GROOMING N What Makes a Coat Shine N Best Shampooing Techniques N Tips for Buying Brushes and That’S Why You Showsheen.®

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48722_UltraShield_DreamVaca_FullPgAd_STABLE MGMT_FA.indd 1 3/21/19 1:45 PM understanding your horse’s coat The secret to bringing out your horse’s natural shine lies in taking account of how his hair grows.

By Christine Barakat

he color of your horse’s coat is so integral to his identity that it’s usually the first thing you men- tion when describing him: TA chestnut mare. A palomino Quarter Horse. A leopard Appy. But there’s so much more to the equine coat than color. A horse’s hair shutterstock.com has important functions, both as part paula da silva/arnd bronkhorst photography da silva/arnd paula

1 EQUUS EXTRA grooming of his largest organ---the skin--- care of your horse is enjoying the physiology behind its luster. Here’s and on its own. A year-round barrier beauty of his rich, lustrous coat. a closer look at the science behind to insects and the elements, the On the other hand, a dull, rough or the shine. coat thins in time for hot weather sparse coat can be an early sign of and grows long enough to provide illness, nutritional deficiency or Anatomy of a hair insulation in the winter. The equine hormonal imbalances. Your horse’s coat is made up of coat is a marvel of adaptation. Naturally, you want your horse millions of hairs, each consisting of For horse owners, a horse’s coat to look good. But when working to distinct layers. If you were to look at a plays another important role---it’s a make his coat gleam, it helps to cross section of an equine hair shaft un- good indicator of his overall health. take into account the structure der a microscope, you’d see a tiny core, One of the rewards of taking good and function of its hairs and the paula da silva/arnd bronkhorst photography da silva/arnd paula called the medulla. The medulla is filled lisa dijk/arnd bronkhorst photography

2 EQUUS EXTRA grooming hair anatomy with loosely packed cells that shrink HAIR SHAFT when dehydrated, leaving air spaces. In general, the diameter of the medulla hair shaft determines the diameter of the hair--- thicker mane and tail hairs have larger medullas than thinner body hairs. In gray or white human hairs, the medulla sebaceous is more prominent, but it is missing gland altogether in very fine hair. arrector pili A horse’s coat is not muscle only a barrier to insects cuticle hair and the elements, it’s follicle a good indicator of his medulla overall health. cortex

The next layer is the cortex, which sweat provides the bulk of the shaft. This layer gland is 85 percent keratin, a fibrous protein that also makes up hoof walls and your own fingernails. These protein fibers are long and parallel, cross-linked for strength. In addition to keratin, the cortex contains water, fats, melanin (the pigment that provides coloration) and minerals. GROWTH The outermost layer of the hair shaft CYCLE is the cuticle, which is made up of overlapping cells that give it a rough, almost scaly surface. The cuticle an- chors the hair shaft in the follicle and plays an important role in how we per- ceive the shine of a horse’s coat. Each hair grows from a follicle, an organ that combines muscles, glands and blood vessels. Various follicles produce specialized hair cells: The ones on the crest, for instance, are equipped to produce thicker hair, perhaps of a differ- anagen early catagen telogen early anagen ent color, than are those on the flanks. catagen anagen

Attached to the hair follicles in a by celia strain illustrations horse’s coat are the arrector pili muscles. When arrector pili muscles con- HAIR GROWTH STAGES: During the anagen phase, the hair shaft is produced and tract they lift the hairs off the surface of emerges from the follicle. In the catagen phase, growth stops and the follicle begins to the skin, which helps trap air between shrink. Finally, during the telogen phase, the hair—which is no longer connected to a them, providing insulation. Run your blood supply—is pushed out of the follicle by an emerging new hair. hand through the coat of a fuzzy pony

3 EQUUS EXTRA grooming on a cold winter day and you’ll notice a Shedding in horses is controlled by fuzzier, loftier feeling. That is the work photoperiods. As hours of daylight of his arrector pili muscles. decrease in the late autumn, Next to each follicle is a sebaceous gland, which produces sebum, a natural melatonin production increases, oil that coats each strand. Sebum not which triggers coat growth. only provides a protective barrier for both the skin and hair, repelling water and inhibiting the growth of micro- organisms, but it also slicks down the t: bob langrish; right: carien schippers bob langrish; right: le f t: “scales” of the cuticle, causing them to reflect light in a uniform way that our eyes and brains interpret as shine. Hair that lacks sufficient oil has a rough outer layer, reflecting light randomly, giving it a dull appearance. At the deepest point of the follicle is the hair root, matrix and papilla, collec- tions of cells in an area referred to as the “bulb” that regulate the growth and eventually the shedding of each shaft. The activity of these cells determine when your truck seats will become cov- ered in horsehair each spring. The cycle of shedding All hair, yours and your horse’s in- cluded, grows in three distinct phases:

• In the anagen phase the cells in f rank sorge/arnd bronkhorst photography

4 EQUUS EXTRA grooming These days, it’s unlikely that a well-tended horse’s dull coat is parasite related, but it can’t hurt to perform a fecal egg count to rule out the possibility. paula da silva/arnd bronkhorst P hotography da silva/arnd paula the bulb are actively producing the hair each other. That’s why you have no shaft. Hair emerges from the follicle “shedding season.” Your horse, on the during this phase and grows longer. other hand, certainly does. How quickly this happens and how long Shedding in horses is controlled the strand grows depends on a variety by photoperiods. Light receptors in a of factors, including genetics. horse’s eyes relay changes in daylight • The relatively shorter catagen phase length to the pineal gland in his brain, is a transitional period in which growth which produces melatonin. As hours of ceases and the follicle begins to shrink. daylight decrease in the late autumn, • In the final telogen stage, growth melatonin production increases, which has stopped and the hair is no longer triggers coat growth. connected to a blood supply. The hair These changes take time, however. remains lodged in the follicle until it Studies have shown that coat changes is literally pushed out by an emerging lag about five to eight weeks behind new hair in the anagen phase of growth. day-length transitions. Since days be- In people, these three phases occur gin to shorten in June, by the middle of concurrently among different hairs. August---when winter may be the last Equine hair follicles produce You’ll lose about 100 hairs from your thing on your mind---your horse’s win- only a single hair at a time. Your dog, own head every day, but many more are ter coat is already starting to grow in. by comparison, has compound hair growing at the same time. Small chang- Similarly, in the depths of a miserably follicles with one central “primary” es occur in human hair growth rates cold February, it may be heartening to hair emerging and three or four finer with the seasons---peaking in remember that within your horse’s hair secondary hairs surrounding it. This late summer and early autumn---and follicles, his sleek summer coat is al- produces the thick “undercoat” hormonal fluctuations, but as a rule, ready taking shape. prominent in many dog breeds. The effect of photoperiods is

shutterstock.com human follicles are not in sync with

5 EQUUS EXTRA grooming To minimize hair breakage, use a comb with the widest teeth you can find on your horse’s mane and tail. sometimes artificially reproduced to control coat growth in show horses. To delay the growth of a horse’s winter coat, for example, he may be kept in a barn that remains lit for several hours after sundown to “trick” his body by simulating a longer photoperiod. Similarly, a horse can be encouraged to shed his winter coat earlier by artificially extending the length of the day the horse perceives. Short of manipulating photoperiods, there are a few grooming techniques you can use to support the shedding process (see “Speeding Up Shedding”), but it will usually take four weeks or even longer. How hair reflects health As you brush, shampoo and spray your horse’s coat, it’s easy to forget that its appearance is also influenced by factors beyond the reach of a grooming box. Hair follicles are complex, Speeding up shedding Live through a single spring to be shedding as quickly as as a horse owner and you’ll his barnmates, or at all, give learn that elbow grease is your veterinarian a call. A delay the key to speeding up the or lack of shedding is a sign shedding process. of pituitary pars intermedia

A vigorous session with a dysfunction (PPID) also known clix photography currycomb “grabs” winter hairs as Cushing’s disease. in the dormant telogen phase Not only is a Cushing’s of growth and pulls them from horse uncomfortable under the follicle sooner than they a thick coat of hair, but he may have otherwise been is at an increased risk of pushed out by the ingrowing laminitis, infections and other spring coat. fiberglass grooming block or mind, though, he will still shed serious problems. Cushing’s, Careful use of a shedding specialized shedding comb. Of the same amount of hair; the and all its related signs, can blade has the same effect, course, you can also body clip strands will just be shorter. be controlled with the drug as does grooming with a a horse in the spring—keep in If your horse does not seem pergolide (Prascend). dusty perin

6 EQUUS EXTRA grooming What dapples mean

of the hair, reducing its strength. Thin, sparse mane and tails and poor qual- ity hooves are often the outward signs that trigger investigation and an even- tual diagnosis of selenium toxicosis. In earlier eras, before diligent de- worming programs were the norm, heavy parasite burdens would lead to a dull coat as the horse’s nutritional re- sources were sapped by the worms he

Nutritional deficiencies can lead to dull or brittle hair, but by the time an insufficient diet affects a horse’s coat, signs of malnutrition are usually apparent in other ways.

The dappling of a in spring, just after the dilutes other coat colors, carried. These days, it’s unlikely that a horse’s coat is nearly winter coat has shed. The does not necessarily well-tended horse’s dull coat is parasite

dusty perin universally regarded as a genetic basis of dapples produce visible dapples. related, but it can’t hurt to perform a fe- sign of good health and isn’t fully understood, but Good management will cal egg count to rule out the possibility. great grooming. But even researchers have noted highlight a horse’s dapples, Sometimes an illness can lead to the best-cared-for horse differences in hair texture as it will bring out the best more than just dull or brittle hair. In may never develop dapples. on dappled areas of the in any coat. But it’s possible fact, some diseases cause hair loss. In Networks of darker coat and there has been and often true that when a condition called anagen defluxion, hairs arranged in rings on speculation that variations two horses are cared for in a physiologic stressor---such as a high a lighter coat, dapples are in circulation within the an identical manner, one fever or infectious disease---interferes commonly seen in gray underlying skin may will develop dapples and with the anagen phase of hair growth. horses, but can appear play a role in the effect. one will not. So interpret This causes growth to cease immedi- on nearly any color. They Interestingly, the “silver what their appearance ately and hair begins to fall out within tend to be most prominent dapple” gene, which means accordingly. days. A similar condition, called telogen defluxion, has a similar effect, but hair metabolically active tissues, subject to iodine, zinc and vitamins A, E and C is loss usually doesn’t occur for one to the same positive and negative influ- a good way to rule out his ration as a three months after the initial stressor. ences that affect the rest of a horse’s source of a less-than-lustrous coat. The resulting baldness can be wide- organs and overall health. On the flip side is selenium toxico- spread but more often is seen only in For instance, nutritional deficiencies sis, which results from an excess in the patches. In most cases of defluxion, can lead to dull or brittle hair, although trace mineral selenium. This condition, the hair grows back normally once the by the time an insufficient diet affects which can occur when a horse grazes underlying factor is resolved. a horse’s coat, signs of malnutrition on pasture in areas where the soil con- Defluxion is different from “patchy” are usually apparent in other ways. tains high concentrations of selenium, shedding, where the winter coat is Nonetheless, reviewing your horse’s makes the mane and tail hair brittle. lost in distinctive patterns every spring. diet to ensure he’s receiving appropri- The excess selenium, it is thought, re- Many horses shed first from the head, ate amounts of protein, fat, copper, places sulfur in the amino acid chains shoulders and rump, while the process

7 EQUUS EXTRA grooming takes longer for the rest of the body. detergent, which can be hard on Why this happens isn’t fully under- equine skin. Also, use shampoos stood, but it isn’t anything to worry according to the directions on the about, although the horse’s coat may label. You will notice that many call not look its best until the process for adding the product to a bucket of is complete. water and then sponging the diluted soap onto a horse, not putting shampoo Coat-conscious directly on the coat. This ensures that grooming the suds will rinse clean. Soap residue All of this doesn’t mean that your leads to a dull coat and can even irri- grooming practices won’t have an effect If your horse is sweaty tate a horse’s skin. on how your horse’s coat looks. In fact, but not especially dirty, • Equine coat conditioners restore quite the opposite is true. Although the rinsing him clean with oil that may have been stripped from foundation of a handsome coat may be plain water in lieu of a skin and hair by shampooing. They good health, it takes a good grooming bath may suffice. Save can also help detangle hair and com- regimen to produce the head-turning the sudsing for special bat “frizzies” on a molecular level by “bloom” of a truly stunning coat. occasions like shows. neutralizing negative charges that can As you select and use various tools make hairs stand on end. If you regu- and products, consider how they will larly shampoo your horse, following support the overall and long-term combing, start at the bottom up with a conditioner is a good idea. health of your horse’s coat. and work your way up, dividing the Again, make sure you follow the label • Currycombs not only loosen deep hair into sections if necessary, and re- directions. Some conditioners are for- or caked-on dirt, making it easier to moving tangles by hand (a spritz mulated to be left on for a few minutes brush away, but they massage the skin, of detangling spray can help). Trying before rinsing for maximum effect. which encourages circulation and stim- to comb straight through hair from • Shine sprays, which typically ulates production of oils that produce the crest or dock will just lead to frus- contain silicone, keratin or panthenol, a natural and lasting shine. Choose tration and broken hairs. work by bonding to hair shafts and a comb with long, flexible “fingers” • Less is more when it comes smoothing the cuticle, which makes it and use it regularly. The more you can to shampooing your horse’s coat. reflect more light. These products can curry a horse, the better. If your horse Shampoos work by “grabbing” dirt par- add a “finishing” touch to an already is ticklish or sensitive, consider using ticles, allowing them to be rinsed away clean and well-groomed horse, but a “cactus cloth,” a rough towel woven easily. Shampoos, however, also grab they can’t replace a conscientious with agave fibers that offers oil particles, including the oils that long-term grooming regimen. Be the same benefits. protect your horse’s skin and produce a careful when using them because • Softer, finer brushes do a better shiny coat. Shampooing your horse too they can make the coat slick, affecting job of distributing coat oils than often can result in a less-than-lustrous saddle stability. Spraying a clean towel do those with thicker bristles. So coat. If your horse is sweaty but not par- and then wiping the horse can reduce even when faced with a thick winter ticularly dirty, rinsing him clean with risk of inadvertent application in an coat that a soft brush couldn’t possibly plain water in lieu of a bath may suffice. area where tack will sit. penetrate, don’t skip that final finish- Save the sudsing for special occasions ing step. (it takes a few days for natural oils to s you step back to admire • For your horse’s mane and tail, return, so if you can shampoo well be- your well-groomed horse this use a comb with the widest teeth fore the big event, even better) or when Aspring, take a minute to appre- you can find to minimize hair break- the dirt is beyond the scope of a simple ciate not just his sleek and gleaming age. Mane and tail hair grows constant- water rinse. coat, but the complex physiological ly but slowly. Every lost long tail hair Make sure to use a shampoo process that produced it and the many

arnd bronkhorst takes years, literally, to replace. When formulated for horses, never dish functions beyond beauty it serves.

8 EQUUS EXTRA grooming Keep your horse off the menu. Whether your horse is turned out or stalled, biting insects see a tasty meal. Made with powerful geraniol and six natural oils, UltraShield® Green stops ticks, flies, gnats and mosquitoes from feasting on your horse. It’s tough on bugs, but gentle on horses, foals, dogs and you, too. Protect your partner.

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48722_UltraShield_Green_FullPgAd_STABLE MGMNT_FA.indd 1 3/21/19 3:21 PM Brush - BUYING basics Restocking your grooming kit? Here are some tips for selecting the best brushes, curries and combs.

(BOdy) brushes Currycombs SOFT Materials: rubber Materials: horsehair, goat hair, pig bristle or plastic or plastic Cost: Generally $5 to $30. Brushes made with pure Cost: Generally $2 horsehair are more expensive. to $14. Retractable Shopping tip: Bristles on body brushes range from combs, which release medium to very soft. It may make sense to have more trapped dirt when than one body brush: an extremely soft one for the head and the handle is twisted, face, with a firmer-bristled brush for the rest of the body. are more expensive. Shopping tip: Look for a comb that’s firm enough to do the job but not so hard that it will injure your horse’s skin.

Hard (Dandy) brushes Combs

Materials: plastic, rubber or metal Cost: Generally $1 to $7. The size of the comb, as well as the material in the grip, account for the differences in price. Shopping tip: Avoid combs with seams in the plastic or metal between the teeth— these tiny ridges will slice hairs as they are pulled over them.

Materials: synthetic (plastic) or natural fibers (bassine, palmyra, rice root or union fiber) Cost: Generally $7 to $14. Brushes with comfort grips are usually the more expensive option. Shopping tip: Focus on the diameter of the brush bristles— that will tell you the size of dirt particles the brush will remove most effectively.

9 EQUUS EXTRA grooming Flies drink 4 cups of horse blood every 10 days.1

Don’t let them feast. With each bite, the risk of transmitting disease increases. Stop ticks, flies, gnats and mosquitoes before they start with UltraShield ® EX. Its sun, sweat and water-resistant formula kills and repels them for up to 17 days. Protect your partner.

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