4 Tools for Shortening the Shedding Season | SLO Horse News

5 Tools for Shortening the Shedding Season

Shedding season is here and the horse hair is everywhere. It’s fluttering around our faces . . . sticking to our clothes . . . and it’s falling into piles on the ground when we groom our horses. Shedding brings us lots of hair, which gets in our eyes and mouths, and it sticks to our clothing. 

Tacking up and grooming your horse becomes more of a chore this time of year, yet the beautiful sleek coat that is hiding underneath all that hair is quite the reward. Tools we use to groom our horses with can result in shortening the shedding season. So, let’s get this shedding thing over with, right?


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5 Tools for Shortening the Shedding Season

When it comes to shortening the shedding season, you have a few options for helping that thick winter coat your horse has built up to fall off.  A few are tried and true, but there are a few new innovations on the market today.


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Tool #1 – Sleek EZ

4 Tools for Shortening the Shedding Season | SLO Horse News

A newer option is the “Sleek EZ”. This shedding tool fits comfortably in the hand, and it not only drags out the loose hair, it shines the coat that is left behind.  It is also very useful for removing horse hair from things like saddle blankets, pads, and horse blankets.  This cross-over tool – for your horse and tack – will be used year-round.


Tool #2 – Grooming Gloves

4 Tools for Shortening the Shedding Season | SLO Horse News

The latest rage for equestrians are grooming gloves. Innovative scrubbing nodules on the fingers and palms effortlessly remove hair and dirt while also distributing natural oils for a healthier skin and coat. These grooming gloves can be used dry for shedding, or wet while bathing. Your horse will enjoy the tactile experience whatever the season or reason.

Picking out a horse’s tail is easy with these gloves. Use them in place of a tail brush which may break the hair shafts.


Tool #3 – The Shedding Blade

4 Tools for Shortening the Shedding Season | SLO Horse News

Traditionally, many horse owners use the good old shedding blade; you run the blade over the coat, and it drags the loose hair along with it.  This tool can be flipped over and double as a sweat scraper. It also helps cool out a hot, sweaty horse while helping him shed.


Tool #4 – Curry Comb

4 Tools for Shortening the Shedding Season | SLO Horse News

Many equestrians use the good old curry comb method . . . using strong circular motions you can get the loose hair to release from your horse. A rubber curry comb is gentle on the horse and easy on the hand.


Tool #5 – Epona Tiger’s Tongue

Remove embedded dirt, mud, stains and shedding hair from your horse or pony’s coat. Epona Tiger’s Tongue grooming tool is soft and flexible making it ideal for the contours of the horse’s face and legs. Just as the name implies it works like a tiger’s tongue, gently pulling the loose, shedding hair with it while distributing the natural oils in the horse’s coat.


Additional Tips

Be Looking for Ticks

Helping our horses to “shed out” as soon as possible is the best way to detect ticks on the skin.  Ticks are just a part of life during this season, as they live in the tall grasses and underbrush that spring up as the weather grows warmer. 

4 Tools for Shortening the Shedding Season | SLO Horse News

They especially like to hang out on the edges of blades of grass or other foliage in the early morning hours, but they can be found any time of day.  It’s our job as horse owners to check for ticks and remove them promptly. Be ready to eradicate ticks from your horse and keep them from setting up shop on you or your horse.

Hair, Hair Everywhere

4 Tools for Shortening the Shedding Season | SLO Horse News

Yes, the horse hair is everywhere. If you don’t want horse hair all over your clothes, a disposable lab coat worn over your clothes can catch those flitting hairs while keeping you mostly hair-free.

Wearing sunglasses can help keep horse hair from your eyes and a handkerchief over your mouth keeps the hair from landing in it.

Are you coming home with horse hair stuck to your clothing? Try rolling the hair off with a lint roller. These are also really handy for getting crawling ticks off horse’s legs. Keep a roller in your horse trailer tack room for getting ticks off after a spring ride. Keep another in the barn tack room to remove shed hair before getting in your car to drive home.


Shortening the shedding season is possible! Get the horse hair out using these grooming tools. Your horse’s coat will bloom as that sleek new summer coat appears. Be keeping an eye out for ticks too!


Just so you know, clicking the above links takes you to the product on either the Riding Warehouse or Amazon site. This makes shopping easy and convenient for you. We do get a little kick-back from items purchased, giving us resources to bring you more stories, but your price stays the same. It’s a win-win! Also for local riders, you can order items online and request pick-up – during checkout – at the Riding Warehouse store. Happy Trails!


There are so many ways to horse around in stunning SLO County. To keep this info at your fingertips we have developed a Hot Sheet that will direct you to the stories which tell you where you can trail ride, stay with your horse, show and taste. We’ll continue to add horsing around stories to our website. You can stay up-to-date by becoming a SLO Horse News herd member. Get your Horsing Around in SLO County Hot Sheet here >.

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