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  Discussion on Excessive Sweating
Author Message
Member:
mariean

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 23, 2010 - 1:46 pm:

I have a question regarding my 7 year old Saddlebred gelding, who sweats like the proverbial pig. Often, on hotter days, when he is brought in from the pasture, he is drenched while the other horses are not, and he sweats alot when worked-mostly lower neck, shoulder and saddle area-much more than other horses. However, he does not seem to get puffed or breath too hard, and recovers pretty quickly. He also sweats when trailered. He is not overweight, I struggle to keep him at 4-5. He is just coming off of a 5 week layoff due to an abscess, but he was pretty fit before that (not racehorse fit, but is ridden 4-5 time a week with alot of trot work). He has always sweated alot. He has a nice sleek summer coat, though maybe a tad longer than some. He gets a good quality hay, 7lbs Purina Strategy over three feedings, alfalfa cubes for treats, hoof supplement, and smartpak 4gain supplement.

Is this something to worry about? Should I consider clipping his summer coat? I provide him with water/electolytes after a ride, and he has access to a mineral block when outside. He doesn't drink alot of water in his stall-he will, but prefers the automatic waterers outside.
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 23, 2010 - 4:20 pm:

Some do certainly sweat more than others, no matter what the circumstance.

Be sure he has ready access to ample salt and clean water.

It is not necessarily recommended to give electrolytes to horses in the absence of extreme heat or conditions. Sometimes this practice does more harm than good.

One of mine who used to eat the salt or mineral blocks a lot benefited from having loose coarse salt available free choice in a mineral feeder in his stall.

If your horse's coat is longer than normal, clipping might make him more comfortable.
Member:
ajudson1

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 23, 2010 - 5:01 pm:

Just curious, what color is he? Is he also bothered more by flies than the other horses?

My Tango, chestnut, always is wet with sweat more so than the others. I also noticed it seems the huge horse flies attack him the most. I wonder if it's because he sweats the most, or if he sweats the most because the flies bother him the worst?

I have a bucket under the barn eaves with loose white salt, and also another bucket with a loose mineral supplement that is not toxic if they eat a lot.

AND I give a heaping Tablespoon of salt on top of their small amount of grain. I have read in different places the importance of salt more than any other mineral for horses. I figure with the salt, they drink more, and if they drink more, it is very healthy, especially if they are sweating lots.

Is your horse more of a nervous type? He may just be moving more also. I don't think it's anything to worry about if his vitals are good; heck, my hubby sweats very easily too. I don't. He lives for salt, I don't need any extra! So I think it's just different for each individual, but DrO will have the best answer I am sure.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 23, 2010 - 5:44 pm:

Hello Marie Ann,
As noted above there is a lot of variability in the amount a horse sweats but we really cannot make a judgement about your horse without an examination. I would be interested in what the body temp of this horse is during these unexpectedly heavy sweats and compare it to the other horses at the same time and having done about the same amount of work.

If the summer coat is long enough to clip by all means do all you can to keep the horse comfortable but that long a summer coat is a bit odd itself on a Saddlebred.
Member:
mariean

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 23, 2010 - 6:44 pm:

Thanks, I will note the body temp over the next week. Angie, he is a chestnut. Regarding his coat, it's not long like a cushing horse, I get compliments on how shiny he is, but it is just a tad longer then the tbs in the barn-I had always put it down to being Indiana bred (but he doesn't have a really heavy winter coat either).
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