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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 330
 
| After a run, what is your method to cooling the horse down?
Why do you do it the way you do?
For example, I see some riders who get right off, loosen the girth, and walk the horse out until breathing returns to normal.
Others don't get off, but walk the horse out until breathing returns to normal while they are still on the horse.
Some riders get done a run and they don't even walk the horse out (in my opinion, these riders should be slapped! lol)
So, what do you do, and why do you do it that way?
Edited by SuckerForHorses 2014-07-17 2:48 PM
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
 
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | you would be doing a lot of slapping at rodeos.............not always a lot of time to mess around.........:)
m
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 Party Girl
Posts: 12293
Location: Buffalo, Wyoming | As soon as I can get off in a safe area, I loosen the cinch and take boots off. I hand walk them back to the trailer (I usually park in the back 40) unsaddle, give them a little to drink and hand walk until they are breathing normal.
My horses are still usually on the muscle after a run so I would rather hand walk them back and get them to calm down instead of riding them and have them get really worked up again. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 330
| mruggles - 2014-07-17 4:00 PM
you would be doing a lot of slapping at rodeos.............not always a lot of time to mess around.........:)
m
I'll slightly edit then....
when you are NOT pressed for time like when you run more than one horse at a rodeo, what is your typical cool down routine?
;) |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | I am usually on my horse walking around until the next drag comes up. Then I walk down the alley, get off, loosen girths and take off as many boots as possible while we're waiting for the drag to finish. Then I hand walk him for a few minutes, then get back to the trailer and take everything off and offer a drink of water. I will leave him tied and allow myself to catch my breath and then go track down whoever videoed my run. Once I get back to the truck I will go hose him off, apply Thermaflex to his legs and then load up and go home. |
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 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | Immediately after the run I walk maybe 2 minutes while still on them, just enough while both of our adrenaline settles down. Then I get off, loosen cinch, remove boots, hand walk for about 10 minutes and then unsaddle. If it's cold and they got sweaty I will then handwalk them until they aren't steaming. I'm usually about an hour from most races so I like to walk them out a bit again before I load up to go home.
Edited by livexlovexrodeo 2014-07-17 3:47 PM
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 Peecans
| I used to make my run walk away from the areana entrance stop get off take off boots, lossen front cinch undo back cinch then just walk back to trailer. My horse is usual recover breath in by then. I tie up unsaddle dump the old water on his back (summer only) and if he needed more walking id tack him to fill up water buckets.
That is about it :-) |
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 Veteran
Posts: 209
| My mare comes out after her run a bit hot and will jig and dance around if I try to cool her out while I'm on her so I get off right away and hand walk to the trailer or in the barn aisles. When I get off I loosen both cinches and then once she is a bit more settled down I will remove boots. |
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I Really Love Jeans
Posts: 3173
Location: North Dakota | I will get off and let one of my children ride and walk around until the horse is cooled off. I have one mare who likes to have her face washed off with a bucket of water and a cloth, she looks for that to happen. using a cloth to wipe them down with a little water always make my horses so shiny everyone wants to know what I spray on them. I guess when you wipe with a cloth you give them a quick full body rub down! |
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 Firecracker Dog Lover
Posts: 3175
| I get off, loosen my cinch, remove boots, walk around until breathing returns to normal. If it's warm out I will hose legs off for 10 minutes, if it's super hot out, I hose everywhere and then the legs for another 10 minutes. I like them to be brushed nice and dry so that when I am finished, you cannot tell I was on my horse. |
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 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511
Location: 31 lengths farms | Slightly loosen the cinch, ride them till their breathing returns to normal, unsaddle, give them a small drink hand walk until they feel cooler to the touch giving them small drinks during that time. Stretch them, hose them down and use a body brace wash then depending on how they cool out I either put Poltice on their legs or Sore NO More and magnets on their legs. The next day I usually hand walk and stretch them. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | I stay on and walk around until the next drag and then we walk up and I make her stand and then I loosen saddle, take off boots, remove bridle if she has a tie down on and give a treat and then hand walk back to the trailer, offer a drink, take all equipment off and then hand walk until her breathing returns to normal. If possible, I prefer to hose my horse off. Then if we get home in time or in the morning the next day I will do a liniment bath and poultice. My horses always get the next day off after a barrel race. I do all the treats and going up the alley way bc she used to have realllly bad alley issues and rewarding her a lot for her good behavior and having her in the alley as much as possible helps her. I prefer to hand walk bc she doesn't calm down as much as I like after a run so it's been that I get off and hand walk. I prefer to take as much equipment off as I can bc the more she relaxes the more she will calm down and cool off. Also it's a reward. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
Location: London Ontario | If I not in a hurry I like to stay on my horses a while till they cool out so they know work isn't done as soon as they finish a run. I like to come out of the arena, walk around a little till they calm down and breath normally. Then I will hop off, take boots off, loosen cinch, take bridle off and walk around a little more. Then I will walk back to trailer, unsaddle, water, hose off or sponge off, pick out hooves, pull braids, water again and flyspray, then throw a sheet/fly sheet on and walk out again. If they need liniment or poultice, I will do so, then wrap and head home. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 330
| MC1993 - 2014-07-18 9:18 AM
If I not in a hurry I like to stay on my horses a while till they cool out so they know work isn't done as soon as they finish a run. I like to come out of the arena, walk around a little till they calm down and breath normally. Then I will hop off, take boots off, loosen cinch, take bridle off and walk around a little more. Then I will walk back to trailer, unsaddle, water, hose off or sponge off, pick out hooves, pull braids, water again and flyspray, then throw a sheet/fly sheet on and walk out again. If they need liniment or poultice, I will do so, then wrap and head home.
My gelding is coming home from the trainers in the beginning of August, and I'm trying to get a feel for what folks do. He was not started on the pattern until sent to the trainer, so he is still going to be green on the pattern. He's 8.
A lot of folks around here (Vermont) don't walk their horses out like they should (in my opinion). They'll finish a run, ride the horse back to their trailer, and then sit there and watch the rest of the folks running, while their horse is breathing hard. My personal feeling is that is quite ridiculous to run your horse wide open, then sit you ass on it to watch the others while it's still panting. They are athletes and should be treated as athletes. Marathon runners don't just sit down after a run. The body needs to come back down.
So, since my gelding is pretty green to this stuff, I want to do something that gets him cooled down, but follows the idea of MC1993. I don't want him to think that its all about running in the ring, but when you leave, work is done. So I think I like your method of continuing to walk them out before getting off and walking them more and removing tack. I think this will help keep him sane for the runs.
Question: how many of you DON'T remove boots? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
| Make my run. Exit the arena, turn around and watch 1 or 2 more racers then walk back to the warm up arena to cool him off. About 10 mins of walking around, then head back to the trailer, untack, and offer some water. I will hose off or use a bucket to wash him down. |
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 Certified Snake Wrangler
Posts: 1672
Location: North MS | Mine are still fiesty after a run so I get off and hand walk. My nerves need to come down too so its just better that way. |
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 Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
Location: Alberta | Walk her out till she's got breath back....my horse is in good shape so it doesn't take long....get off loosen cinch and walk back to trailer...depending on the situation I will dismount in the alley, during a drag.... |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| If its' a multiple run day - come out, step down and loosen cinch, hand walk 5 - 10 mins, remove head gear and offer water (99.9% of the time the seasoned one drinks). Then find shade for her to stand in and rest until next run. When we are done for the day, everything comes off, offer water, walk her out until dry, then offer water again - I have a dirt hound so when its' all said and done in the arena, we'll head back in and let her roll. Then, bathe, lineament, and scrape dry.
If its' a one run and done day - come out, step down and loosen cinch, hand walk until her breathe returns to normal, untack, offer water, and rub dry. We either load and head home or, when the race is done, we'll hit the arena for a lil dirt roll, then bathe, lineament, and scrape dry. Then let her' chow on a hay bag until it's time to haul home :)
I think whatever you choose to do - make it a routine so the horse expects things and knows what is going on. I think, like kids, horses take some satisfaction and comfort in routines. JMO. |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | after almost getting clobbered by my horse coming off of a run trying to hand walk him, I stay mounted. I walk him to the trailer and will let him stick his head in a bucket to drink, and then walk walk walk. or if im running two, my boyfriend will hand walk him or ride him at a walk until he settles so I can get the next one ready. once their breathing is normal then off with polos and the saddle. Then i put poultice on and squirt their back with the liniment stuff from absorbine, a full hay bag and a bucket of water. |
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