Hot weather advice: how to cool a horse down quickly

long as you put a lot on.
Cooling down in cold weather
Even if were not experiencing a heatwave horses can still get hot through exercise including in winter so if your horse is covered in sweat feels hot and is blowing hard they need cooling.
Apply the same principles of covering the horse with water until it starts to feel cool again says David. It will cool down quicker in winter than in summer and once the horse has cooled down you can then consider rugging to prevent your horse getting too cold.
Beware cooling myths
From giving horses heart attacks to making them hotter by leaving water on them there are many myths circulating about cooling horses. Here David clarifies fact from fiction
Cooling hot horses with cold water does NOT
Cause muscle damage
Cause laminitis
Induce shock
Give horses heart attacks
Prevent them from cooling by constriction of skin blood flow
Water left on horses does NOT
Insulate and prevent heat loss
Cause them to overheat
It is NOT more effective to
Start at the feet and work up
Scrape water off while cooling it actually causes horses to warm up
Focus on large blood vessels
Cover the horse with wet towels