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Re: [RC] Hose your horses in the cold? - heidiNow I understood that as long as the horse is not wet to the skin then they are still naturally insulated (provided lots of hay available for eating). So is there any truth to this concept? Myself, I find it hard to believe. Yep, it's true. The insulating layer of air trapped in the long hair is pretty efficient. Yes, they DO still need to expend some energy to keep warm--which is why the extra hay--but they are pretty toasty in their fur suits. One illustration of how efficient the hair layer is at insulating is to go out and look at horses in a snow storm--so little heat escapes through the hair that the snow will actually accumulate on the horse's back, if the horse is relatively still (standing or walking). Another illustration of how efficient it is occurs at endurance rides in the spring when horses have not shed off yet and cannot dissipate their body heat because of the extremely good insulating effect of the winter hair. As you've likely observed, the winter hair is a completely different texture than the primary coat that you see in the summer--the winter hair is fluffier, and better at trapping air, whereas the summer hair is better at channelling away sweat. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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