Re: Hosing sweaty horses in cold weather

[Bob & Amber Roberts <mlaboure@flash.net>]

Susan Garlinghouse wrote:

> I guess my opinion is that very little of what we ask our horses to do is
> "natural", so I would base blanketing or not, washing or not, on the
> individual circumstances---no, you won't see mustangs running around with
> blankets, but you'd rarely see them covering 100 miles in a day, either.
> And remember, not all horses maintain body heat as well as others and can
> really use a little help in cold weather.

This brings up a question I wanted to ask.  We had a cold, rainy snap recently
(TX) and 3 of our fatter horses were visibly shaking.  Our 2 endurance horses
(excellent condition) were not cold.  I would have thought that the fat layer
would keep these horses warm.  Now I'm wondering if the better condition horses
are more able to keep themselves warm.  Or did that have anything to do with it
at all?

Amber