Maxwell AFB Stables - River Road Riding Club

06/26/2025

The first sunflowers blooming at the barn 🌻 😍

06/24/2025

06/24/2025

Sweat Scraping Horses During Cool-Down: Why the Myth Persists and What Science Says

For generations, horse owners and many professionals have followed the traditional practice of sweat scraping — using a rubber or metal tool to remove excess sweat or water from a horse's coat after exercise. One of the most enduring beliefs tied to this practice is that you must sweat scrape to help your horse cool down properly, especially after hosing them off in hot weather. But is this actually true?

Let’s take a closer look at the origins of this belief, what modern science says, and whether sweat scraping is still necessary.

The Origin of the Myth
The myth likely stems from a time before we understood thermoregulation in horses. It was commonly believed that leaving water or sweat on a horse would trap heat and slow cooling. Sweat scraping became routine, especially in barns without good airflow or with heavy-coated horses that took longer to dry.

The logic seemed sound: remove moisture quickly to speed up cooling and prevent chills or overheating. Over time, this practice turned into a widely accepted rule — even though equine science has since moved on. I actually remember having to do it for my BHS exam.

What Really Happens When You Hose Off a Hot Horse
When a hot horse is sprayed with cool water, the water absorbs body heat and then carries it away as it runs off or evaporates. This is the primary method by which water cools the horse — not by being scraped off immediately.

Key point: The cooling effect comes from the transfer of heat from the horse to the water, not from how fast you dry the horse.

In fact, studies (including those conducted by the University of Queensland and other equine researchers) have found that continuously applying cool water over the horse’s body is the most effective method of reducing core temperature — especially during hot and humid weather. This technique is used in endurance riding, racing, and eventing, where managing a horse’s temperature is critical.

Should You Still Sweat Scrape?

The short answer: Not necessarily — and certainly not to help cooling.

Here’s when you might still want to sweat scrape:

• To remove excess water after hosing if it’s cool out and you want to avoid your horse staying soaked.

• To prevent water from pooling under tack or rugs.

• To help speed up drying if your horse is going back into a stall or needs to be groomed quickly.

But if your goal is cooling the horse, especially in hot conditions, scraping is not required and may actually interfere with the cooling process if it interrupts cold water application.

The Takeaway: Let Go of the Myth
Despite decades of tradition, the idea that you must sweat scrape a horse to help them cool down is outdated. Cooling a horse effectively is about keeping cold water flowing over their body, not about drying them quickly.

In fact, many top equine veterinarians now recommend leaving cold water on — and reapplying it repeatedly — during a cool-down after heavy exercise, especially in summer.

So the next time someone says, “You have to sweat scrape to help them cool down,” you can confidently — and kindly — explain that it’s no longer supported by science.

In Summary:

✅ Cold water helps cool the horse by absorbing heat.

✅ Reapplying water is more effective than scraping it off.

❌ Sweat scraping is not necessary for cooling.

✅ Scrape only if you want to speed drying or reduce discomfort ( for example some horses dont like the feel of dripping water, but most shake and have a roll afterwards ).

It's time to move beyond tradition — your horse will thank you for it.

Ft baby Moomin after his first bath 🤎

06/22/2025

06/22/2025

Jay feeling refreshed after a spa bath and body clip to beat the heat 🥰

06/20/2025

We’ve had SO much rain, the water is this high! 😂

06/19/2025

Great read. Many of us have been here.

Know better, be open to a different way of doing, and do better.

I’ve done a lot of cruel things to horses in the past that I deeply regret.

It wasn’t out of malice, it was because it was what I was taught to do from the time I was a child.

However, my emotional regulation was poor and I often took out my frustration on horses and would justify harsh corrections by saying the horse was “being naughty” and “can’t get anyway with that.”

It led to a lack of self reflection because I could conveniently blame the horse for disrespecting me or claim that they knew better and were doing it on purpose.

I hit horses when they were bad. I was taught to knee horses in the gut if they bloated while girthing. I’ve punished horses for reactions that were out of pain or fear.

Because I viewed the unwanted behaviour as a bad thing that needed to be eradicated immediately rather than the symptom of the horse’s emotional state.

Dominance in horse training is very common.

Equestrians are often told things like “you need to be the herd leader” and “you have to show him who’s boss or he’ll walk all over you.”

All sorts of training gadgets, supplements, bits and equipment are also sold as solutions to problems.

People are often encouraged to ride through problem behaviours no matter what.

This focus on viewing unwanted behaviours as the horse trying to disrespect you turns the horse into your adversary when they aren’t being obedient.

Respect is then viewed as synonymous with obedient.

The horse doesn’t get to communicate as a partner when this is the case.

Horses get “loud” in their behaviour for a number of reasons.

Oftentimes, those reasons involve unmet needs and/or the handler missing earlier signs of stress.

Then, when stress builds to a boiling point, the horse reacts and this is viewed as unacceptable and punished accordingly.

I pushed horses into states of high stress for years and then punished them when they acted out.

I expected horses to be predictable and obedient even when I wasn’t meeting their needs.

I kept my first horse stalled for the majority of the time and then became frustrated when he would bolt with me under saddle and spook at everything.

It was due to a lack of knowledge and a lack of emotional control on my part.

And for years, I resisted the information that exposed the gaps in my understanding of horses because it felt threatening and I had a lot of deep seated guilt and shame.

But then, little by little, my perspective changed.

Once I knew better, I started to do better.

Making mistakes with horses doesn’t mean you’re doomed to repeat them forever.

People can and do change.

We don’t have to let guilt and shame overwhelm us to the point where we defend our behaviour and refuse to change out of fear of being vulnerable.

A lot of the people advocating for horse welfare the loudest right now are doing so because they’ve made a lot of the same mistakes.

You aren’t doomed to be a terrible person because you’ve been unkind to your horse.

What matters the most is how you self reflect and make adjustments once you do know better.

This is why I would love to see the industry adapt to be more horse welfare focused and normalize more education on horse behaviour and operant conditioning.

Most people don’t start out in horse sports wanting to harm horses.

Everyone is capable of changing and adapting.

Modernizing the horse world with an evidence informed perspective on horse welfare and training will benefit the horses AND people.

I am incredibly grateful for the people who relentlessly shared information that helped lead to me recognizing how I had gone wrong.

While I denied it initially, fought with them and commented in the same ways as many do in my comments sections now, their words planted seeds.

Seeds that matured into a major paradigm shift.

So, if fear of being labelled as a bad person is holding you back from being honest with yourself about toxic behaviour patterns, don’t let it.

The commitment to doing better by your horses is a noble journey and making that choice speaks for your love of horses.

Growth is sometimes messy and no one is born perfect.

I don’t advocate for welfare because I’ve always been this way.

I advocate for it because I have been on the other side and I wish I had learned earlier.

Top photo is me on my Arabian gelding at ~ age 15 (2011)

Bottom is Milo and me in 2024.

06/18/2025

June 15th wasn’t just Father’s Day, but this lady’s 18th Birthday!

Gertie is a 2007 bay varnish roan Pintaloosa mare I have had since she was 6mo old and trained myself. She is sassy and sometimes spicy, but takes the best care of her students of all levels! We’ve shown in Hunter/Jumpers, Dressage, and done some Eventing. Food and jumping are her favorite things; apples being her favorite treat, but she’s not picky.

Happy Birthday to the best girl! 🎂

06/17/2025

I love being able to share my love and passion for horses, as well as my knowledge and experience. Eden rode Jay in her first ever lesson and ride on a horse. She did wonderful! Jay takes excellent care of his riders 🥰

06/16/2025

Fun at RRRC! We had a “farewell” day filled with horsey rides for one of my amazing lessons students and her siblings as our last days together before their family PCS’d outta here. Lots of love and horsey cuddles were had this day 🍎 They will all be greatly missed. Until we meet up again, friends!! 💖🐴

Happy Birthday to C, who shares a birthday with the Pinaloosa, Gertie!

06/14/2025

Our barn owner/manager, Sasha, hard at work. 🐈

06/11/2025