it, but I don’t live down here and have very limited experience with this crap. So I’ll defer to those who live in this hell until something proves to not work. I figured he wouldn’t eat it as he is picky about extra things on his food. But he ate it willingly, almost as if he liked it. Time will tell if it helps at all.
I recommend skipping the garden misters which I found continually clogged with barn dust. Go to Valley Vet Supply and search stainless steel misting system. This worked well for multiple years.
We’ve had remarkably cool and rainy days the last few and I’m hoping that will help give everyone a break.
I broke down and bought the equiwinner patches and will start them today while we’re still in relative cool
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We’re enjoying a cool down as well. It started last Thursday evening with some rain and storms and was tolerable Friday and Saturday and then the coolest temps Sunday morning and Monday morning. Highs have stayed in the 80’s, there has been a northerly breeze, and humidity has been lower. Thank goodness. My guy hasn’t had to be closed up in his stall, heck, a couple of days fans weren’t even plugged in because it was so breezy and the humidity was so low which made the gnats less active, I guess. (They’ve been horrible this year!)
Rainy weather starts to return tomorrow, and with it a rise in humidity, but at least not as hot.
Hoping this is enough to reset him.
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We have had a nice cooldown here too. I’ve been talking to Horsetech about dosing Sweatwerks at a higher rate, and my hope is that between the reset and the additional product, my horse will be better prepared to survive August.
