Ah spring! If you’re a horse owner this means shedding season. Here’s some tips on how I make it through this hairy season.
1. Blanket! I turn my horses out in a nylon sheet or rain sheet. Not only does it help keep the mud off their coats but as they move the nylon helps shine up their coats and get the hair nice and loose.
2. Human clothing – There’s hair everywhere when you brush out your horse, I am covered in it by the end of the grooming session so I usually keep a light windbreaker hanging in the barn. Again, nothing sticks to nylon so it keeps me and my clothes hair free
3. Tools – I use 4 tools to get the job done
a. Metal shedders rake – gets all the mud clumps and the loose hair up
b. Oster coarse curry comb – I love the ergonomic feel of this comb and it keeps my hands from getting over tired. I also like the round disks of hair that I pull off the comb, they are perfect for spreading around the farm for birds to build their nests with
c. Stiff bristle body brush – One the curry comb doesn’t seem to bring up much hair I bread out the body brush – The trick to keeping a body brush clean and free of dust/hair is to rake it across your shedders rake after each stroke. It seems time consuming but you’ll get more hair and dust out of your horses coat if you do.
d. Horse hair brush – I don’t always do this step but the horses really seem to like it. After all that raking, combing and brushing a once over with a soft horse hair brush is relaxing and pleasant to the horse.
4. Some folks like to give a good bath and try to shampoo the hair out of their horse’s coats. I personally prefer brushing it out. I’m not a fan of picking horse hair clogs out of the drain, it’s much easier to brush it out of the barn and let the birds have at it.
5. Clipping – One of my horses is prone to sweating when worked. Come spring I give him a neck and belly clip to help him cool off, sometimes I get carried away and do a full hunt clip. Now if you really want to avoid de-shedding your horse clipping is the easy way out. Just be sure to do blanket management until the weather warms up.
I’d be interested in hearing your tips and tricks in dealing with the shedding season.