Hair Coat
A horse’s hair coat changes with the seasons. The ability of the hair coat is to regulate body temperature and is related to its length, thickness, and density per square inch of the surface area of skin. The major player in shedding with horses appears to be the changing length of daylight or photoperiod. To delay the growth of a horse’s winter coat, for example, he may be kept in a barn that remains lit for several hours after sundown to “trick” his body.
The days begin to shorten by the end of June, by the middle of August. And when winter is probably the last thing on your mind, your horse’s winter coat is already starting to grow in. It is quite important to groom the summer coats out. The loosening summer hair can still provide a heat barrier if it is not groomed out and can be removed very effectively. The main difference in grooming out the summer coat is that we don’t have to deal with the fine down undercoat that the winter coat has.
For horse owners, a horse’s coat plays another important role. It’s a good indicator of the overall health.
Hair & Health
When you groom, wash and spray your horse’s coat, it’s easy to forget that its appearance is also influenced by factors that you don't find in your grooming box. Hair follicles are complex, subject to the same influences that affect the rest of a horse’s organs and overall health. For instance, a lack of nutrients can lead to dull or brittle hair. Diets that don’t provide adequate amounts of fatty acids could result in a dry and dull hair coat.
Supplementing oil supports supple, healthy skin and reduces dandruff and flakiness. Try to use fat sources that provide essential fatty acids especially those with omega oil.
Speeding up shedding
There are a lot of
grooming tools you can use to support your horse during the shedding process but the whole process will usually still take about four weeks or even longer. As you select and use various tools and products, consider how they will support the overall and long-term health of your horse’s coat.
To help you and your horse through this shedding season we have listed the must-haves every grooming box should contain.
The super practical
Hair Remover Epplejeck Super remove loose hairs in no time during without damaging the coat. It reaches through the topcoat to safely and easily remove loose undercoat hair without damaging topcoat or cutting skin. This hair remover can actually help reduce the number of loose hairs flying around during shedding season because you remove hairs from the undercoat before it has a chance to shed!
A good
curry comb is a lifesaver; it works as a shedding tool without damaging the hair. The most familiar ones are the traditional black rubber curry comb with small ridges in concentric circles. But of course, nowadays newer styles feature round curry combs with individual rubber spikes and ergonomic handles, like the
Massage brush Oster. Whatever style you choose, the principle remains the same: use the currycomb in a circular motion to loosen dead hair and massage the skin.
Then use a good
body brush to remove the hair. Finer brushes, like the super hygienic, lightweight and antistatic
Magic brush do a better job of distributing coat oils than do those with thicker bristles.
The
Slix Grooming Block Epplejeck is a fibreglass grooming block for removing loose hairs, dust and dry dirt. This cheap solution leaves your horse’s coat slicker, shinier and well shed-out.
Grooming Glove Lemieux HandsOn is revolutionary grooming glove that can be used both wet and dry. Perfect during shedding, washing and for a wonderful massage.
Nothing beats a good pair of
clippers when you just want that excess hair gone. You can choose from a full body clip to a trace clip or simply ears, bridle path, fetlocks and pasterns. Trace clipping will keep a horse from sweating excessively during exercise, while his topside winter coat still keeps him warm. Body clipping takes time so a good, large set of clippers, sharp blades are needed to create the best result. If you choose a full-body clip, be sure to keep your horse warm with rug during the cold winter.
Rugging
Rugs won't prevent the growth of the winter coat, but it does cause the hair to grow in shorter because the environment beneath the rug is warmer. Rugging also flattens the hairs, creating a smoother appearance than the more disorderly winter coat. When the season of rugs and heated barns starts again, be careful not to keep your horse in an unhealthy environment. Keep in mind that just because the air quality in the barn seems fine to you, it might not be all that good for your horses.
Choosing the right tools and grooming materials is as important as properly fitting tack. Effective grooming is a very important part of good horse care that will lead to a comfortable horse.