An excellent question, Marissa. I always wondered why my horse
lathered after an extended lay off due to minor lameness, flu,
whatever. I used to think it might be the medications working their
way out <g>. Then I read an article in Trail Blazer about detergent
cells in the sweat glands. Purpose of the cells is to
cleanse. Apparently they need about a week to 10 days to "re-charge."
When we ride our horses more than once a week, the sweat glands are
always low on detergent. When we give our horses a break for whatever
reason, they've built up and start working again. So I've stopped
worrying about lather if it happens after a layoff period. However,
I'd be interested in hearing a vet's comments on this. This weekend
at AERC, Jeannie Waldron made a comment to the effect that lather was
indeed a warning sign. I wanted to ask her about it, but didn't get a
chance.
Karen Steenhof
Boise, Idaho