My horse doesnt sweat...help!!

[Naro29]

When i go to a show my horse never sweats. He is fit but a thick TB gelding. He sweats alot! at home. He drinks alot and gets electrolytes as well but doesn't sweat. any advice??????

[Eventer5]

you can get him tested for anhydrosis...which is when a horse doesnt sweat. not sure why he would only sweat at home though. Is he doing enough at the shows to sweat?

[Naro29]

We just moved up novice. And he loves it. but he breathes heavy after jumping. we have a hefty course at home and he sweats here. if that helps any.

[tx3dayeventer]

We just moved up novice. And he loves it. but he breathes heavy after jumping. we have a hefty course at home and he sweats here. if that helps any.

YOu could try giving him 2 beers a day to help with the sweating. 1 in the AM and 1 in the PM. It used to help my gelding who did not sweat as much at shows as he did at home. He did better on beer than he did on One AC (the stuff for anhydrosis).

[CarrieK]

I don't sweat, either. I get a little damp around the hair line, and my face turns beet red like it's going to explode. (If I could ride barefoot I wouldn't have the red face, either).

Maybe I should try the beer in the morning and the beer in the afternoon....?

[Ponylady27]

My last horse was like this. It was almost a stress anhidrosis. Also, he sweated just fine in the humid dressage arena near the beach, but at home in the dry not so much. The beer worked - used Guinness - but it's not legal for competition. So it was just OneAC and I would hose him before cross country. I had tons of tests done on him and all came out normal. We finally decided that the stress was the key.

Now he's a hunter. Doesn't even work hard enough to sweat. He thinks he's in heaven. That XC was way too much work.:winkgrin:

[tx3dayeventer]

My last horse was like this. It was almost a stress anhidrosis. Also, he sweated just fine in the humid dressage arena near the beach, but at home in the dry not so much. The beer worked - used Guinness - but it's not legal for competition. So it was just OneAC and I would hose him before cross country. I had tons of tests done on him and all came out normal. We finally decided that the stress was the key.

Now he's a hunter. Doesn't even work hard enough to sweat. He thinks he's in heaven. That XC was way too much work.:winkgrin:

The beer isn't legal? Hmmm.... I didn't know that :eek: The last time I showed my gelding was 2002 or 2003 so my idea of legal is probably outdated.

The beer really worked great though :D

[jetsmom]

I think it's only legal if the horse is over 21...:D

[SEPowell]

I read that Forever Together didn't sweat either and Sheppard gave her Guinness and voila, Eclipse Award winner!

[lizajane09]

I read that Forever Together didn't sweat either and Sheppard gave her Guinness and voila, Eclipse Award winner!


I love that mare :) Such a funny little girl. They also got her out of Gulfstream Park and she was a lot happier away from Florida!

Stress anhydrosis could be a possibility - one thing to do is to take his temperature. Work him at home, doing a comparable amount to what you would do at a show, and see what his temp is. Next time you're at a show, take his temp as well and compare the two. If he just isn't doing enough at a show to sweat, his temp shouldn't be excessive - a horse who isn't sweating because of anhydrosis should have an excessively elevated temp (probably anwhere from 102-105 degrees) right after work. If you see this temperature difference, a quick discussion with your vet about the best course of action is probably in order.

[enjoytheride]

I agree with the vet analysis. It simply might be that he gets more breaks at the shows and is outdoors so the wind keeps him cooler. I wouldn't give him booze!

[kschling]

I had issues with my horse (evented through Intermediate) at times he would not sweat at all. I tried a drug called ACE1 some folks have luck with this I did not. I searched the internet and found a patch by Equiwinner. It is a 10 day treatment, 1 patch a day and satisfaction guaranteed, This did work for my horse and he has no issues anymore (he is now retired but did a little Training last year and was fine.

The folks at Equiwinner told me never give beer, it may work for a short time but it dehydrates the horse and causes a greater electrolyte imbalance.

Oh that is what this product does it rebalances the electrolytes, it may not be your horse doesn't get enough but that the balance is off. I would recommend this product to anyone who is having these types of issues. Plus it is (was) relatively inexpensive. 140.00

Good Luck I know it is a very difficult thing to deal with.

[EventMore]

I also had a true anhidrosis event horse. I tried beer and One AC without much effect, although I kept him on One AC forever anyway. What really helped mine was an allergy test (blood test). Once I reduced his major allergens he was fine (oats, alfalfa, beet pulp, most grass, cotton...it wasn't easy to figure out how to dress and feed him!)

[HollysHobbies]

I had a morgan years ago who didn't sweat at all...he kind of panted...we just did dressage though.

1. Keep him clipped in summer (if he grows a longer coat)
2. I used to hose him BEFORE we went out riding...being careful to fully scrape him off (especially the belly area) and after--that seemed to really help.
3. Make sure his noseband isn't too low (flash isn't restricting his breathing) etc. so he can pant to cool himself down.
4. You'll know if he gets tired out X-country etc...especially when hot and humid--be smart about WHEN you show him (not August in VA, for example?) and if he needs a break, give him one. :)
5. Good idea from the last post about the allergins--maybe wet his hay, his stall/shavings lightly (I do that for my big guy with allergies) and use a hay bag in the trailer instead of a hay-net (therein reducing the dust)

[Hony]

If he sweats a lot at home but doesn't sweat at shows them maybe the workload at novice just isn't enough to make him sweat. As long as you do things to keep him cool then it shouldn't be a problem.

[Carol Ames]

we ONCE TOOK AN ANHYDROTIC HORSE TO ROLEX:eek: on the advice Of A well respected vet from N. C., . we gave him a can of beer:lol: each day; get the cheapest and add it to his feed; unfortunately, , he got pulled:sadsmile:,
"spun, before the XC but, did run SC and sweated:yes:!

[lbennet6]

My horse had anhydrosis. I would hose him before I rode and he was on One AC. During the summer I would only ride him in the morning or evening. If we had to ride in the middle of the day we would hose him before and then had lots of hosing, walking, and temp. checking! Also, I've found that alcohol baths help too