Using Cooler Sheets for Horses

Have you ever wondered how a polar fleece cooler works or when and why to use one? The way that coolers work is by using wicking materials designed to create an air space around your horse. As the body heat warms up the air space, this then draws the moisture away from the skin to the outer surface of the blanket. When the moisture is being pulled away for the hair, you’ll sometimes see droplets of water on the outside of the blanket. Coolers are great to use after a hard workout or cold rain that soaks the horse. This allows the horse to return to a normal body temperature and shed the excess water/sweat from their body. General rules of thumb, after a hard workout on a cold day, walk your horse for 5 to 10 minutes to calm their breathing back down to normal. Once they have slowed their breathing and their skin temperature is back to normal, untacked and brush out any matted or mussed hair. The cooler is then put on the horse to remove excess water/sweat so that the moisture doesn’t reach their skin and it speeds up the drying process. If the horse is soaked, pre-drying before putting a cooler on would be preferred. This would help to prevent your cooler getting soaked and help the horse to dry faster. However, if you are unable to do this, a soaked cooler is better than leaving your horse without something to draw the moisture out of their hair. More great information about polar fleece coolers can be found here from Practical Horseman Magazine.