Why Is My Horse Shedding In January?

It is actually the horse’s pituitary gland that recognizes this change in daylight hours and produces hormones that cause a horse to shed its winter coat. If you are looking to speed up the shedding process, adding light and vigorous grooming can help.

Do horses shed in January?

Some horse owners might start to see the winter coat shedding out in mid January, and the summer coat shedding out in mid August. Of course every horse will be on his own schedule, and the shedding process will be complete on their own time.

What month do horses start shedding?

As the hours of daylight increase, a horse’s winter coat begins to loosen and shed. This process started way back in late December, but you usually won’t see the obvious, hairy results until now. Each horse should shed on a consistent schedule each year; even though that timeframe may be different for each horse.

What causes delayed shedding in horses?

Slow shedding can be a sign of Cushing’s disease (pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction), a hormonal imbalance common in older horses that can lead to laminitis.

What triggers moulting in horses?

Essentially, the pineal gland controls melatonin (a hormone) production during nighttime hours, which triggers a whole slew of other reactions in the body, causing hair to grow or shed. When less melatonin is secreted from the pineal gland (spring time, because of less dark hours) the horse will shed its winter coat.

Why is my horse losing hair in winter?

It is actually the horse’s pituitary gland that recognizes this change in daylight hours and produces hormones that cause a horse to shed its winter coat. If you are looking to speed up the shedding process, adding light and vigorous grooming can help.

Can a mare come into season in winter?

Most mares of breeding age begin to cycle into heat in late winter or early spring. A shift in hormone production that causes these periods of reproductive receptiveness is triggered by more hours of sunlight during the increasingly longer days as winter ends.

What time of year do horses get mites?

Diagnosis of horse mites
Mites are around all year, but the onset of horse mite infestation seems to be more of a problem during the colder months.

What does Cushing’s do to a horse?

Clinical signs include increased coat length and delayed shedding of the winter coat, laminitis, lethargy, increased sweating, weight loss and excessive drinking and urinating. The disease primarily affects those over the age of 10, with 19 being the average age at diagnosis.

Do horses cycle in the winter?

The mare is seasonally polyestrus, meaning that she undergoes regular estrus cycles during late Spring, Summer and early Fall and none during the Winter. This is nature’s way of preventing the arrival of a foal during the harsh Winter weather.

What are the symptoms of mange in horses?

The animal will rub and chew on its skin, causing sores and bald patches to appear on the head, neck, flanks, and abdomen. The sores start as small bumps and blisters that later develop into crusts. Hair loss and crusting spreads, and the skin becomes thickened.

Does Cushing’s cause hair loss in horses?

The most common signs observed in horses with Cushing’s disease/PPID include: Failure to shed winter coat fully, or patchy shedding. Long and/or curly coat.

What are the symptoms of rain rot in horses?

What does rain rot look like? If your horse develops crusty scabs that peel off with clumps of hair and leave bare spots on the skin, then they have probably contracted rain rot. This condition is aptly named, as it is caused by rain or moisture on the horse’s coat and is fairly common.

Does stress cause molting?

Stress. Just as humans’ hair can sometimes fall out due to stress, the same can happen with dogs and shedding. If your dog is shedding and seems to show other signs of stress or anxiety, you may be able to assume that this is the underlying cause of the coat issue.

How can I stop my horse from shedding?

Horses start to shed when the day length increases, so to encourage them to do so earlier in the season, artificial lighting can be used in stall to mimic natural spring day length. Additionally, a late season full body clip will make hair shedding less obvious and can also remove some dead hair follicles.

Why is my horses hair falling out in clumps?

Hair loss in the horse can be caused by something simple, such as environment and temperature, or it can be caused by an infectious skin disease, such as ringworm (fungus) that invades the hair follicles of the skin; dermatophilosis, a superficial bacterial skin disease; or be the result of scratching due to an

Is it normal for a horse to lose weight in the winter?

A horse may lose weight when his metabolism ramps up to keep him warm—especially if he is already thin and has less fatty insulation from the cold. But the weight loss may go unnoticed, hidden under blankets that aren’t removed daily, and by the time it is detected, it can be difficult to reverse.

Can stress cause hair loss in horses?

Stress and/or fever can also cause hair loss (telogen effluvium). An important cause of hair coat abnormalities in older horses is pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (equine Cushing’s disease).

Should horses be wormed in winter?

FALL DEWORMING — Tapeworm treatment is recommended once a year, in the late fall or early winter after tapeworm transmission ends due to cold weather.

Can mares come into season in January?

Mares do not naturally experience heat cycles (oestrus) during the winter and early spring months, although some mares will have a cycle all year round. In winter, a mare’s reproductive system goes into a rest period, known as anoestrus. After this winter inactivity, the cycle usually begins again in spring.

Why is my horse in season in the winter?

During the winter when the ovaries are inactive, circulating levels of the hormone progesterone are very low. This lack of progesterone may lead to the mare appearing in season throughout the winter.