With the increase in daylight and climbing temperatures, that furry puffball of a beast in your barn is starting to shed. For some horses and ponies, it's more like molting, but however you call it, you know one thing: It's no longer safe to wear lip balm/lipstick/lip gloss to the barn.
A few facts about shedding season:
- Shedding doesn't start because it gets warmer. Shedding starts because of the increase in the hours of daylight.
- The thickness and length of hair on your horse or pony is determined by genetics.
- Your horse will shed throughout the entire year. Besides spring, horses will also lose their thinner, "summertime" hair in preparation of growing their coarser winter hair.
The act of shedding can cause your horse to be extra itchy. If you find patches of hair in random places: on the stall wall, over the top of the fence, in a flat area of grass, etc. That's your horse trying to remove their dry, dead, itchy hair.
So, how can you help your horse feel more comfortable and make shedding season more enjoyable?
Start with the right tools for the job! Our list of grooming tools below can help get rid of the dead hair while encouraging the production of natural oils to keep your horse's skin and new summer coat nourished.
Curry Comb
Curry combs come in a variety of materials. It is the essential grooming tool and, no matter the material, this tool works the best for shedding when using some extra elbow grease.
Rubber Curry This is the most common type of curry, yet there are still different designs for a rubber curry. The bigger benefit of the rubber is the flexibility to conform to the hand while offering a "softer" scrubbing. The denser your horse’s coat, the longer teeth you should use on your rubber curry.
Metal Curry Most often seen with multiple circles and a handle, metal curry combs offer two sides with varying length of metal teeth. Metal curries are good about grabbing hair and obliterating caked-on mud.
Metal Shedding Blade (Curry) A 2-in-1 tool, this type of curry can be used open in a straight line with handles on each side or looped into a narrow U-shape with the handles together. One side has teeth and the other side is flat for use as a sweat scraper to remove access water after baths.
Plastic/Polymar Curry A basic hard plastic or polymer brush, these curries can come in fun shapes, such as a horse head, flowers or just your basic oblong brush with a handle.
Grooming Block
Grooming blocks are essentially pumice stones, which are lightweight, porous stones that are great for grabbing dead hair for removal, getting into small spaces and even removing bot fly eggs. The grip for grooming blocks tends to wear down, but that's easily fixed by scraping the edges on a concrete surface to refresh the stone.
Grooming Gloves
Talk about getting really hands-on with your grooming. Grooming gloves are generally one-size-fits-all gloves with rubber on the palm side. These gloves can have different textures of rubber nubs designed to grab the hair. These are a great tool to have to work on legs, faces and bony areas of the horse. (They're also great to help give a relaxing massage while brushing.) Many grooms like to use these gloves for bathing as well to help lather the soap through the hair.
Horse Vacuums
We're not talking about your typical household vacuum, but horse vacuums are high-powered shop vacuums that have multiple attachments to allow you to suck away dried mud, dust and loose hair. Farms in the Northern portion of the country utilize these vacuums during the colder months instead of bathing. Horse vacuums are not very loud, but still require some training with your horse so he’s comfortable with the noise and the sensation from the hose.
Stiff Brushes
Finally, after loosening up the dead hair and caked dirt, you will want to brush off everything with a stiff-bristle brush. Brushes with sturdy bristles are great for removing the loose debris from the body and distributing the natural oils in the coat and skin. These brushes can come with synthetic palmyra, polypropylene, or nylon bristles, all of which withstand moisture and heavy use.
Bonus Grooming Tips
Proper currying helps your horse distribute natural oils throughout his body, all while providing a nice massage. Even if it's not shedding season, a good curry comb session after riding can help loosen up flattened hair and provide a nice rub-down for your horse as a thank you for a great ride.
Skin health is about more than just grooming. Work with your veterinarian or an equine nutritionist to insure you're providing the best nutrition for your horse’s skin health. There are a multitude of supplements on the market promoting a shinier, healthier hair coat, but most of the time this can be achieved with providing adequate nutrients and minerals such as biotin and Omega 3 fatty acids in your horse's diet.
Keep in mind the cleanliness of your grooming tools! How do you expect a clean coat when grooming tools are grimy? Thoroughly wash, rinse and sanitize your curry combs and brushes often. If you use metal curry combs or loops, keep them dry and oil regularly to prevent rust. Keep separate grooming tools for each horse to prevent the spread of any diseases.
Search Tough1's website for a wide selection of grooming tools to help you tackle shedding and mud season.
