Every winter this big mare grows a very thick coat covering her back, hips and neck. This is the thickest winter coat I've ever seen on a horse, so it probably relates to her genetics and that her breed comes from Belgium. One can only assume they have bitterly cold winters there.
As long as it's cold during out winter, Strawberry is fine. When the weather begins to warm, she has a problem. She's got to get rid of that excess hair. Every spring we find patches of bare earth in the horse pasture, literally covered with white hair. She's rolled and scrubbed off some of the thick coat.
Even though she rolls and rids herself of some of the excess, it often takes a little help from a curry comb. In fact, it often takes several mornings of being scratched and curried before the comb begins to come off her back with clean teeth.
When I take a curry comb out and begin scratching Strawberry's back, the comb begins to look like dust mop. By knocking the comb against my hand or a nearby post, I can clean the teeth and return for another load of hair. Eventually, she will get back to "summer-slick" but it takes serious effort by both Strawberry and us.
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| Strawberry looking sideways at a curry comb full of her winter hair. |
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