We’ve all seen them, a nice looking
horse; that something is just off, something needs to be different, but what is
it? Upon closer inspection, it’s the
coat that is off. It is dull or rough
and has no shine to it what so ever. It
does not matter how healthy looking a horse is, without a shiny coat, they just
do not look it.
Why
is the Coat not Shiny?
There are, any number of reasons that an
otherwise healthy horse may not be shiny.
Worms, dirt, lack of nutrients, and simple lack of elbow grease may be
the culprit behind a not so shiny coat.
Too many baths could also be behind it, but more on that later. So, what happens if you have groomed that
horse until your arms can not handle any more grooming; and you still don’t
have a shiny coat? Honestly, you need to
start looking for other reasons why the horse is not as shiny as you think it
should be.
Nutrition.
Is the horse receiving all of the
appropriate nutrients it requires to maintain a healthy coat, mane, tail, and
hooves? Look at your pasture or hay
first. Have it tested because any other
dietary additions need to balance out what the forage is lacking. You will also have to take into consideration
how often you ride or work the horse, and how heavy that work load is. Obviously, a race horse will require a
different feeding plan than a weekend trail horse to maintain weight and
health. There are also horses that are
extremely easy to make too fat, and on the opposite side of that coin horses
that are extremely hard to keep weight on and looking healthy. Young horses and older horses also have
different needs for nutritional support to consider.
When you do determine your horse’s
nutritional needs, now you have to decide how to meet them. Will a simple ration balancer supplement do
it for you, or will your horse require a feed?
If you only trail ride once or twice a
month, and your horse lives out in a pasture, you may very well be able to get
away with a ration balancer supplement, and the pasture alone during the
spring, summer, and part of the fall.
During the winter, however you will have to supplement the pasture with
hay, unless you have a winter grass, and plenty of it, planted in your pasture.
If, on the other hand you ride for 2 or
3 hours a day, and ride hard when you’re riding, whether your horse lives on a
pasture or in a stall, chances are even with free access to pasture or hay, you
will have to feed the horse some type of feed.
I personally prefer a complete feed like Purina’s Omolene line (http://horse.purinamills.com/products/omolene/ECMD2-0032696.aspx) or the Nutrena
(http://www.nutrenaworld.com/nutrena/products/horses/Product-Comparison/index.jsp) complete feeds
over simple grains. I’ve had great
success with the Omolene 200, and I love the fact that I only have to feed a
minimum of 0.35 pounds per 100 pounds of body weight. My 1,400 pound mare only gets 4.9 pounds a
day, all of the vitamins and minerals are already in the feed, so I don’t have
to supplement any additional nutrients.
Worms.
When was the last time the horse was
thoroughly wormed, and with what product was it wormed? If it’s been a while since the horse has been
wormed, you may need to worm the horse.
If you’re not sure what product was last used, pick something that has
worked well for you in the past. Whether
you determine that the horse needs worming by fecal count or by simply observing
behaviors that suggest it, like rubbing their tails (which is an indication of
pinworms). If the horse has worms, that
can affect the horse’s coat.
A regular worming schedule is something
that you should really consult your vet or equine nutritionist on. I would suggest a fecal count, so you will
know for a matter of fact that the horse does have worms. http://www.horsemenslab.com/content.php?p=faq It will not reveal every type of worm that your
horse may or may not have, but it will reveal the two most common types of
worms that infest horses. Any other
worms that the horse may have will depend on if those worms are common in your
area.
Bathing
How often do you bathe your horse with
soap or shampoo? If you are bathing him
or her too often, you are stripping the natural oils required to make the horse
shiny, so even if you are feeding them properly, keep them wormed, and are
grooming until you can’t manage grooming any more, the horse simply will not
shine. Those oils that you are washing
down the drain are what make the horse shine.
I can understand bathing a horse before a big event, or if the horse has
a skin condition that bathing is part of the treatment for, but other than
that, I see no need for regular bathing of a horse. I would not even suggest frequent washing of
the mane and tail, but instead just rinse it with conditioner, and rinse that
out. There is enough sulfates in
conditioners that they can actually clean the hair and condition it at the same
time.
After you finish riding, do you rinse
the sweat and resulting salt from the horse’s coat? I mean rinse, not bathe, rinsing with water
is sufficient to remove the salt from the coat, without using any type of soap
or shampoo. This is something that you
can do, even if you don’t have running water at your barn. A five gallon bucket full of water from home,
and a large sponge. Also, make sure to
rinse under the horse’s tail, as the salt can make the tail itch and result in
tail rubbing, which is also a sign of pinworms.
Grooming
Are you grooming in a fashion that
promotes a shiny coat. If you are using
products that contain silicone, like Show Sheen (http://www.jeffersequine.com/showsheen-hair-polish/camid/equ/cp/14016/) on a regular
basis, the answer is no. Silicone has a
drying affect on hair, so even if you have everything else right, the horse
will not be shiny without the spray.
It’s understandable to use the silicone spray on special occasions, or
if you have a really bad knot to get out of the horse’s mane or tail, but it
will need to be washed out as soon as you can manage it. Grooming can make a healthy horse truly gleam
instead of only shining. It distributes
the natural oils over the hair shafts, and helps create a soft, shiny, slick
look. A look that will not require any
type of polish to help the horse look finished.
Daily grooming is worth doing, if you
are doing it correctly, if you want to know how I groom my horses, visit one of
my blogs, http://mylifewithhorsesandwhatithastaughtme.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-i-groom-and-why.html
or http://paintedlady2000.hubpages.com/hub/How-I-Groom-and-Why I spend a considerable amount of time
grooming my horses to make sure that they get the best out of my grooming time.
Conclusion
Regardless of why you want your horse to
be shiny, and let’s face it we all want that whether we’re trail riders or top
level performers. You have to look at
the complete horse to determine why the horse is not as shiny as you may like. I think that regardless of the horse’s use,
his or her nutritional needs should be looked after as best you can, with what
you have available to you in your area.
The horse should be wormed for species that are common in your area, and
a worming schedule determined to keep the horse as parasite free as possible. All measurements should be taken to ensure
that there is no sweat or salt drying out the horse’s coat. Grooming supplies that dry out hair like
silicone based polishes should be used sparingly.
Take whatever measurements you can to
ensure that you get that gleaming coat that you want.
Good luck and God bless in your future
endeavors.
No comments:
Post a Comment