>>>> I am new to the Icelandic world but I have owned gaited horses all my life.
Welcome to the list! What's your horse's name? We love pictures...hint, hint... :) >>> I totally love my new Icelandic but I do worry about him. We are located in Apache Junction, Az so it is hot here. I have clipped his hair to help with the heat. Even in the winter we are looking at 80's during the day. I did a pretty extensive trace clip on most of my riding horses about a month ago. I didn't clip Eitill, since I knew he was going back to MI. This morning, I was sorry. It was about 54 degrees and at 8am, he was already damp. I hated for him to get on the trailer damp, but he has a private box stall and was only going to Virginia for the first leg of the trip. Our average winter highs are probably in the 50's (Jan, Feb) but we have some days where the highs don't get above freezing, and other days where it can hit mid-70's. If I had all the time in the world, I'd be tempted to body clip all my Icelandic's about the end of September/first of October, then do a good trace clip early-November. >>>> He doesn't sweat like all of my other horses have in the past, he only sweats a little under his blanket. Does he not sweat much - or is the sweat basically hidden in his coat? If he's not sweating much at all, I'd be concerned and have a vet check him. I think you'll find that the panting goes away (mostly, assuming he's healthy) when you find the optimal haircut for him in your climate. Of course, I'm still working on finding our "optimal" here, so don't get the feeling I'm criticizing. It takes a while to figure all that out. Karen Karen Thomas Wingate, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.31/1129 - Release Date: 11/13/2007 9:22 PM
