BOTTOM LINE - There is no situation where leaving your horse wet in any warm-hot environment which will lead it to risk being overheated more than if it was dry. PLEASE SHARE & HELP BUST THIS MYTH!
your horse is out in a rainstorm and gets wet, and then the sun comes out? Your horse will most likely be fine — again, this “quick tip” is intended for post-exercise horse care, where a horse's temperature is elevated and he is warm to the touch.
Depending on how wet your horse is, it may take him an hour or more to dry off completely after a ride. I often go back to work after a midday ride, leaving my horse's cooler on until I get home in the evening.
Horse care in summer. The summer can mean lots of opportunities for you and your horse to enjoy the warmer weather. However, as with other animals, horses are prone to dehydration and can suffer from heat exhaustion and heatstroke, especially as they're usually outside in the sun.
Shade for your horse
Shelter is incredibly important in all weathers, but it's particularly important to provide shade and shelter to protect horses from direct sunlight. This can be provided by shelters and trees, and shade should be accessible throughout the entire day.
Avoid riding your horse when the combined air temperature (F) and relative humidity is over 150, especially if the horse is not acclimated to the heat. To cool an overheated horse, sponge it with cool water.
Dr. Talbot said when a horse is hot and sweaty, rinsing him and leaving large amounts of water within his hair can slow that evaporative cooling process. He recommends the handler scrape off the excess water before turning out the horse.
Blanket Fit
Make sure blankets are kept dry and do not put a blanket on a wet horse; wait until the horse is dry before blanketing. Or take a wet blanket off a horse to keep it from becoming chilled. Days that the temperature becomes warm remove the blanket so the horse does not sweat and become wet under the blanket.
BOTTOM LINE - There is no situation where leaving your horse wet in any warm-hot environment which will lead it to risk being overheated more than if it was dry. PLEASE SHARE & HELP BUST THIS MYTH!
Trying to brush through damp, sticky mud will be unsuccessful. If you really need to get a damp, muddy horse clean quickly then put an old towel in a bucket of hot water, wring it out as much as you can and then give the horse a rub with it and repeat.
To dry your horse quickly, rub him briskly with a dry towel. Leave the wet hair standing up, rather than slicking it down, to encourage quick drying. If you have a cooler, use it. The cooler will help wick away moisture and prevent your horse from getting chilled.
Coleman said horses' hair coats can effectively protecting them from cold temperatures, but they stand up less to wind and wet conditions. “If a horse's coat gets wet in rain or snow, it can dramatically chill them,” he said. “You may need to bring them inside a barn to dry and warm up.
Hot, humid weather is upon us in most parts of the country, and while it often means outdoor summer fun and vacations, it can wreak havoc on your animals' skin. Two common side-effects of muggy weather are “rain rot” (aka dermatophilosis) in horses and “hot spots” (aka acute moist dermatitis) in dogs.
Always make sure your horse has somewhere to take shelter and get out of the rain and wind when things get bad. While natural shelter such as trees is useful it's better to provide shelter in the form of a barn or run shed. Ideally the floor of the shelter should be raised so they have a dry spot where they can stand.
If your horse is hot after exercising and does not properly cool down, he is not going to get enough oxygen or blood circulation, which traps heat in his muscles. In severe cases, this can cause neurological deficits or heat stroke. This can also put him at greater risk of pulling muscles.
One old-school method of drying your wet fuzzy horse is to stuff his cooler with hay or straw. This creates an airy insulating layer under the sheet or cooler that helps him dry quickly.
Whether or not you can blanket a wet horse depends on the blanket you're using. In order for your horse to dry, air needs to circulate so his coat can breathe. If the blanket you plan to use has a breathable lining, chances are you can throw it on him and he'll be fine.
If possible, leave blankets off for a while so the skin can breathe. Check regularly to make sure your horse is not sweating under his blanket and remove it if he is damp.
Blanketing a wet horse will increase the chances of developing rain rot, but it's better to deal with [potential] rain rot later than to deal with a colicky horse that got too cold.
In the absence of wind and moisture, horses tolerate temperatures at or slightly below 0° F. If horses have access to a shelter, they can tolerate temperatures as low as -40° F. But horses are most comfortable at temperatures between 18° and 59° F, depending on their hair coat.
The horse's comfortable temperature is generally between -7 and 25 degrees Celsius - provided that the air is dry. However, our four-legged friends can reach their limits, especially in humid, hot conditions above 30 degrees. For everyday life, rethinking is the order of the day.
Overheating can come on quite quickly in a horse which is exercising, with really heavy breathing, staggering and weakness when you stop. If you are riding in warm weather, have some buckets of water with sponges ready for when you get back.
If a horse is breathing heavily and it's not from exertion, then she's probably overheating. Please note that while horses sweat when they're a bit too warm, they're unusually dry when they're dangerously hot. A lack of sweat can be a sign of overheating.
In some cases, you may find your horse laying down to relax in the sun! Laying down for short periods of time may be normal behavior for your horse, especially if they are in a comfortable environment. However, most of the time you see them lying in the sun, it is likely that they are taking a quick nap.