Introduction and foul weather conditioning

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Barb Lee nearside@easystreet.com
Hello folks, my name is Barb Lee.  I'm a harnessmaker in Oregon, and my favorite pasttime is driving my little Morgan, Gizmo.  I have organized several "Performance Test" distance driving competitions for our club, but unfortunately had trouble stirring up enough interest among others to keep it alive.  The Performance Test format is, I believe similar to what you might call "elevator rides".  Right now I am in the process of organizing a horsedrawn "trek" in central Oregon...it won't be competitive, but it will be long distance.  It's going to be pretty low key this year, to see what the interest is, with a view to more ambitious undertakings in the future.  This won't be a plodding "wagon train" type affair, but covering some fair distances at a good working clip. 

Anyway, I've been putting the miles on my little guy in all sorts of foul weather and I was hoping you good, dedicated folks, could offer some opinions on whether to use any sort of rain cover on him.  If not, he gets soaked with sweat and rain, but if so, he still gets soaked with sweat but stays fairly warm (maybe too warm?) under the rain sheet.  I really don't know which is healthier.  We've got a lot of wet weather left and I want to keep him as comfortable and healthy as possible. I'd love to hear how you handle foul weather, in the best interests of the horse.

Thanks so much, for any advice!

Best regards,
Barb Lee