Re: Question for Horse Owners

Posted by Nancy Howell on May 14, 2012 at 14:03:19 from (144.162.48.67):

In Reply to: Question for Horse Owners posted by Bobl1958 on May 14, 2012 at 11:50:01:

I would definitely rinse them and the harness. Sweat contains salt and salt is hard on the horse's coat and your harness. Sweat doesn't really hurt biothane, but unless your hardware is solid brass, it can damage the metal.

I've had horses for many years and I always give them, the bridle and the pad a good rinsing if they're sweaty.

If they're warm (not hot) and sweaty from mild exertion and your water is chilly, start slowly. Use a low volume of water and a spray nozzle set to "shower". Start with the upper legs, chest, and belly. Do one horse, then move to the other. Then return to the first horse and rinse the neck, sides, back and rump. I use a rag (or sponge) and a bucket to rinse sweat from the face and ear area. Don't forget the mane and tail.

Once they are cool, you can increase the water flow. Rinse thoroughly until all sweat is rinsed off. Using a rubber curry while spraying will speed this process.

When done, you can use a sweat scraper to help remove the excess water. They're very cheap and your horse will dry much faster. Your horses will appreciate it.

I built a wash stall in the barn just for this purpose. There are hooks on the wall to hold tack so it can be rinsed.

If the horse is hot, they should be walked until cool then rinsed thoroughly. Chilly water on a hot horse can cause cramping and other problems.

My bridles are biothane with brass hardware. I rinse them frequently. Its much easier to care for than leather.

It would be a very good idea to get base line, or resting, heart rates and respiration rates for your horses. It can be very important if trouble strikes. One of the first indicators of pain can be an increased pulse rate.

If you don't have a stethoscope, get one. They're not expensive and makes checking pulse & respiration much easier. You can check the pulse without a stethoscope by locating the large artery that runs at a right angle to the jaw bone on the left side. Feel around the edge of the jaw bone until you find it.

Make sure your horse is calm before you start to check the pulse. I'm not sure what the at rest pulse rate would be for a draft horse, but I would guess it would be somewhere around 28 to 32 bpm. Take the pulse for 15 seconds, then multiply by 4.

Respiration should be 3 maybe 4 per 15 second interval. You can check respiration by watching the horse's flank.

Enjoy your team. They're lovely.

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