Horseback riding is a popular hobby, but owning a horse is often not possible. If you are fortunate enough to be in the position to own your own horse, you might be surprised to learn just how much goes into caring for them. There is so much to learn, today, let’s tackle coolers. Horse coolers might be a little confusing for beginners, which is why we have put together the following guide. Take a look.
Table of Contents
What is a Cooler?
A horse cooler is just the name given to a certain type of blanket that you put on a wet horse to keep it warm in colder weather. As with most animals, their coats help to insulate them against the cold; however, when their coat gets wet, it can make them a lot colder. Coolers, therefore, are made up of a few different materials, and they are designed to wick away moisture. They tend to only need to wear the cooler for thirty minutes or so, after which you can take it off of them.
When are they Used?
Coolers do have a few uses, but they tend to be used the most in just two scenarios, and this is after bathing in the winter and for training during the winter months. Bathing a horse during the winter can be dangerous; you need to scrape the excess water off and then use a cooler while the horse dries more to keep it warm. If you are training your horse during the winter months and it is sweating, then you should use a cooler to wick away the moisture without the horse getting too cold.
Why are they Used?
Coolers are preferable to allowing a horse to dry naturally – especially during colder weather. When a horse exercises, the blood vessels near the skin dilate, and the pores open. The blood starts to flow to the skin and muscles. If left to dry naturally, the cold air can really be a shock to the system, and their fur isn’t able to insulate them when it is wet, this could give your horse a cold. A cooler helps to dry them off while regulating their body temperature to ensure that they do not get too cold.
Using a Cooler
Using a cooler is actually pretty straightforward; it does make sense to have a few horse cooler blankets – like the ones available from Horseware – because you might need to use more than one. If the horse is very wet and it is cold out, you should use two coolers, one on top of the other. Whilst the horse is wearing them, hand walk it. You can touch their chest to get a gauge of their temperature. When the first cooler is quite wet, you can remove it and leave them with a single cooler on. After another thirty minutes, the last cooler can be removed, and the horse should be dry.
Summing Up
Horse coolers are a key part of horse care – especially during cold weather. You should definitely have a few in your horse care kit. They are amazing at helping to keep your horse warm while they dry. You can also use them as an extra layer underneath other blankets during the cold weather to stop them getting a chill. You may allow your horse to air dry in the warm weather, but during the winter months, you should always use a cooler.
