First things first, what is pre-cooling? It’s a procedure that’s known to reduce the temperature of the horse’s body before the event. It’s proven to effectively reduce the heart rate and surface and rectal temperatures (i.e., increasing the margin between the initial body temperature and optimal temperature) amidst the exercise.
Pre-Cooling In Horses
It’s highly recommended to pre-cool an athletic horse before cross country tournaments, especially under hot, humid climatic conditions, as they remain at risk of a heat strain due to their limited ability to exert heat out of their bodies. Severe climatic conditions, especially heat, are known to adversely affect both the performance and health of the athletes participating in endurance-focused sports.
However, each horse may respond differently to pre-cooling, so an individual approach may be required to meet the terms of heat stress management in horses. In general, pre-cooling is found to reduce heart rate by nearly four beats per minute during a session of pouring 2 to 9 degree centigrade of water over the horse’s body for a total of eight minutes. Moreover, it decreases the skin surface temperature of the horse around the shoulders and hindquarters.
Tips for Heat Stress Management in Horses
1. Let In A Breeze
Slow walking or aiming for a light warmup will allow gentle wind to move over your horse’s body, enhancing convective cooling. Likewise, keeping your horse under a shade will provide cooler air temperatures that also enhance the cooling factor.
2. Hose Down
Heat is lost as you spray or water your horse with a hose due to evaporative cooling. Moreover, heat can be lost with the help of conduction, given that the temperature of the water is cooler than that of your horse’s body surface. It’s only a myth that hosing a heated horse with cold water will cause an illness —it’s scientifically proven that the colder the water, the more rapidly conduction heat loss occurs.
3. A Misting Fan
A misting fan is known to be, by far, the most efficient method that can aid the pre-cooling process —horses, participating in Olympic races are kept cool using this method. As the mist causes cooling due to evaporation and conduction, the breeze from the fan significantly improves convection and evaporation. It’s a win-win!
4. Offer Water To Drink
Allowing your horse to gulp down water will also have cooling effects on their body as the interior temperatures are equalized with the help of water temperature. Additionally, drinking water will keep them hydrated, as severe dehydration can cause organ damage among horses. You can also add electrolytes for maintaining hydration levels, which may have been lost due to sweating. Remember, ‘too much’ water is only a myth, and there are no health risks associated with offering cold water to a heated horse.
The Trinity Equestrian Center is now welcoming riders of all ages and levels to indulge in custom-tailored programs for horseback riding lessons, training in show jumping, horse boarding, and care in the horse stable. We’re located in Germantown, NY, but have extended our support to Ancram, Claverack, Chatham, Copake, Columbia County, Kingston, Rhinebeck, Red Hook, and Tivoli. Book yourself a spot today!
