10 Things to Know About Your Horse’s Hair Coat
I recently wrote an article (yet to be published) on the differences between donkeys, mules, and horses’ hair coats. It was quite interesting, and I learned several things I didn’t know. But working on this article reminded me that many in the horse-owning population don’t really understand how the horse’s hair coat works, especially when it comes to keeping them warm. So I thought I’d share a few facts.
Here are 10 interesting tidbits about horses’ hair coats which you may or may not know:
1.) Horses’ hair coats are made up of millions of hairs, and each hair has distinct layers: an outer cuticle, a cortex containing pigmentation, an inner medulla, and a root/ bulb.
2.) Horses’ hair growth is cyclic (as is all mammals) with three periods: active growth (anagen), transition stage where the hair bulb narrows and then separates from hair (catagen), and resting stage (telogen).
3.) Horses have three basic types of hair: permanent (forelock, mane, tail, eyelashes, and “feathers” on drafts), temporary (most of the body hair), and tactile (on muzzle, around eyes, and inside ears).
4.) Equine diets low in lysine (an amino acid), minerals, or vitamins will result in a lackluster coat. A dull coat is also common in horses with high parasite loads.
5.) Although many associate an especially shiny coat with good health, this isn’t necessarily true. In fact, feeding corn oil will often make a horse shiny, but it won’t make him healthy!
6.) Horses kept blanketed on a regular basis (in cool/ cold weather) will not develop a thick, winter coat.
7.) It’s not the temperature but rather the length of daylight that triggers both hair growth and shedding. This means that horses kept stalled and under lights at night will not grow a winter coat.
8.) A horse’s hair coat helps him stay warm by ‘fluffing’ up and trapping air close to the body for insulation (known as piloerection). When the hair is flattened by rain or a blanket, piloerection will not occur.
9.) Oils produced in the hair coat help the skin to repel water. Bathing or brushing horses during cold weather will distribute these oils throughout the coat and prevent the horse from using them as a protective barrier.
10.) The tactile hairs on the muzzle, around the eyes, and in the ears are specialized types of hair which help the horse sense his surroundings and judge the distance away from an object. Trimming them is not advisable!
Ta-ta!
Casie
Sources and Further Reading:
How Do Horses Thermoregulate When it Gets Cold?
Myth: A Shiny Horse is a Healthy Horse
Great article, as always! I am excited to read the other one you mentioned comparing the differences in equine coat hair. We just brought home a 5 month old mule to join our horse herd and although I “knew” there were differences we have been absolutely fascinated learning what those differences are.
Thank you, Lauren. 🙂 Yes, the study was quite fascinating and I look forward to getting the information out there. Here’s a link with a summary of the study if you’re interested: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29053900
Good article Cassie, Also I think people need to be aware of the TCM point of view, the skin is the second lung. All too often horses in winter wear rugs 24hrs a day, no fresh air getting to the skin. I have tried on so many occasions to make people understand !!
Very true–thanks for the reminder!
Jus FYI as someone who was immersed in the draft world for a number of years. It’s actually “feather” singular, not ‘feathers” plural. Birds have feathers, horses have feather.
I didn’t know this–thanks for the correction.
Great concise article, with lots of good info including the problem with blanketing in winter and other things we do. Thanks so much.
Blanketing also limits the natural producing of vitamin D induced by solar radiation on the horse’s coat.
good point!
tried for years to convince people