[Woodhaven]

I live in Southern Ontario and I have noticed that my horse has started to shed her summer coat. It seems early to me. Last winter was especially cold and I did notice the horses shedding in early Aug. I hope this is not a harbinger of another cold, miserable winter.
Has anyone else noticed this?

Last winter was the coldest we have had for maybe twenty years, but I have to say that this summer has been one of the best for riding, cooler and not nearly as many bugs, deer flies etc. Usually we can't ride in the woods as this time of the year because the flies and mosguitoes are so bad but not this year. I was out for a lovely ride this am and spent a lot of it in the woods and it was very pleasant.

 

[waresbear]

You mean shedding out the short summer coat and growing in a longer coat?? My horses shed hairs in the summer, those are just dead hairs, but they start growing longer coats until fall. In fact I have never seen any horse do this in all my years, yes shed hairs in the summer, but the coat is still short and flat, not long and fluffy like winter hair. It is the reason I groom like crazy even after they shed the winter coat, the short coat still sheds dead hairs, those are what dulls a shiny coat, not brushing those dead summer ones out.

 

[franknbeans]

Ours in NY state are shedding out too. They do every year. Certainly not like a spring shed, but definitely shed.

 

[boots]

Mine is shedding, too. They start late July every year here. I'm never ready. Our winters are so long.

 

[Speed Racer]

It's normal, and nature's reaction to the days getting shorter. Once the days start getting longer after the winter solstice, around December 21st, animals start the internal process of beginning the shed of their winter coats. After the longest day of the year, around June 21st, they start shedding their summer coats.

The animals in the southern hemisphere do the same thing, except in reverse; the longest day of the year there is in December, and the shortest is in June.

It's nature's reaction to the amount of daylight, not the air temperature.

 

[whisperbaby22]

My horse is shedding early this summer too. I used to be told that means a cold winter.

 

[JCnGrace]

Several of mine are but not all of them. Normally they don't start until the end of Aug/early Sept. Had a weird shedding season this spring (they kept starting and stopping) and now this, been a strange year.

 

[jaydee]

Mine have been shedding for a week or more now but not getting a thicker coat - it does happen every year here as the temperatures go higher in mid July through August.
It never happened in the UK - maybe because its not usually so warm there

 

[Woodhaven]

You mean shedding out the short summer coat and growing in a longer coat?? My horses shed hairs in the summer, those are just dead hairs, but they start growing longer coats until fall. In fact I have never seen any horse do this in all my years, yes shed hairs in the summer, but the coat is still short and flat, not long and fluffy like winter hair. It is the reason I groom like crazy even after they shed the winter coat, the short coat still sheds dead hairs, those are what dulls a shiny coat, not brushing those dead summer ones out.

Not shedding a few hairs but starting to shed their summer coat. Usually it happens about the end of Aug but last year the first week in Aug and now it's the last week in Jul. You don't really see the winter coat but the new coat is not as long right now but a little fuzzier, and gradually grows longer and thicker over the next few months. I just hate to think of another cold, long winter.

Several years ago my gelding started early and we had 3 feet of snow in Nov that year and it was a winter with more snow than usual.

 

[sarahfromsc]

Ugh. I don't want to think about winter.

 

[SueNH]

Mine are shedding too. It does seem like it's early. Maybe I'm still shell shocked from last winter.

 

[Gizmo]

My Quarter horse is too, my mini isn't but they don't usually shed. But I haven't noticed either of them growing a thicker coat. Sonny just seems to be shedding a lot.