When I was in college I was distance runner, and I had a husky who could go the distance with me. Those are iditarod dogs, bred for running 100 miles in the Arctic, so she loved our long trail runs. Along with the husky endurance came the husky coat, thick and poufy. She “blew her coat”, or shed out the undercoat thoroughly, twice a year in the spring and fall.
It’s so much warmer here and humid (I’m loving it so far- lightweight tech shirts all the way!!). The horses just think about running or playing in the turnouts and they’re drenched in sweat with their heavy furry Colorado winter coats. A couple of them have decided to adapt by blowing their coats like a husky, shedding out entirely in a matter of a few days.
Dewey, Note, and Raven particularly are shedding hair like we’ve arrived in the Bahamas… hopefully in another week or so they’ll be all slicked out and less itchy!
There is definitely something satisfying about grooming a shedding horse, and the many hair waffles that come out of the rubber curry!
Years ago Miles the border collie was a puppy always in trouble, and he ate at least a dozen of the hair waffles in one morning before I could throw them away. I was a little worried about him getting stopped up and constipated, but later that day he also ate an entire tin of saddle soap, which seemed to lube things up and everything passed just fine.
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