Mud, Sweat and Tears

That's tears as in rips. The rain sheet I bought Tonka last winter got resurrected today, despite its half-shredded condition (little did I know how much I would grow to love ripstop material). The horse has very little respect for the clothes that I buy him (teenagers these days), and I caught him rolling around on the crusher dust in his new 1200D shell. When I went to assess its condition I found that the lining was clammy and that he was damp underneath, more from his own unevaporated sweat than from leakage I think. My theory is that he got too hot, started to sweat, got uncomfortable and started to roll. Even though the sheet is uninsulated it has a light nylon lining under a heavy nylon cover that may must be too much over his puffy coat.

After letting him air out for an hour I put (what's left of) the old 840D sheet on and he seemed happier. This afternoon we picked up a 600D ripstop sheet with a very thin nylon lining for $80. I'm not sure how durable it will be, but the price was right and now I can switch off between them throughout the winter. If the Canadian dollar makes a gain over the coming weeks I will get this for Tonka and this for Raven. So far I have been VERY impressed with the durability of the Schneider's turnouts.