Oh yes on the wonders of wool. If you bring a wet horse back to the barn and throw a wool cooler over him, it will wick the moisture out of his coat and you end up with a wet cooler and a dry horse. At endurance rides in cold weather, you will see horses waiting to start all tacked up with a cooler thrown over to keep the muscles warm and also at the vet checks and finish, again with a cooler thrown over to keep the muscles from beginning to cramp.
Skiiers and sailors have long known the benefits of wearing wool clothing. Here, however, is the rub. It does not stay dry. It just continues to warm when wet. So, if I turned my horse out wearing a wool blanket and nothing else, he would come back in with a very soggy blanket. Here in rainy Oregon, we use waterproof turnouts in three weights, depending on the temperature. And, of course, many horses are not blanketed at all, ever. I just think that my performance horse utilizes his feed better when he isn't using it to heat his body and he's a lot less muddy when I go to tack him up. Also, where did you want this rain sent? Nancy
