Help Your Horse Slick Off His Coat

Feeling ambitious? As things begin to thaw, gather your grooming tools and help your horse through the shedding process. Increasing day-length triggers hair loss. This is when a shedding blade will come in handy. Photo by Betsy Lynch.

Most of us choose to let our horses grow a long, shaggy coat over the winter. It's natural for the horse, and it's easier for us. There are no blankets to mess with, and no worries about monitoring body temperatures underneath heavy clothing. But, when spring arrives and we want to get back into work, we're faced with the dreaded shedding season-flying hair that makes our noses itch and sticks to everything. What do you do?

That's simple: Arm yourself with a grooming box full of tools that can get the job done and add lots of elbow grease.

Shedding Tools
You're probably thinking shedding blade. A shedding blade is usually a long, straight flexible stainless steel tool with handles on each end. The blade is usually serrated on one side and flat on the other, with the serrated edge used for removing hair and the flat edge as a sweat scraper. (Note: Some shedding blades have two different-sized serrated blades instead of one smooth side, for use on different coarseness of hair.)

To properly use the shedding blade, you either grasp one handle in each hand or fold the blade so it forms a loop, which you can use one-handed. Gently, run it across the horse's coat, so it pulls out the loose hair. Be careful not to run the metal blade across any bony parts on the horse, such as his legs and head.

While the shedding blade works well, we think a far better choice for both you and your horse is a good, old-fashioned rubber curry comb. These oval curries have nubs in the bottom that stimulate the horse's skin and remove the loose hair. In fact, used properly, you'll find it removes hair much more quickly and in larger quantities than a shedding blade.

Place your hand through the curry strap and grasp the outside edges. Then, rub the horse with the curry, using a circular, massaging action. You'll find it brings up hair, dirt and dead skin cells to the surface of the coat. The horse's winter hair will come out in bunches, especially by mid shedding season.