I think I see a LOT of riders start out on a cold
morning with their horses hind end covered, but they either forget, or "think"
the horse still needs it covered as the get to moving.. My theory is, if you get
to trotting, and your horse warms up, often keeping those muscles covered will
hold in too much heat on that cold day, cause the horse to sweat more than it
maybe should, and when you DO stop, they are now covered with a wet, sweaty rump
rug, that does not do much to keep the muscles from still getting chilled. They
are a wonderful piece of equipment, but I think I have seen many use them less
that advantageous for their horse, by riding along for miles with their horses
butt covered, building up excessive heat. Start up, get the horse warmed up,
then pull it up behind the saddle, so you do not build too much heat, but it is
there when you stop, or slow down, to cover up the heavy muscles again
on their butt to keep them from chilling.
And I like the design of those that the draw string
part is right behind the saddle, so you can pull it up quickly, without any
rolling or fussing, as you keep moving along down the trail.
