Properly Cooling Your Horse Down After a Winter Workout

Hello all!

Continuing our theme on horses' safety throughout the winter, we want to talk about properly cooling your horse down after a winter ride. This mainly applies to those rides where your horse works hard, sweats and breathes heavily. If you are going out for a quiet trail ride, although it's always important to check your horse after each ride, it's less likely you will have to worry about a thorough cooling out process.

Photo credit: Country & Stable.com

"Possibly one of the most tedious aspects of riding horses in winter is the after-ride cooling-out process. Tedious though it may be, it's very important to cool your horse properly. Putting him away hot and sweaty will jeopardize his health by allowing him to catch a chill. Even in the coldest of weather, the horse's metabolism (the burning of internal fuels to produce energy) will cause him to sweat during intense exercise. This sweating can be exaggerated by a full winter coat. For this reason, many horse owners choose to clip their horses in winter (Equus.com)." To learn about how to properly cool your horse off after a hard workout click here to read the original article from our friends at Equus.

Learn more about keeping yourself safe during your winter rides by wearing a Ride Safe Medical ID Bracelet! It's easy to get wrapped up in our horses' safety and forget about our own. That's why wearing a comfortable, Ride Safe bracelet 24-7 can help keep you prepared in an event of an emergency. Get yours today at: www.teamridesafe.com!