Shedding season

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I am covered in more fur than Lance is! He has such a thick undercoat he almost never needed a blanket this winter, I could make another horse out of all I have gotten off of him.  Does anyone have any good ideas for speeding up shedding season?  I know you can only do so much but I am desperate here!

[Romany]

Metal curry comb?? it least it doesn't last too long, and will all have fallen out before you know it! Oh and ask him to roll alot! :P

[Jaynie]

I got a lovely shiny new car three weeks ago with a beautifully valeted interior. It's now got hairy seatcovers, hairy dashboard, hairy carpets  : Every meal I eat has a smattering of hair, my house is lightly covered in hair and I'm constantly fishing hairs out of my mouth...!

Roll on the summer coat...

[Appy2quarter]

I'm convinced my oldie is not so much a pony as a musk ox!!  And the other 'nice' thing about shedding is that the wind always blows when you are trying in vain to get the coat out. 

Even with the coat zipped right up under your chin somehow the horse is JUST as hairy....and my bra is mysteriously covered in dun fluff!!! 

Also, anyone else noticed that the lighter the hair, the more there seems to be of it?  My mare is grey/appaloosa and although she comes nowhere near my house, signs of her are everywhere....  Either her hair is hitchiking its way home or she owns a tardis and keeps visiting my living room!

I swear by those curved shedding blade thingies that are oval - the horses seem to really enjoy them, too. 

[Erin's mum]

Shedding blades are great! I also find the wire 'slika' dog brushes are fab for removing hair and what's more, most of it stays on the brush instead of carpeting the stable (or you lol!  )

[hinny_heart]

Also, anyone else noticed that the lighter the hair, the more there seems to be of it?  

I would dispute that claim, I think it depends on the colour of your carpets and furniture! Most people choose darker furnishings thinking that it won't "show the dirt" but I have a gay friend who has all white and cream soft furnishings and when he only had a white cat and a maltese dog there was scarcely a hair to be seen. However, recently he found a stray black-and-white kitten near the airport in Sydney, and took it home ... can ANYONE tell him how a small kitten which is less than HALF black can possibly coat every single rug, sofa, chair and cushion in black hairs? I certainly have no answer for him ...

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can ANYONE tell him how a small kitten which is less than HALF black can possibly coat every single rug, sofa, chair and cushion in black hairs? I certainly have no answer for him ...

I think that the amount of hair shed by an animal is inversley related to the color of the furniture. 
Ex.- small black kitten, white house: "its not a cat!  I got a ball of lint from the dryer!" 
     -small white kitten, black house: "is it snowing out? Why am I covered in white fluff?" ???
(Must get more sleep )

[hinny_heart]

I think that the amount of hair shed by an animal is inversley related to the color of the furniture. 

I think you might have a point there; that seems very logical to me. I will have to tell Cameron that is the reason, and perhaps persuade him that a slightly tweedy look is the up-and-coming idea in interior decor ... he'll just look at me and sigh, though. What I know about interior decor could be written on a very small postage stamp and what I care about it is probably even less ...

[jvt]

Get a BIG mars coat king - for thinning dog's coats really.  I have a big wide one (about 4") and use it for them all when shedding, it pulls all the dead hair out and if you keep doing it it thins whats left as well, all the hair is left in a big roll after each stroke so no fly away hair.  You can even get hair AND mud off at the same time and I don't need a mask and don't end up looking like a wooly mammooooooth. 

They are a life saver!! In UK you can get them from clippersharp, but I'm sure you could get them off doggie sites elsewhere if horse places don't stock them.

[Appy2quarter]

Jvt - any links to them?  I've never heard of them and think it might help me stop turning into a dun-coloured walking ball of fluff!

I also think the 'spring inverse law of follicle-releasing' is true - I don't have light furniture anywhere hence why lighter colours cling to me.  (and really, I look so much better in darker shades.....)

I am bringing said musk ox up for a groom today so may have to cover myself in some sort of allergy suit.

[jvt]

Virtual Demo http://www.clippersharp.com/smartcoatstips.aspx

The actual tool http://www.clippersharp.com/Product.aspx?category=70_73&product=722

Expensive initial outlay, but sooooo useful. I do the retired ponies manes with them too so they don't get too thick and heavy without putting them through the grief of pulling.

Mine is still sharp and on its second spring of four horses!!

[Jaynie]

I also find the wire 'slika' dog brushes are fab for removing hair

GASP!!!!  I was in our town's *cough* Pound Shop yesterday and spotted one of these so for the sake of a quid thought "what the heck!". AMAZING!!!!!! I spent five minutes going over the hairy pone and ended up with a football sized ball of hair.

Wowee, at this rate we might get more than two days of 'just' summer coat this year ......!

[Erin's mum]

Glad it works for you  With 3 hairy shetlands and a highland to 'de-hair', I couldn't be without mine lol!