Well, it’s that time of year when the birds are chirping, the sun is shinning, the weather is getting warmer…… BUT now we have to deal with the dreaded shedding season.
Unlike our Southern Ontario friends we have slightly colder winters with a lot more snow. We blanket, we brush, we do many things to try and tame our wild looking steads but we still end up with mountains and mountains of hair. Hair that is not only all over the floor, but stuck to our clothes, our hands, our faces…
God forbid you wear chapstick to the barn that day! It is almost a guarantee that you will be picking hair from your mouth and your eye balls in a matter of minutes. The end results though!… this is what we are so pumped for, that shinny gleaming show pen look! It’s all worth it in the end.. Right?! A few of my favourite things in the spring time clean up are, of course getting that thick mangy looking coat off!
Once that is complete, a good tail wash is just so satisfying, we give their tails a good scrub with a dandruff shampoo and run a conditioner through it as well. Of course we love giving their body a bath along with the mane but tails can be done before the weather is warm enough for a full body bath. A leave in conditioner, a good brushing and often a loose braid works well to keep that tail healthy and clean for as long as possible.
My next favourite thing is taking out the clippers and trimming ears, muzzle and bridle paths, it just gives a nice clean look to your horse… even if its a rough job, it will help to get you through to the warmer days.
A decent leave in conditioner can be added to the mane, forelock and tail. You can use moisturizers on the body but it’s never a good idea to apply a sheen to the body, this will disrupt your horses natural oils in the coat and prevent the coat from breathing.
Once the above steps are complete, your Northern Ontario hair ball is that much closer to being show ready, believe it or not this will speed up your first show prep into a matter of a 30 minute spruce up, verses a 3 hour make over!
Happy trails and enjoy the spring weather!
The PMC Team <3
