Mild winter climate and coolers?

[CalmingTea]

We live in an area where the winter is mild, but because my daughter’s horse is a hard keeper, he will be wearing a blanket for December and January (gets into the high 30’s) to help him keep the weight on.

My daughter has two times per week when her lesson/ride ends around 5 pm, which is just when the temperature shifts. Her horse will definitely need to wear his cooler to wick away some of the moisture before putting his blanket on.

Question- How long does it take the cooler to work, and can we leave the cooler on overnight? (We would then use his rain sheet instead of his blanket becuase in low 40’s/high 30’s the blanket plus cooler would make him sweat) …

My thinking is that sometimes we are sitting there 30 or 40 mintues and the cooler has still not had the chance to do its job. But we need to go home, have dinner and finish homework. I can either plan to pack a dinner for the barn, or leave the cooler on (under his rain sheet) overnight.

He has his full fur and is not clipped.

[Hayburner]

If the cooler is damp/wet I would not leave it on over night. He has to be dry before putting on his sheet. Maybe do a partial clip?

[Scribbler]

IME a wool cooler works faster and better on a cool horse. The fleece work best if you get them on while the horse is still warm. You can try getting the cooler on right at the end if the ride and handwalking to keep his body heat up.

Or give him a trace clip which is exactly the point of a clip.

[CalmingTea]

Yeah we might be better off doing a trace clip. I’m glad I asked about the cooler overnight! Someone at our facility said we could do that and I just felt it was a super dubious idea.

[Scribbler]

@CalmingTea

Yeah we might be better off doing a trace clip. I’m glad I asked about the cooler overnight! Someone at our facility said we could do that and I just felt it was a super dubious idea.

Is he going back outside in a turnout sheet? Then you want him dry because the waterproof turnout sheet won’t let him dry out.

Feel free to double check all dubious suggestions and suggested short cuts here on COTH!

[CHT]

A blow dryer with a cool setting might be more helpful in drying him off (too hot a setting might overheat him). If you do a trace clip, perhaps leave the belly hairy. If he lives out 24/7 he might not wish to lay down on a bare belly and will loose too much body heat with the large, exposed area.

[ChestnutArabianMare]

You could clip him (especially if he’s going to be blanketed anyway) or train him to stand for a blow dryer if he’s a sensible sort. I did the blow dryer with my old horse since she turned into a grizzly bear in the winter… thankfully she wasn’t a huge sweater, but she’d still get damp if it happened to get warmer than 45 degrees Fahrenheit (the average high was 20-30).

[NoSuchPerson]

@Scribbler

Then you want him dry because the waterproof turnout sheet won’t let him dry out.

Not true. Turnout sheets/blankets are both waterproof and breathable. The marketing material says so.

I put turnout sheets/blankets on wet horses when they’ve been out in the rain and we’re having an overnight cold front with big temperature drop. They are dry under the blanket in the morning.

If the horse is completely cool, but still a bit damp, you can put the blanket on and leave. But, since it sounds like this is a routine occurrence, I would trace clip.

[Equibrit]

Is the horse outside or inside ? If inside put a mesh cooler, under a wool blanket.