It may feel like the dead of winter, but before you know it spring will be upon us. And just as April showers bring May flowers, spring also brings the shedding season. That’s when your glorious animal will start to shed his winter coat and leave lots and lots of hair everywhere.
All of it can be a nuisance, especially on your clothes. It’s hard on the horse, too. As the hair sheds, it makes him itchy, and horses tend to rub off their manes and tails on everything. However, if you prepare with a plan, shedding season can be, well, a little less hairy.
Brushing
True, this will incite the hair problem for you, but it will also speed up the process. Regular, daily brushing helps him to shed his thick, winter coat. There are a lot of grooming tools available, including shedding blades and other specialty items. There’s nothing that beats a simple rubber comb along with both hard and soft brushes and a lot of elbow grease.
Guard yourself
Wear some sort of jacket you’ll specifically earmark only for grooming time. You can keep it in the barn until his shedding ends. Using that jacket will help keep it off of your other clothes and working its way into your house.
Bathing
Shedding can be urged on by giving your horse a good scrubbing. It can help loosen and remove dead hear follicles. Some even suggest a baby oil soak overnight, but don’t overdo it – too much will minimize the natural oils he needs to keep his coat shiny and smooth.
Let him scratch
If you remove his horse blanket, it will allow him to scratch and shed his hair the natural way. You’ll want to keep an eye on him to make sure, as mentioned, he doesn’t rub himself bald in spots. But giving him the opportunity to lie down and roll around will assist in nature taking its course. Use caution if it’s still cold out.
Cleaning up
A vacuum can be a handy tool to pick up all that excess hair. At the same time, some believe in leaving the loose hair on the ground where birds and other wild life can use the hair for nest material. Whether you clean up or not is up to you.
Diet
You may already know that our human hair is affected by the things we eat. Same goes for horses. Making sure they have a nutritious diet with proper minerals and vitamins, because it’s crucial to their skin and hair.
Cushing’s disease
This is a condition whereby the horse won’t shed his winter coat. It’s common in older horses and probably doesn’t require treatment, but if you see it becoming an issue, you’ll want to consult your veterinarian just to be safe. {