Time to get grooming!

It’s that time of year again where our horses have decided spring 🌷 is finally on it’s way and start shedding their thick, heavy winter coats to make way for soft, sleek summer ones 🥰

I am getting so covered in hair during treatments that when I arrive home in the evening my husband has started to think he has married a horse! 🤣

Today I wanted to talk about our horses and why they change their coats, as well as the benefits of grooming your horse. It does way more for your horse than just help with the shedding process 👌🏼

❓Did you know that it is not the atmospheric temperature that encourages your horse to shed their coat but in fact the number of daylight hours ☀️

The horse’s pituitary gland recognises the change in daylight hours and produces hormones that cause your horse to shed their winter coat 🧥

When you notice your horse is starting to shed his coat grooming is a great way to assist him in speeding up the process ✔️

This usually involves a curry comb or shedding blade and plenty of elbow grease 💪🏻

This is also a great time to run your bare hands over your horse and get used to how their body feels underneath 🖐

The better you get to know what is normal for your horse the easier it will be for you the recognise when something changes ✔️

If you find something on your horse that you think feels unusual, (a lump, a hollow or a crinkle) try feeling another horse (one of your own or ask a friend for permission to touch one of their horses) in the same area and see if they feel the same❓

This will give you a good idea as to whether what you are feeling is normal for all horses or something your horse seems to have that others do not.

You can then make a decision as to whether you think your horse might need an MOT from someone such as myself (an Equine Massage Therapist) before you start upping their work for the spring/summer season.

As well as assisting in shedding and getting to know your horse’s body, other benefits of grooming include:

🔸increases blood flow to the skin's surface

🔸warms up the fascia and superficial muscles before exercise

🔸assists in returning circulation and releasing toxins from the body after exercise

🔸removes dirt and grease from your horse’s coat

I encourage you all to get grooming! 🖐

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about what you feel when you do 📲