Effect of Different Water Cooling Treatments on Changes in Rectal and Surface Body Temperature in Leisure Horses after Medium-Intensity Effort.
Authors: Janczarek Iwona, Wiśniewska Anna, Tkaczyk Ewelina, Wnuk-Pawlak Elżbieta, Kaczmarek Beata, Liss-Szczepanek Marta, Kędzierski Witold
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Cooling strategies after exercise form part of standard stable management, yet evidence supporting specific techniques remains limited, particularly for leisure horses working at moderate intensities in temperate conditions. Researchers in Poland measured rectal and surface body temperatures in 19 warmblood geldings across five timepoints—baseline, immediately post-exercise, and at 10, 20, and 30 minutes recovery—comparing a control group with three water-cooling protocols (lower limbs only, upper body only, and combined upper and lower body application) following medium-intensity work at approximately 24°C ambient temperature. Whilst none of the cooling treatments significantly altered the rate of rectal temperature decline, targeted cooling of the limbs proved substantially more effective at reducing surface temperature (dropping 2.2°C from 34.2°C to 32.0°C) compared with whole-body wetting (dropping 1.4°C from 34.6°C to 33.2°C). For practitioners managing leisure horses in moderate climates, these findings suggest that pouring water repeatedly over the lower limbs alone delivers meaningful local cooling benefits without the additional labour or water consumption required for full-body cooling, though practitioners should recognise that surface cooling does not accelerate core temperature recovery and may be pursued primarily for comfort and localised thermoregulation rather than systemic heat dissipation.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •For leisure horses exercised at moderate temperatures, focusing cooling efforts on the limbs is sufficient and more effective than applying water to the entire body
- •Post-exercise water cooling does not substantially alter core body temperature in horses under moderate conditions, so cooling decisions can prioritize comfort and surface cooling efficiency
- •Simplifying cooling protocols to limbs-only reduces water usage and handler effort without sacrificing thermal management outcomes
Key Findings
- •Water cooling treatments did not significantly influence post-exercise rectal temperature decrease under moderate air temperature conditions
- •Cooling limbs only reduced surface body temperature from 34.2°C to 32.0°C, compared to 34.6°C to 33.2°C with upper and lower body cooling
- •Limb cooling was more efficient than whole-body cooling for surface temperature reduction after medium-intensity exercise at approximately 24°C ambient temperature