Yearling filly not losing her winter coat?

Okay, it's mid-May in NE Pennsylvania and while I admit the weather's been unseasonably cool, my yearling Morgan cross filly STILL has most of her winter coat. An acquaintance of mine who raises horses thinks it may be nutrition-related since she is wormed on a regular basis. She just turned a year, weighs 400 lbs. and stands 13H so I don't think she's THAT malnutritioned (is that even a word?), but is there something that may be missing from her diet of sweet and hay? Thanks! I was also the one that asked the question recently about lixotinic - maybe this is why my vet suggested it?

Yearling filly not losing her winter coat?
I live in Oregon but it has been cold here! I have year old filly who just would not shed and she was even kept in doors and let out during the day. This happens a lot in Southern Oregon because our soil lacks some important mineral. Every spring I go to our local feed store and get Selenium it helps the shedding process along. Like I said I know our area is short in it so it is a easy fix. I give the supplement to all my horse. Easy fix with out getting the Vet involved just make sure you don't give to much. You will see a difference in about a week. Think of it like human hair. Your hair will tell your story, if you are stressed out your hair shows it, you smoke your hair shows it, you are not getting enough Vitamins your hair shows it. Horses are the same their fur coat tells the story. If it is not shiny and health looking I bet it is a nutrition related..........
Reply:Yearlings typically hang on to their first winter's coat for a while for some silly reason, or at least mine have when out in pasture. Everybody else sheds and there they are with the "fuzzys".





Start with a shedding blade then follow it with a pumice stone. This year's been really bizzare weather wise anyway!





Best of luck.
Reply:In addition to a good brushing everyday, feed her food that's specifically to help aid a coat. Horses' bodies control when they lose their coat, so if she feels like it'll get cold again (has there been temperature fluxuations?) she'll keep the coat until she's used to the weather changes.





Hope i could help!
Reply:Young horses the age of your filly vary widely in when they lose their winter coats. Grooming might really help slick her out, but I'd stay away from sweet feed and go with rolled oats. They are safer for young horses. Be sure and have her teeth checked and also keep her wormed regularly. She'll probably lose her winter coat when Mother Nature tells her to.
Reply:something I find that helps is to give them a good work out every day and get them to sweating. something about good sweats in the spring seems to make that hair turn loose. I know she is a yearling but 30 minutes of ground work in the round pen really does wonders along with your usual brushings and shedding aids.
Reply:I agree yearlings seem to hang on to fuzzies. I would let nature takes it's course, it may not be warm enough for her yet. I think they shed when they are warm enough. Her body is protecting her. I would leave her. I leave mine. Just my 2 cents...... But if you really feel that something is wrong, call your vet %26amp; just ask. Hope this helps!
Reply:I wouldn't be so quick to shed her out. Hold off another two weeks and see if she doesn't start blowing her coat on her own.Mother Nature is wonderful at taking good care of the babies and she is a baby. A cold snap could come and she'll be better off with her fuzzies than without.





Shining good health will be yours soon. I adore your concern but give her some more time please.
Reply:use a shedding blade. and if that doesn't work, talk to the vet.
Reply:give her a good brushing everyday and after two weeks come back on this thing if she hasn't lost her coat its probably loose just needs a hand to come off don't worry it'll work
Reply:Try using a shedding blade but if that doesn't work you can talk to a vet about shaving her down.
Reply:Clip her and let her grow out a new coat for summer. That should help a lot, especially if she starts overheating due to still having her coat should it get hot soon. :)
Reply:My yearling Arab still has some coat on his back, the rest looks pretty and its been hotter than heck here. Just keep brushing her, it has to off sometime...I'm ready to pull out the clippers LOL
Reply:i heard if you put corn oil in there feed than that helps there coat. Hope i helped
Reply:This year the weather has been really odd in northern North Dakota too. My gelding held on to his winter coat for the longest time. We would get a few nice days and he would start shedding, then a bunch of cold and he looked like a winter horse all over again. What I found worked the best for him when he just started to shed was the shedding blade for sure (that has to be one of the greatest inventions ever!!) and a lot of brushing. I did try the pumice stone but I was nowhere near as pleased with it as I have been with regular use of the shedding blade and brushes. As long as you are certain that the long-term forecast looks to finally be warming up, go ahead and try the shedding blade.





Hope this helps!!