should horses (in summer) always or most of the time wear a kool coat/sheet?if so why is this essential?
Hello... If you have a grey or pally or light coloured horse it really is essential that your horse wear a uv protective fly sheet or cotton sheet so to help reduce sun damage to the skin... if you have a dark horse... it would also make your horse so much more comfortable to wear a white sheet and help keep him kool... it isnt essential... but all my horses wear uv protection in the form of fly sheets... also keeps the bugs and mozzies of them...
I have always kept either a flag cloth or a kool coat on my horses in summer, 1. it keeps biting and annoying insects off them, 2. if the horse it reflects the sun ( as the rugs are white) which works well if your horse is dark in colour 3.If your horse has a very fine coat they can get their skin sun burnt, the rugs prevent this. I swear by them, also they keep their coats nice and shiny, and they don't sun bleach.
I have a 15.2 hh Fat horse, as round as a pumpkin! He is generally a 60 rug but can fit into a 59! He is also a cob! If you are going to have a couple of rugs, id have the bottom one or 2 as a 59 and the top ones as 60. Also i rekon he would be a cob. But i dont think there is much difference in a 5'9and a 6'0, so if you thought he may fill out or get rounder once you get him than you may be better just going with 6'0!
My mare runs around naked just about all year long. Sheets in the summer are not essential. They are helpful, especially if you are in a high insect area. Some people put sheets on their light colored horses, especially a day or two before shows, to keep them cleaner. Some people say that they do help the horse stay cooler, but I have not experienced this. Sunburn is not generally a problem with the body of the horse, but many horses with pink skin may have problems, especially around the eyes and nose. Sunblock will help with this.
I rug all my horses here in Australia I use rugs made from shade cloth they are light breathable I find them to be cooler then cotton rugs Were i live is mozzie fly country Rugs also stop my show horses getting sun bleached, Keeps coat looking good But it is a personal choice if you wish to rug or not
