• A horse is a creature used to gradual climate changes and so prepares its body accordingly. It does not ordinarily don a wholly jumper when cold or shed a jacket when too hot.
• The internal core temperature of a horse must be kept within a very narrow range (38 degrees C). Chemical biological reactions can occur at cellular level when the body temperature exceeds or falls below this limit causing health problems and even death.

• When cold, a horse can through muscular action, raise the hairs on the skin creating a thermal blanket to protect itself.
• When hot, the horse can through muscular action, dilate blood vessels near the surface of the skin to cool off. Additionally, it can raise the hairs and even point them in the direction of a breeze to cool down.
• If you put a blanket or rug over a horse for any length of time...then like all muscles--after a while they will atrophy, making it impossible for the horse to raise or lower the hair on its skin.
• In such circumstances, a rugged horse is then "stripped" of its only protection and urged to go out on a crisp cold day and work. It no longer has the capacity to warm itself and the core body temperature is lowered.
• Or a horse is rugged in warm weather and left to sweat and be unable to cool off normally.
• Rugs are inefficient in terms of heating a horse...since it leaves the belly and upper legs still exposed to the cold.
• Rugs that are ill fitting chaff a horse creating bruises, wear abrasions and buckle cuts.
• Rugs prevent the natural cleaning of the horse when it rains.
• Rugs prevent a horse receiving the benefits of a good roll on the ground, getting dirt on the skin and hair which are methods of cleaning from sweat and grime as well as protection from flies and other insects.
• A blanket or rug, however used, effectively robs a horse of its natural, vital, efficient thermoregulatory system.

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© 2002 - 2007 by The Naked Hoof Pty. Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of these publications may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher and/or authors. The information and products contained within these webpages and articles are intended for educational purposes only, and not for diagnosing or medicinally prescribing in any way. Readers are cautioned to seek expert advice from a qualified health professional before pursuing any form of treatment on their animals. Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

Last edited: 30 June, 2007
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