Horse shedding season has gotten complicated with all the grooming product hype flying around. As someone who has survived more shedding seasons than I can count, emerging from the barn looking like I was wearing a fur coat myself, I learned everything there is to know about managing the spring shed. Today, I will share it all with you.
Brush Every Single Day
A shedding blade or a good rubber curry comb is your weapon of choice right now. Ten minutes of focused grooming pulls out mountains of loose hair before it ends up on your clothes, in your truck, in your coffee (yes, that’s happened to me), and everywhere else in your life. The amount of hair that comes off one horse is genuinely shocking if you’ve never been through this before.
I actually enjoy the daily grooming sessions during shedding season. There’s something oddly satisfying about filling an entire wheelbarrow with hair and seeing the sleek coat underneath start to emerge.
A Warm Bath Can Speed Things Up
Probably should have led with this section, honestly. A warm water rinse loosens dead hair and accelerates the whole shedding process. Just — and this is important — make sure daytime temperatures are consistently above 60 degrees before getting your horse wet. Sending a damp horse out in cold weather is asking for trouble. I made that mistake once in early March and spent the rest of the day feeling guilty about it.
Check the Skin Underneath
All that winter coat peeling off can reveal stuff you didn’t know was hiding under there. Bald patches, scabs, lumps, fungal spots, rain rot — the winter coat is great at concealing skin problems. That’s what makes shedding season endearing to us horse people, in a weird way — it’s like a health check that happens naturally.
Anything that looks unusual or doesn’t heal on its own within a week deserves a vet call. Better to catch skin issues early than let them spread.
Diet Matters for That New Coat
The coat your horse grows coming out of shed season reflects their nutritional health. Good protein, essential fatty acids, adequate vitamins — all of it shows up in coat quality. I add ground flax seeds to my horses’ feed starting in late winter, and the difference in their summer coats is noticeable. Some people swear by chia seeds too. Either way, nutrition from the inside beats any topical product.
Just Accept the Hair Situation
Real talk: for the next few weeks, you will be covered in horse hair at all times. In your car. On your work clothes. In places hair has no business being. Stock up on lint rollers. Keep one at the barn, one in your vehicle, one by the front door. Accept that this is your life now.
Shedding season is temporary, even when it doesn’t feel like it. And when that glossy summer coat finally comes in? Worth every lint roller you burned through.
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