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Re: [RC] too late for winter coat? - Diane TrefethenI know that the shorter days are supposed to be the main trigger for growing winter coats but I don't think that's the whole story. Last year my horse started his winter coat in mid-September but this year he didn't start till about a week ago. Also, stabled, blanketed horses often grow hardly any winter coat at all. I think that the increase in temperature variation from highs to lows influences when and how vigorously horses start their winter coats, that combined with the actual lows at night. As long as the maximum range from hi to lo is only about 20-25 degrees F and the lows stay above 55 or so, they stay slick but when the change creeps up over 30 degrees with the lows in the 40's and low 50's, that's when they start gearing up for winter. Just a thought :)BTW, Ohio State University has some thoughts on how horses handle cold at http://ohioline.osu.edu/b762/b762_4.html This site also has some interesting info on horses and cold: http://www.saddleshop.com/sentinel/articles/coldhorses.htm =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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