Most riders will be familiar with the foamy sweat that builds up on the horse when it is working hard. For the horse, sweat plays a vital role in regulating body temperature. What most riders don't know, is that this foam is largely due to a unique ‘soapy' protein called Latherin, which so far has only been found in equids.

Previous research carried out at Glasgow University led to John Beeley and David Eckersall being the first to describe Latherin. Latherin acts in a similar way to a household detergent, and is thought to assist with dispersing sweat through what can be a thick, waterproofed pelt. This ensures that an even distribution of sweat is achieved, and the surface area covered by sweat is maximised, helping to cool the temperature of the horse.

Researcher Dr Malcolm Kennedy, also from Glasgow University has recently taken this study further, and has discovered that Latherin can also be found in the salivary glands of several equids (including horses, zebras, onagers, and wild asses). In saliva, Latherin is thought to help the horse to process such large quantities of dry fibrous foods such as the horse has evolved to deal with.

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