It's Shedding Time! What's there to Know?

Twice every year your horse changes his coat—from thin summer coat to thick winter coat and vice versa. In the spring, our horses are shedding their thick coat and horse owners are working hard with various tools from massage curry , over shedding blade to shedding brushes with soft brass bristles to help their horse through the transition. But is that enough?

Is hair all there is to shedding?

Not at all. As the days get longer, your horse’s organism receives signals to change the coat—and body and metabolism are also experiencing significant changes. The horse has to produce a large number of proteins in order to create the new coat. This is an enormous feat!

Here 5 things you can do to help your horse shed his coat:

1. 1. Optimize nutrition & add oils

      Now that your horse’s body is working hard to not only come up with a complete new coat but also to adjust the metabolism to the changes in temperature, it is even more important to be especially diligent in balancing nutrition: Vitamins, especially biotin; minerals; herbs that stimulate the metabolism and the kidneys. Get in touch with your local horse feed specialist to fine-tune your horse’s nutrition during this important time. Healthy oils and essential fatty acids (such as Eo 3 Omega-3 Supplement For Horses) help your horse grow a healthy new coat. Calculate the right amount and follow manufacturer’s recommendations. Supporting your horse with the right nutrition can help your horse shed his coat.

   2. Consider brewer’s yeast for horses

      Brewer’s yeast can help increase feed efficiency and is a supplement that has been fed to horses for hundreds of years. Find a product that is especially formulated for horses or horse feed that already contains brewer’s yeast. (I like Horse Brewers Yeast Supplement - 4 Lbs)

   3. Massage & curry

      Support your horse’s change of coat by massaging his coat and skin, not only to remove old and itchy hair and dander, but also to increase blood circulation. This helps your horse feel better and supports the new growth from the bottom up. Use a flexible massage curry that feels good to your horse, such as "New Generation" by Haas .)

   4. Ditch the shedding blade!

      If you want to see a really shiny, smooth summer coat, replace harsh shedding blades – which can scratch the skin, damage hair follicles and roughen the soft hair of the new summer coat – with a firm brush or better yet a 50% brass bristle brush. To help your horse shed his coat without rushing the process, use a 50/50 brass bristle brush – such as the HorseHaus 'Curly'. This brush will gently remove the soft undercoat that is so hard to grab with a shedding blade. At the same time, it removes dirt and dander and leaves the coat clean.

   5. Take it easy

      If possible, ask a little less of your horse during shedding time. Your horse’s systems are already quite strained through the effort of changing coats and metabolism. If your horse is a bit on the lazy side during coat change season, let him get away with some of that and lighten the work load, if possible.

In short: When your horse is shedding the winter or summer coat (yes, that needs to shed, too) and grows a new coat, there is much going on ‘behind the scenes’. Taking this into consideration during coat change time will make a big difference to your horse.

Be well and enjoy your horse!

Stefanie Reinhold

Sources: Equine Science (Pilliner, Davies)