Awards Earned: 1st Place, 8th Life Science, PCA Science Fair

What saddle pad keeps a horse coolest?

The cotton saddle pad will keep the horse the coolest; it will have the lower temperature.

Two saddle pads - fleece and cotton.

Argentine Thoroughbred horse named Avita.
Two saddle pads - fleece and cotton.
Twelve temperature stickers.

Day one: Place temperature stickers on left, right, and middle underside of cotton saddle pad. Lunge horse for 15 minutes at a trot. Record temperatures after 15 minutes.
Day two: Same procedure as day one, but with fleece saddle pad.
Day three: Place temperature stickers on left, right, and middle underside of cotton saddle pad. Mount and ride horse for 15 minutes. Record temperatures after 15 minutes.
Day four: Same procedure as day three, but with fleece saddle pad.

In conclusion, after taking the average temperature for each saddle pad, the cotton saddle pad kept the horse cooler by a few degrees difference from the fleece saddle pad. The temperatures with the fleece pad for the riding test were actually lower than the temperatures after lunging. Why this occurred is an unanswered question. If I try to test this again, I would record the air temperature also to see if it would make a difference.

When God created Adam and Eve, he gave Adam the responsibility to care for, name, and watch over all of the animals He had created. Now as God's children we need to take care of our pets and even wild animals. God trusts us to take care of His creations, so as good stewards of God's Word we should obey Him. We can obey Him by not abusing animals, but rather loving them, and keeping them healthy. Even animals deserve our love.

Genesis 2:19-20 says, “Now the Lord your God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.”

My project pertains to this verse because if you own a horse it is crucial to make sure that it is healthy and physically fit. You need to make sure that after you are working or playing with a horse that you give it time to rest and cool down. If we are careless and don't do these things it can be fatal to the animal. Taking care of our animals here on earth is an important part of life as Christians.

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