The article ‘Blanket rule: Light cotton rugs are no match for good shade on a hot day, study finds’ by Dr Padalino (Assistant Professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health) et al. has been published on Horsetalk.co.nz.
The article describes a pilot study, which investigated the thermoregulation and stress indicators in horses with and without rugs on a typical summer day in Australia. The study found that to be free from thermal discomfort horses should not wear these rugs and instead should have access to shade on hot sunny days.
Read the whole article here.
The paper titled ‘Effects of a light colored cotton rug use on horse thermoregulation and behavior indicators of stress’ is available here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2018.03.003