Moulting horse? Tips!

It is not always a pleasant period when your horse is moulting.  Hairs fly everywhere and they often stick to everything. Additionally, the moulting season takes up a lot of energy from your horse or pony. Fortunately, you can give your horse extra support through food and care to help him through the (difficult) moulting period.

When does a horse moult?

A horse moults two times a year: in the summer and in the winter. A horse does not moult due to a change in temperature. In fact, a horse only starts to moult when the days start to get longer or shorter. Are the days getting longer? Then the pituitary gland makes hormones that cause the horse to lose its winter coat. When the days become shorter, then the summer coat is replaced by the thicker winter coat. Usually, most problems occur when a horse loses its winter coat. Especially if your horse is not in good condition, then your horse can use some extra help with this.

This is how you can help your horse with moulting

There are many different factors that can influence a horses’ moulting process, such as good blood circulation of the skin, which you can help support from both outside as well as from within. Here are some tips to help your horse during moulting.

• Give a good brush

You can help your horse with moulting by giving him an extensive brush and by doing that you also give the skin a nice massage. With this you help the blood circulation of the skin and aid the old coat to come off. Also, your horse will really appreciate it because during moulting a horse becomes itchier. You can get a long way with just a rubber brush, but if your horse is moulting a lot, then it will constantly become full of hair. Therefore, there are special ‘foam blocks’ and rubber gloves, with which you can remove loose hair more easily.

• Extra protein

Make sure there is enough protein in the diet. Protein is an important building block and plays an important role during moulting. A horse requires more protein during this period than normal.

• Lots of movement

Also, movement is an important factor when it comes to moulting because it ensures a better blood circulation. So, do some training together or go for a fun hack.

• A lot of daylight

Considering daylight triggers the moulting process, it would help your horse to be exposed to it as much as possible. So, let them go outside; it is also good for movement!

• Extra vitamins

Give extra vitamins if moulting is difficult, such as a Pavo MultiVit15 or Pavo HealthBoost treatment. Pavo MultiVit15 provides an extra dose of vitamins to support the immune system and gets your horse fit and happy again.

• Something extra for the coat

Also give a nice bucket of slobber. Oil-rich food, such as Pavo SlobberMash, does not directly affect moulting, but does give a beautiful, shiny coat. Moulting costs your horse a lot of energy, which you can replenish with Pavo SlobberMash.