Horse cooler

[SixSassyHens]

Do the horse coolers that look like nets actually cool a horse any? I've seen them used and if like to know if they actual help. Thanks

 

[rkendrick]

Yes they do. By at least 5° most of the time more. My old Arabian is too stubborn to get out of sun. I reach under his sun sheet and he is noticeably cooler under.

 

[Bunnylady]

From my experience, that's hard to say. We had a stallion confined where there was no shade one summer. On the 95o+ days, he was dripping sweat under the sun sheet. Horses confined in a nearby paddock that also lacked shade were a bit damp, but not wringing wet like he was. It might not have been quite as warm under the sheet, but he was getting less evaporative cooling, too (humidity is always a factor here - it might be less of a problem in an area of low humidity).

 

[CaraBY]

If nothing else, they help keep flies off that part of the body.

 

[Peaches Lee]

I've never used a cooler to keep a horse cool, rather it is used to safely cool down a horse after a hard workout so the horse does not catch a chill in cold weather. It can also be used to help the horses muscles warm up in cold weather preventing injury.

 

[Bunnylady]

If nothing else, they help keep flies off that part of the body.

Here again, I'm not sure how useful one is for that. Around here, we have flies that can bite me through jeans or a t-shirt; I feel pretty sure that they can bite through the mesh of a cooler.

 

[res]

From my experience, that's hard to say. We had a stallion confined where there was no shade one summer. On the 95o+ days, he was dripping sweat under the sun sheet. Horses confined in a nearby paddock that also lacked shade were a bit damp, but not wringing wet like he was. It might not have been quite as warm under the sheet, but he was getting less evaporative cooling, too (humidity is always a factor here - it might be less of a problem in an area of low humidity).

I agree with Bunnylady. In a humid environment, I am not sure a sweat sheet will help any at all.

On super hot/humid days here in southern MD, I will hose and scrape the horses, and then stall them in front of fans. Sometimes multiple fans. They get turned out at night when it is cooler.

 

[res]

I've never used a cooler to keep a horse cool, rather it is used to safely cool down a horse after a hard workout so the horse does not catch a chill in cold weather. It can also be used to help the horses muscles warm up in cold weather preventing injury.

The OP is talking about a newer product - an anti-sweat sheet is another name. Usually made of mesh, and it is supposed to keep the horses cooler.

They aren't the same thing as the tried-and-true coolers used after bathing and workouts....

 

[Peaches Lee]

The OP is talking about a newer product - an anti-sweat sheet is another name. Usually made of mesh, and it is supposed to keep the horses cooler.

They aren't the same thing as the tried-and-true coolers used after bathing and workouts....

Interesting...