Horse Owners: A place for us on the Dis

[Luvchefmic]

Hi! My name is Ruthie and I know some of you here on the Dis through our love of both Disney and our horses. So I found myself as a person that always loved horses but never had a horse asking basic questions. Some of us thought a thread would be great, maybe even a forum within the boards...today I was taught how to change the title of this thread from asking my original question to making it our place. Hope I did it right

**********************************************************
here we go !
**********************************************************

Maxine is 5 yrs old (Quarterhorse/Arabian) healthy always has fresh water, a salt block and a mineral block. She's not under saddle so its not like she is being over exerted in the heat. She's turned out 24/7 on our property. She can & does get into the shade (and has been known to stand over the a/c unit) Is there anything else I can do to make her comfortable? I see her sweating and today I feel like she's breathing a little faster/harder than I normally see but not in a struggling kind of way (hope that makes sense). Am I being an overprotective Mom? I've seen a cool vest you can buy for a horse anyone have any take on these? Is it necessary and do they even work? I go out periodically and sponge her down and she seems to be happy about it.

TIA,

Ruthie

 

[tiggger1]

Sounds like you are doing everything right. What I do when it is really hot is either make a mash of her grain or make her a pony popsicle. I just add a scoop of grain and a scoop of hay stretcher pellets and add water until it becomes a very soupy mash...I also add a little bit of apple juice or gaterade. for the mash I feed as is for the pop I freeze.. its a great way of getting some extra water in them!

 

[dis-happy]

We have a box fan in the stall.

You can also clip to help with cooling during the summer.



ETA: coth is a great website for horse info! (coth = chronicles of the horse).

 

[Luvchefmic]

Sounds like you are doing everything right. What I do when it is really hot is either make a mash of her grain or make her a pony popsicle. I just add a scoop of grain and a scoop of hay stretcher pellets and add water until it becomes a very soupy mash...I also add a little bit of apple juice or gaterade. for the mash I feed as is for the pop I freeze.. its a great way of getting some extra water in them!

Really Gatorade or apple juice ? I would never have thought....

We have a box fan in the stall. You can also clip to help with cooling during the summer.
ETA: coth is a great website for horse info! (coth = chronicles of the horse).

she has no stall, she has protection/shade but nothing to clip a fan on

Thank you both...& for the web site I thought I knew them all that one I never heard of

 

[luvdzny]

she has no stall, she has protection/shade but nothing to clip a fan on

I may be wrong, but I think that dis-happy meant that you could clip the horse to keep her cool!

 

[Luvchefmic]

I may be wrong, but I think that dis-happy meant that you could clip the horse to keep her cool!

I read it as also clip in addition to a fan in the stall BUT I have never clipped a horse in my life and that's not an option for me...poor thing would end up looking like a poodle or something

 

[dis-happy]

I may be wrong, but I think that dis-happy meant that you could clip the horse to keep her cool!

Yep.



COTH is the DISboards for horses, at least according to my dd, the rider and horse girl in our family. Plus, there are hilarious postings in there sometimes. If you're ever bored, do a search there on keeping gold fish in your water trough.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

As long as she has shade, fresh water, and good ventilation she'll be fine. She shouldn't need to be clipped at all - in the summer she should have a pretty short coat.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

I am so happy to learn of this "Coth" board. I can't wait to check it out! Thanks!

Hi Luv! Still gotta meet at Chef Mickeys soon...remember, have my cocktail waiting for me. LOL.

I have two mini horses. One in particular (the littlest one, Boo) does sweat and seems to pant a lot. There is a nice big shade tree he stands under most of the time. He also has a stall attached to his paddock, and I never stall them, I just leave the door open and he can go in and out at will. I do have a fan in the stall. I turn it on every morning with the morning feed...and turn it off every night with the evening feed. I NEVER SEE HIM IN THERE! Drives me nuts! I purposely feed them in their stalls, and also, when I give them treats, I make them come into their stalls...I keep hoping the will figure out, "Hmmm, it is cooler in here...let's hang out in here!" but they never do!

In the late afternoon, I turn them out into a bigger pasture in my front area. There is no shelter there, and only a little shade that doesn't show up until the sun starts to fall in the afternoon, so that's why I never put them out there mid day. I also hose them down at that time. Of course they always ROLL and they look like little pigs out there!

Anyway, I feel bad for horses in the heat, I really do. Mostly for horses that are from somewhere else, which might sound silly. My neighbor just purchased a very expensive, gorgeous horse from the mountains of New Mexico. I think he is very uncomfortable. My horses only know Florida heat, and one in particular I got from a guy who kept him in a pen with NO SHADE at all.

Good luck!

 

[bballmom56]

If she seems to be stressed with the heat, you can always hose her off with cool water. Also, you can add electrolytes to her feed in the hot weather.

 

[Jennasis]

Add electrolytes to her feed to encourage drinking, and be sure the water she has available hasn't become hot and unpalatable. As BBallmom said, a hose down followed by a vigours scraping can help, or you can try a brace such as bigeloil and water or make your own with rubbing alcohol and water.

I have horses who live out 24/7 and those who are stalled (in during day with fans on and turned out at night in the pasture). They all do well. My black horse wears a fly sheet to protect him from sun/uv damage and flys and it seems to keep him cooler.

 

[tiggger1]

If she seems to be stressed with the heat, you can always hose her off with cool water. Also, you can add electrolytes to her feed in the hot weather.

hosing is ok as long as you make sure use a sweat scrapper blade to get all the water off of her. If not the water will get under the hair and hold in the heat actually making them hotter.

 

[Luvchefmic]

I want to thank you all..so please don't think I'm ignoring anyone, I'd be quoting everyone.....any thoughts or experience with that horse "cooling vest" I asked about ?

I am so happy to learn of this "Coth" board. I can't wait to check it out! Thanks!

Hi Luv! Still gotta meet at Chef Mickeys soon...remember, have my cocktail waiting for me. LOL.
I have two mini horses. One in particular (the littlest one, Boo) does sweat and seems to pant a lot. There is a nice big shade tree he stands under most of the time. He also has a stall attached to his paddock, and I never stall them, I just leave the door open and he can go in and out at will. I do have a fan in the stall. I turn it on every morning with the morning feed...and turn it off every night with the evening feed. I NEVER SEE HIM IN THERE! Drives me nuts! I purposely feed them in their stalls, and also, when I give them treats, I make them come into their stalls...I keep hoping the will figure out, "Hmmm, it is cooler in here...let's hang out in here!" but they never do!

In the late afternoon, I turn them out into a bigger pasture in my front area. There is no shelter there, and only a little shade that doesn't show up until the sun starts to fall in the afternoon, so that's why I never put them out there mid day. I also hose them down at that time. Of course they always ROLL and they look like little pigs out there!

Anyway, I feel bad for horses in the heat, I really do. Mostly for horses that are from somewhere else, which might sound silly. My neighbor just purchased a very expensive, gorgeous horse from the mountains of New Mexico. I think he is very uncomfortable. My horses only know Florida heat, and one in particular I got from a guy who kept him in a pen with NO SHADE at all.

Good luck!

Of course I remember and we MUST !

Add electrolytes to her feed to encourage drinking, and be sure the water she has available hasn't become hot and unpalatable. As BBallmom said, a hose down followed by a vigours scraping can help, or you can try a brace such as bigeloil and water or make your own with rubbing alcohol and water.
I have horses who live out 24/7 and those who are stalled (in during day with fans on and turned out at night in the pasture). They all do well. My black horse wears a fly sheet to protect him from sun/uv damage and flys and it seems to keep him cooler.

I remember last year I had asked about my concern with mosquitos and you responded right away so I thank you again. This year with a few cases of EEE here in FL and 2 horses and 2 people that died I had the county inspectors come out. The water that runs (but isn't moving) through our property is a swamp. They shot some chemicals in there & will be doing helicopter spraying to stay on top of it. As far as what you said (and I bolded) I have NO idea what that is.

hosing is ok as long as you make sure use a sweat scrapper blade to get all the water off of her. If not the water will get under the hair and hold in the heat actually making them hotter.

You are the second one to mention the sweat scrapper and now I feel like a *******, I have obviously been making the problem worst..I have a LOT to learn, I LOVE my fellow Dissers

 

[bballmom56]

hosing is ok as long as you make sure use a sweat scrapper blade to get all the water off of her. If not the water will get under the hair and hold in the heat actually making them hotter.

Yes, I forgot to add that as it is routine when we hose horses. It just is part of the whole procedure yet I forgot that some may not realize that.

 

[Jennasis]

I'm sorry, I should have explained...

Linament is a liquid product (or occassionally a gel) that is used to cool off hot areas or to soothe tired muscles. You can buy a premade one like Bigeloil (pronounced beagle-oil), or make your own by mixing rubbing alcohol into a bucket of water. Then grab a sponge and sponge bathe the horse over the hot sweaty areas, being sure to pay attention to the chest, loins, and between the back legs. The evaporation of the alcohol will cool the horse.

Anytime you hose down a horse you have to use a sweat scraper to scrape ALL the excess water off. Otherwise the extra water saturates the hair coat, gets heated by the horses own body heat, which makes it like wearing a hot weat blanket.

 

[Luvchefmic]

I'm sorry, I should have explained...

Linament is a liquid product (or occassionally a gel) that is used to cool off hot areas or to soothe tired muscles. You can buy a premade one like Bigeloil (pronounced beagle-oil), or make your own by mixing rubbing alcohol into a bucket of water. Then grab a sponge and sponge bathe the horse over the hot sweaty areas, being sure to pay attention to the chest, loins, and between the back legs. The evaporation of the alcohol will cool the horse.

Anytime you hose down a horse you have to use a sweat scraper to scrape ALL the excess water off. Otherwise the extra water saturates the hair coat, gets heated by the horses own body heat, which makes it like wearing a hot weat blanket.

Okay got it makes a lot of sense ( the alcohol & the H2O) same like when the kids (human) had a fever & you wanted to bring the body temp down

and boy does it make sense about the sweat scraper

 

[muffyn]

Yep.



COTH is the DISboards for horses, at least according to my dd, the rider and horse girl in our family. Plus, there are hilarious postings in there sometimes. If you're ever bored, do a search there on keeping gold fish in your water trough.

oo we do that!
they seem to like it, even.
: )

 

[MichelleVW]

It's crazy hot here too. They have shade and water so I don't worry too much. I sometimes give more apples and carrots when it's hot, but mostly I just make sure they have water at their disposal!

What you worry about is when they are NOT sweating...that is bad.

 

[Luvchefmic]

It's crazy hot here too. They have shade and water so I don't worry too much. I sometimes give more apples and carrots when it's hot, but mostly I just make sure they have water at their disposal!

What you worry about is when they are NOT sweating...that is bad.

Hi Michelle, well you've seen pictures of her and she's...well healthy as a horse (ok ok I know friends that was really really bad no vegetavle throwing) but still wanted to get reassurance esp yesterday



You know there are a lot of groups here on the Dis Boards for special interests Is it a stretch to think there would be interest for horse lovers

I know there are web site/forums out there (and thanks for telling about "COTH") not only for me to learn from all of you, I'm willing to bet there are also others on the boards that may be interested in this too. A go to place to ask questions & not feel intimidated...you're all great.. a place to share ideas, pictures, horse safe recipes, get info to each other like the EEE,
NOT a place to sell/buy/anything or anyone..just like our own virtual barn buddies that are already Dis buddies

Thoughts????????
Ruthie

 

[Jennasis]

Just be aware...you know how the DIS can get, well..."rough" sometimes? The COTH can be very catty. I mean ROUGH. So just make sure you have super tough skin before delving into that place. You can also check to see if there is a horse-board specific to where you live.