Our top 5 product picks for grooming shedding horses

 Shedding season is upon us again, as horses drop tumbleweeds of hair anywhere they rub or roll. In most climates, horses shed out twice a year, making way for their emerging summer and winter coats.

Here’s a look at our favorite tools for grooming shedding horses. For convenience, each title link leads to that product on Amazon. (Full disclosure: I’m an Amazon affiliate, meaning I receive credit for purchases made through their links on my sites. These products may also be purchased from saddle and tack merchants, pet stores, and other retailers.)

 

1. Equestrian Fuego Horse Shedding Bar-Blade – Get a grip on horse shedding with this handy tool. The metal combed edge easily scrapes away stray hairs all over the horse.

 

2. Farnam Slick 'N Easy Horse Grooming Block – This hand-held coarse fiberglass block uses friction and elbow grease to groom the horse’s coat. It’s super for putting the finishing touches on shedding, after using more heavy-duty tools. It’s also great for doing a quick touch-up before a ride or show class.

3. LuxPal Five-Fingered Deshedding Gloves – Horse shedding doesn’t get any simpler than this. (It’s the same principle as those old car-washing mitts. “Wax on. Wax off” (to quote The Karate Kid movie.) Lots of companies offer this kind of shedding glove. Quality varies. Pick a pair, rather than a single one, for quick and easy horse grooming.

4. Oster Coarse Curry – This spiky curry only looks fierce. It’s actually soothing to many horses, and it works well in stirring up and removing shedding hair. (My Warmblood, Paint, and Morgan couldn’t get enough grooming with this curry, although my ticklish Thoroughbred didn’t favor it so much.)

5. Wahl Shedding Blade –
This looped tool has serrated edges, making it extra useful for shedding out a horse quickly. The handles separate, making one long blade for two-handed grooming. It’s also handy for clearing off mud or scraping off water after a horse’s shower.

 

A few comments on other horse shedding products and practices:

 Ringed metal curry combs (with concentric circular toothed blades) are frequently found in the hands of those shedding their horses. This is a matter of some debate, as certain equine experts and owners maintain that these tools are intended for cleaning grooming brushes, not for actual use on horses’ coats. I think it depends on how you use them. And they can be super for shedding or for removing dried mud.

Many equestrians choose to clip their horses’ hair periodically throughout the year, especially if those equines are housed in heated barns and wear weatherproof blankets (and possibly neck and hood coverage) for turnout. Some purchase their own clippers, while others pay professionals for clipping.

 Equine grooming vacuums are also popular. In some cases, show barns have such vacuums for grooms to use, or they make the machines available for boarders to use. Some equestrians buy their own horse grooming vacuums. Although these seem convenient, I have never found them useful with my own horses. None of my horses have been fans of the suction or noise these machines make.

 Horse shedding is messy work, but it can be quite pleasing to the horse. Done well, it’s sort of a form of massage, and it offers quality bonding time for horse and human. In addition, shedding horses are frequently regarded as harbingers of the changing seasons.

 

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Image/s: Public domain photo and product promo photos (fair use)

Spoiler Alert: Horse feed storage is critically important

 Specialty feeds for horses come with all sorts of intriguing extra ingredients, mostly for added vitamins and minerals and other nutritional bonuses. Sometimes equine grain formulations are aimed at easier digestibility, or even better taste.

 

Horse owners pay extra for all that good stuff.

 I was all-in for my horses, willing to shell out extra dough-re-mi to obtain the optimum feed choices for each of them. And we were basically happy with our feed supplier, who was generally pleasant and dependable. Also, he was local and accessible and convenient, storing his inventory in a big airy outbuilding not far from the horse farm.

 So I bought bag after bag after bag from him. And all was well.

 

Then I found a surprise inside a bag of pricey grain.

 Fuzzy, stinky, damp, decaying horse feed was not exactly what the equine veterinarian ordered. My horses wouldn’t be likely to approve of it either. 

Most horses will reject moldy grain (or moldy hay), if possible. But if they consume the offensive feed, it can cause digestive troubles (even colic), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (heaves), reproductive problems and other issues.

 Avoiding this exact situation was one of the main reasons I bought our horses’ feed on an as-needed basis, rather than stockpiling at the stables.

 

I was a little steamed. Maybe more than a little.

 I schlepped the bulky bag back to our animal feed guy. He blamed the unseasonably humid weather we’d had for the moldy grain. He offered to credit me for half the price of the product.

 Let’s see … how much of that fungus-filled feed was I going to be able to use?

 

Hey, sometimes ya just gotta break the mold.

 Or at least, sometimes ya just gotta find a new feed supplier, if the grain comes with mold.

 Ever since that moldy mishap, I have purchased our horse feeds from merchants with climate-controlled feed storage. They’re a little out of the way, but worth the trips.

Feel free to follow on Twitter. Don’t miss the The Mane Point page on Facebook. You are invited to visit my Amazon author page as well.

 

Image/s: LAN photo/s – All rights reserved.

Herd helper: Morgan mare to the rescue

There’s one in every crowd, right? We’ve all known parents who loved to brag on their kids. And how many horse owners are particularly proud of their own horses?

OK, count me in.

I love arriving at the stables and being greeted with a good report about our horse. She’s a sweet Morgan mare, who is trusty enough to pack kids and adults around for riding lessons. She’s done some hippotherapy too. She’s that sweet.  (Morgans rock. But I digress.)

Sure, she can raise a ruckus, when she feels like it.

This past weekend, she actually spooked a bit. (It lasted about 5 seconds, while she scooted maybe 3 feet.) She’s a horse, after all, and it’s almost springtime. Plus, someone tossed up the big garage-like barn door without warning.

But this horse is well-trained and sort of senior and generally doesn’t seem to want to expend the effort it takes to kick up her heels much. (At this season of her life, she is willing to give me some good go, but I definitely have to ask for it.)

She was a hero the other day.

A barn staffer actually used the word “hero.” How funny is that?

This gentle mare is kind of bossy in the herd. We’ve never seen her rear or kick or bite. She doesn’t have to. She has mastered “the look.” You know. It’s the same look your toughest teacher had down. All she had to do with turn her head with that face on, and you knew she meant business.

That’s it exactly.

In this horse’s herd, there’s a chestnut mare who likes to play hard-to-catch at coming-in time. Maybe she forgets her filled feed bucket and a pile of hay await her in the stall. Perhaps she just loves staying outside. For whatever reason, she’s made this a game.

The other day, the barn staff had had enough of that.

The chestnut mare bolted and darted and wove her way around the pasture, while these folks tried to catch her. She was having none of it.

So one of these wranglers walked back into the barn and retrieved my horse from her stall. They led her out into the pasture again. They tossed some loose hay on the ground, and she began to munch it. Almost immediately, the errant one came alongside her turnout pal. The humans led my mare towards the gate, and the other followed. 

Soon, these folks were able to slip a rope over her neck and hold her for haltering.

That’s all it took.

Because sometimes it’s more fun to follow a friend home at the end of the day than to prolong the inevitable by breaking curfew. Something like that.

In any case, I was pleased with the good report about my own horse. She’s a keeper.

Images:

LAN photo. All rights reserved.

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NEIGH: 5 ways to support one whose horse has died

A handful of heartfelt hints for encouraging a grieving horse lover

Our long-time beloved family horse died several months ago, and I still miss him. This loss also revived my sorrow over losing my very first horse, a challenging, but life-changing and once-in-a-lifetime mare, several years ago. I just heard that a once-naughty little show pony, who taught me to jump fences, was euthanized yesterday. And a dear old gelding, belonging to a barn pal, is struggling to stay standing today.

To a horse lover, losing an equine companion can be every bit as grief-worthy as the passing of a human family member or a close friend.

What can caring folks do or say to support someone who has just lost a horse?

Here are five ways to reach out to a grieving horse lover. For simplicity’s sake, let’s use a horse acronym, “NEIGH.”

N = Never nicker.

Why do people always seem to practice verbal calisthenics, stretching for all sorts of inappropriate things to say when others are mourning? A grieving horse owner is not likely to be encouraged by trite sayings, lame platitudes, personal horror stories of lost horses, or even unwelcome advice while enduring the pits of grief.

E = Ears forward.

The most sensitive and caring friends offer to listen to the mourning horse lover’s stories of grief, veterinary nightmares and even happy memories shared with the horse that has died – even if those stories are repeated numerous times.

NOTE: Written by this author, this copyrighted material originally appeared on another publisher’s site. That site no longer exists. This author holds all rights to this content. No republication is allowed without permission.

I = Instincts are insightful.

Often, simply sharing silent moments of unspoken understanding can be a marvelous way of showing compassion for the one who has just lost a much-loved horse.

G = Gallop in with good deeds.

When a horse has died, several difficult tasks may await the equine’s owner. Helpful friends may offer to pitch in at such moments, if appropriate.

For example, the grieving horse lover may need assistance in cleaning out the horse’s stall, packing up saddles and tack, or making arrangements for the horse’s remains. These responsibilities can be extremely emotional for the one who is mourning, but a close friend may be able to help.

When my own horse died, two barn friends stayed with me by a front pasture gate, visiting with other favorite horses, while her remains were removed from the back of the barn. The sight would have been a difficult memory to erase.

H = Hearken the herd.

Equestrian stables tend to be notorious for grapevine gossip, like any other close-knit community. When a horse has died, the owner’s friends can be extremely helpful by minimizing this, while compassionately informing those who will most sympathize with what has happened (with the owner’s permission). By running interference, so to speak, for the grieving horse lover, these companions may enlist additional encouragers.

These five simple steps can go a long way towards expressing care and concern for the mourning horse owner. Naysayers may beg to differ, but equine experience speaks volumes on the subject. 

Find this helpful book on Amazon! https://amzn.to/36QCddr

During my own season of mourning the loss of my mare, I welcomed and valued the friends who offered no unsolicited advice, but listened, empathized, offered assistance, and rallied other supportive horse-loving friends to do the same.

Images:

Adapted from public domain photo

Book cover – Fair use

(This writer is author of the featured book.)

Feel free to follow Twitter. Please visit my Amazon author page as well. And I am happy to share my RUNDERDOG ambassador code for 10% off on Bondi Band Athletic Headbands, Accessories, and Fashions. (Simply enter the code at online checkout.).