"...I think the
polar fleece serves this purpose, as does wool. I just bought
..."
Polar Fleece is made from poleyester. It does
not absorb any appreciable amount of water. It does not collapse with
water like cotton. It will allow moisture vaper to "transpire" through it.
(Many manufacturers call this "wicking". It is not "wicking" in the sense
that a candle wick transports the liquid wax up to the flame). Wool does
not collapse when exposed to water or watr vapor. It does absorb quite a
bit of water and gives off a noticable amount of heat. When used as an
under blanket, the water absorbsion effectively removes the moisture from the
air and skin of the horse. The release of heat partly compensates for the
heat loss as the sweat evaporates.
The conclusion is that wool is noticably better
than polyester. (note I did not say Polar Fleece is bad, just that wool is
somewhat better)
The best system would be to rapidly towel the horse
with cotton towels. This removes much of the liquid water. Then put
on a thin layer of open weave silk, or polypropylene, then a layer of wool, then
a water and windproof layer. The residual moisture would evaporate from
the skin, go through the thin layer of polypropylene cloth or knit, and be
adsorbed in the wool releasing some heat and traping the water.
Even without the extra layer of polypropylene cloth
the same thing will happen with the wool liner.
The thing that bothers me is the use of
the term "wicking" for this type of system. When one immerses
one end of a cotton sock in a glass of water, the end sinks and the water, as a
liquid, "wicks" up the sock. You can easily see this, especially if a bit
of food coloring is put into the water. Now take a knit polypropylene sock
and do the same experiment. You will find that it floats on the water which does
not "wick" up the cloth.
This sock was sold by an outdoor store for the
purpose of keeping your feet warmer by "wicking" the sweat away, but it failed
the test. The polypropylene sock does keep your feet warmer. It
works by allowing the water, as a vapor, to go through it and be caught by
another wool sock, or just to keep on going. When you wear a cotton sock,
the water as a liquid gets into the cotton sock. The cotton gets limp,
looses thickness, and holds a layer of liquid water next to the skin. As
the water evaporates, it cools the foot and you become cold.
Most Ridcampers undoubtedly found their eyes
glazing over while reading the above. I sometimes tilt at windmills.
This has been one of my personal windmills since the '70's. I just wish
marketing types would get it right, so people could really understand what
fibers to use for what job.
Ed
Ed & Wendy Hauser 2994 Mittower
Road Victor, MT 59875
