Question about One AC or other sweat supplements

[MapleFarm]

Hello!

I have a Friesian cross who is very dark, large, and a bit pudgy. I’ve been working on her fitness this spring and she’s definitely getting stronger, but it’s getting hotter and she hasn’t been sweating as much as I think she “should” be, compared to my other horse of the same age and also very large.

I don’t know what constitutes anhidrosis - she does sweat, when I ride and otherwise - under the saddle pad, on her face, between the cheeks, etc - but not nearly as much as I would expect. She’s got a thick hair coat even in the summer, but I’m hesitant to clip her as I don’t want to have to put a fly sheet on her since it’s so hot and humid here (VA). She also pants when worked heavily in the heat, which is new for me (I’ve always had TBs).

Does feeding a sweat supplement like OneAC cause any issues? If I feed it and then stop, does it make the problem worse? Any other suggestions? Looking ahead at showing this season and want to help her as much as I can.

Thanks in advance!

[luvmyhackney]

It doesn’t hurt one way or the other. I had the best luck with acupuncture on a non sweating horse.

[Renn_aissance]

To your actual question: there’s no harm trying and stopping. Start now, and give it a month or so.

While you’re trying to figure out “is she or isn’t she,” keep an eye on her general respiration. Panting to cool herself in work is one thing, but if you ever see her panting in her stall to cool herself, that’s a sign that her sweat rate is really inadequate and you need to take steps.

But to the question you didn’t ask… I’m in hot, humid Maryland and my horse has a very plush coat. Don’t underestimate the cooling value of clipping her! More rigid fly sheets like Turtle Neck stand away from the body so they allow better air flow than clingy soft mesh. I do leave them off when it’s 100 degrees in the shade, but my horse also has anhidrosis and I keep the fly sheet on through much of the summer because he gets horrible skin reactions to the bugs.

[JB]

A thicker coat would benefit from some clipping - use a longer blade and go with the direction of hair, so you’re not doing a "real’ body clip

Friesians just take a lot of work to get fit, and it’s worse in the humidity

OneAC can help, it may not (probably more likely to not help), but it won’t hurt to try. HorseTech has a SweatWerks product that might help. Guiness beer has helped many horses. Accupuncture too.

Does she eat any significant amount of beet pulp? I don’t know why, but SOME horses have sweating issues when on enough beet pulp, it doesn’t make sense, but I’ve seen enough over the years to mention it

[bugsynskeeter1]

Is she on alfalfa? Our poor/non sweaters get pulled from alfalfa and put on plain grass hay. Always seems to help them before we have to start any additional support.

[MapleFarm]

Thank you! I worry about the bugs as she has a tendency to get these hard lumps that never go away - literally - and the vet thinks that they are originally from bug bites. She mostly gets them on her neck.

I think I may try clipping (with help as I am not a great clipper) this year and see how it goes.

[MapleFarm]

Thank you! Yes, it has been a real uphill battle to get fitness going this year - but she seems better than last year at least.

She gets about a cup of beet pulp 2x day to make her vitamin more desirable. Guinness would be interesting, and if she doesn’t drink it, I always can

Also thank you for the clipping advice. I’ll try it that way so it isn’t so short!

[MapleFarm]

Not much! I currently am feeding a couple of flakes of an orchard/alfalfa blend (low on the alfalfa) but they mostly eat grass (stalls are open to large fields, but they come in and munch on hay in the hottest part of the day). We do have a fair amount of clover in our fields, which would do the same thing I would think as far as protein goes (if that is the root cause of the alfalfa issue). I’m not sure if I can get her off of the clover. She does pee more often than my other horse which I know can indicate increased protein intake so maybe she does eat more than my other horse just from preference.

Maybe I’ll try also kicking her off the more clover-filled field. Do you know if the reason is the protein?

[Renn_aissance]

@MapleFarm

Thank you! I worry about the bugs as she has a tendency to get these hard lumps that never go away - literally - and the vet thinks that they are originally from bug bites. She mostly gets them on her neck.

My horse has gotten those too. One was in a bad spot for tack and blankets and the vet injected that one with steroid to shrink it; most of the others did end up going away on their own over a period of 5 years or so, but he’s got one on his underline that he’s had for 15 years and I assume that one originated from a bug and is now established as a feature!

Bodies are weird.

As for clipping, just remember that the only difference between a good clip job and a bad clip job is 2 weeks of hair growth. And if she’s under a fly sheet then she won’t be embarrassed either.

OneAC is among the cheapest sweat supplements so it’s a good first try. @JB mentioned several upthread. My horse responded to OneAC for the first year of treatment and then it wasn’t particularly efficacious, but has had good results with Platinum Refresh. I note this because if it turns out she does have a problem but the OneAC didn’t solve it, you have options. (Including Guinness, which my horse hated. He’s Irish. I asked him if he was aware of his heritage and he just sat there and looked inscrutable.)

[JB]

@MapleFarm

Do you know if the reason is the protein?

the deal with alfalfa (legumes in general) is the physical heat it generates in the hind gut. Hay/forage in general creates heat, but alfalfa creates more. This makes it excellent for Winter, but less desirable, in significant amounts, for warm weather and harder work.

[Boomer]

I have a Friesian X and am in Aiken SC. She is on a variety of things. In the winter she sweats pretty well, in the summer its under the tack, a little on her head, maybe a little neck and boobie sweat. It’s no riding later than 8am/9am or much above 80F. The humid really does not help her.
She got good and fit over the winter into spring, which has helped with the puffing . We moved to a new trainer a month ago so she has a fan in her in/out attached to a large paddock. I may have to add a 2nd fan like I had at the other barn.

I tried One AC without any luck. But it’s cheap, so I’d start there.

Current regime:
1 Guinness extra stout am
Vitamin E
CEP Pure Sweat (1 scoop)
CEP Lung (2 scoops)
Electrolytes

She’s on Timothy hay. There is a FB group called Support For Horses With Anhidrosis which I’ve joined. Lots of great stuff on it. Some people that didn’t have luck with beer are having luck with Vodka

I could go up to 2 scoops Pure Sweat, but I’m holding off to see how she does. In the winter I drop the CEP Lung and restart it at the beginning of pollen season, which is crazy long in SC.

[Boomer]

Interesting on the beet pulp! I haven’t heard that one yet. I’ll ask on the Anhidrosis group I’m in and see if anyone else has had similar experience.

[MapleFarm]

@Renn_aissance

As for clipping, just remember that the only difference between a good clip job and a bad clip job is 2 weeks of hair growth.

lol thank you, this is true but easy to forget!

Including Guinness, which my horse hated. He’s Irish. I asked him if he was aware of his heritage and he just sat there and looked inscrutable.

He probably said it isn’t as good on this side of the Atlantic

Also good to know regarding the bumps. I don’t have any in spots that “need” treatment (yet) but have been there about 4 years. Hopefully they will eventually go away, but should she get any on the girth or saddle area, I’ll definitely reach out to my vet ASAP.

[MapleFarm]

Thank you!!

I have a schooling show in a week and it looks like we are getting a heat wave that weekend. I really want to do it, but we may have to dump some water on her after my first test. I was thinking of asking the organizer to put me early, but I know that everyone will want to go early.

Vodka seems a bit crazy! But hey I guess if it works, it works!

[SusanO]

It seems to me that the best way to avoid serious anhidrosis is to never let it get started. By riding early in the morning (although the humidity can be atrocious) or late at night or keeping the horses under a fan during the day. If you are already doing these things then never mind. And I am sure keeping excess weight off during the hot summer helps. I have an airfern too, so I know how hard that is. (If I win the lottery I am going to build a walker with a roof and put my fat mare on it to get rid of some weight.) Can you hack out in the shade somewhere for slow work to get her fitter? And have cold water/ice ready when you untack to cool her down quickly?

[MapleFarm]

That’s good to know regarding preventing it - makes me feel a little less crazy for wanting to jump on this issue before it becomes a bigger issue. I mostly ride evenings/early but there are times like shows that I can’t avoid it.

She has inside/outside access during the day with a fan and seems to do OK as long as she is inside out of the sun. I have a bank barn so the lower level stays pretty cool compared to many barns.

She doesn’t hack out well - she’s a bit of a scaredy cat when she’s alone. But in the evenings half of my property is shaded so I can keep it better mowed and try to ride out along the edges a bit more than I’m doing now. I do hose her off with cool well water immediately after working at home. At the schooling show I should be able to do that as well, they have a few spots to do it. Less so at the “real” shows - the water always seems warm to me at the facilities we go to.

[Renn_aissance]

@MapleFarm

I have a schooling show in a week and it looks like we are getting a heat wave that weekend. I really want to do it, but we may have to dump some water on her after my first test.

A bucket of cold water with half a bottle of wintergreen alcohol in it. Or just cold wintergreen alcohol in a bucket or spray bottle. It’s cooling from the wintergreen and it also evaporates faster than water.

[Boomer]

Hey Maple Farm - just realized it was you asking and that we’ve PM’d about Friesians before, lol.

I know, vodka! Crazy, but some people are swearing by it.

One of the schooling show organizers near me said they would accommodate a request for early ride time since my mare doesn’t sweat well. So it might be worth asking.

[RhythmNCruise]

Just chiming in as the mom of an Appy with anhidrosis. His kicks in when we hit the triple digit days that only cool into the mid-80’s at night with suffocating humidity. I keep hoping each summer will be “the one” when he doesn’t stop sweating, so I’m bad about starting One AC early. Once I find him with a dry coat and breathing like he just ran the Kentucky Derby (when all he’s doing is standing still in the pasture grazing), I hose him, close him in his stall (that is usually open to his pasture 24/7) under his fan, and start the One AC in his feed AM and PM. I think I feed more than recommended, like 2 scps twice a day. I go through those little containers super fast, I know that. But in a day or two, he starts sweating again. Usually it’s just a super hot/humid spell that stops up his “sweater” and then we’ll get a slight cooling for a couple of evenings and I’ll keep him up in his stall with this fan during the heat of the day, and shoveling the One AC to him, and he seems to “reset” if you will. But he stays on the One AC for the rest of the summer at that point and usually does fine.

This year he’s on Spirulina for the first time for skin and respiratory issues. I’m hoping to be the first person to discover that Spirulina cures anhidrosis, LOL. Wishful thinking.

[Annie10]

I’ve tried a couple of different supplements over the last few years for my non sweater. Including Platinum Refresh which did absolutely zilch. The others worked for one season and then nothing the next. This year I tried the vodka. It has been working. I started at 2 shots a day now I’m up to four and its seems to working less well… So I don’t know what I’m going to try next. He does get alfalfa and a beet pulp based feed so I think I will make some changes there.