Summer Coats and Winter Blankets

(These two photos are of Lily riding my horse, Lucy.) "That's the softest horse I ever felt," the eight-year-old boy said, stroking Lucy, my nine-year-old TB. Her summer coat is so short and fine that it's almost like she doesn't have hair -- she's just gleaming chestnut marble -- until you touch her. And she is so very soft. Her hair is so short and fine it almost doesn't hold dirt. She looks like she's been show sheened even when she hasn't been groomed in a couple of weeks.

Buddy, on the other hand, has coarser, longer QH/TB hair. And he's nice and shiny because he's healthy -- under the dirt. I think that's good for Lily's growth and development. You can shampoo, show sheen, preen and polish your life, but then it will go roll in the mud. Perfection isn't possible.

She sometimes leaves him tied up to dry after a bath. When she lets him go he rolls anyway, but at least he's dry when he does it.

Lucy rolls just as much. But it doesn't stick to her like it does to Buddy. Lucy is made of Teflon. Buddy is made of Scotch tape, sticky-side out.

It's getting cooler and we've been getting our blankets ready in the vain hope that warm horses won't grow heavy coats. We've washed the blankets (a Saturday spent at Soapy Suds laundromat) and this weekend we're going to Scotchguard them.

As you know, both horses' blankets will be dirty the next day. But at least we're starting out clean.

Comments

[greyhorsematters]

We've got to start getting our blankets ready too, thanks for the reminder. I can hardly wait to start washing them all.

[Molly]

I love tucking a horse into a nice clean blanket, in a nice clean stall...for about 5 minutes while it lasts.
Your description about coat length is very interesting. My little Mexican mutt should never have to have a blanket due to such moderate winter temperatures. Her coat in the hot summer is almost non-existent, like your Lucy.

[Tara]

I am living in southern california, but raised on the east coast. It always amazes me how horses grow long coats regardless of temperature, but as soon as the days start getting shorter. My horse already had grown a winter coat and it is in the 90's during the day. She will be getting her first of many body clippings this week!