[canadianlover]

So! ( I know about cooling out horses just to put this out there ) but I want to know your guy's opinion about cooling out your horse! why do you do it? why does it matter? how do you tell when your horse is cooled out? how long do you do it for? how do you cool your horse out, do you take their tack off and walk them out or do you ride them at a walk?

go crazy with this one guys

[Blistering Winds]

depends...is your horse a stalled horse or a pasture horse?


In the past, it would be ride, quick get off and pull saddle off, let horse walk around on own and roll, rinse and go away..

if we worked hard, and I wanted to do a cold hose down and "tense" the muscles, then the horse would definitely not be "cooled" like many are.



Since my kids are up there to riding....After I do the heavy workout, i give the horse to the kids to "cool down"

[Huntseat]

I usually just do a couple of laps around the arena at a walk on a loose rein and then I take the saddle off and let them roll and walk around by themselves for a few minutes.

[Jump_It_x3]

I always will walk out for at least 10 minutes. I like for the sweat to dry and for the horse not to be breathing heavily (pretty much back to normal). I usually go by the rule that the horse should be walked out for 1/3 of the time you worked the horse for. Worked them for a half hour.. walk 10 minutes..

[Huntseat]

LOL, Melody very rarely sweats and I can probably count the number of times on one hand that she has really been breathing hard from a hard ride in the past four years I've owned her. She's a very fit, in-shape Arab that can go and go and go forever without tiring out!

[PeggySue]

I always walk the last bit home slow adn easy on long loose rein IF POSSIBLE , get off at end of driveway loosen saddle adn walk to trailer give a treat or two remove saddle brush down walk a bit then HOSE them adn turn them loose to roll

but then again mine are rarely worked hard enough to worry about it

IF and when I get them breathing hard and sweaty I walk on loose rein until breathing is back to normal then I get off loosen saddle walk a bit more and procede as above

[Jess!]

I usually walk the last half mile or so home, and if it's warm enough, I will hose them down.

Then they get a nice, reallllyyyyyyyy watery rice bran mash [like, more water than anything. It's so liquid they have to drink it], and then I let them in their corrals to roll, and drink their mash.

[showing_qween]

Usually walk round on a loose rein till the breathing returns to normal