Horses Who Are Non-Sweater's or Equine Anhydrosis

Let's talk about non-sweating horses, since this condition led directly to my poor old horse's current hell of laminitis.

Three falls ago, we were having a particularly hot October here in North Central Florida.  The summer had already been long and typically sweltering.  Normally, October brings blessed relief.  Not so that year.  Temperatures hung around 100 and the humidity was high.

Sunda was sweating profusely all summer, as usual.  I never gave anhydrosis a thought, really.  I mistakenly thought anhydrosis was an inherited disease.  She was sweating now, had always been a good sweater all her long life. Non-sweating was one thing I didn't have to worry about.

One evening, when I went down to the barn to feed, she came up to me in obvious distress.  Her sides were heaving, her nostrils were flaring and  I could hear her breaths coming in loud, quick puffs.  She was bone dry.

In a panic, I grabbed a halter and started hosing her off immediately.  The water ran hot off her for what seemed an eternity.  Gradually, her breathing slowed and the water finally ran off cool.

For the rest of that heat wave and the next summer, I hosed her several times a day to lower her temperature. I installed fans in her run-in-shed, put her up during the heat of the day, and let her graze at night. 

Of course, this regime meant her hooves stayed wet, which weakened them.  Eventually, she developed an abscess, which lead to a tragedy of errors culminating in laminitis.  More on the laminitis fiasco later.  For now, here's how I handled my non-sweating horse and the course it has taken.