Winter Woolies - should they grow back THAT fast?

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

I clipped my mini with a kind of tight body clip for a show, 2 weeks ago. Now, he has a 1/2" mohawk where his bridle path was, and about 1/2" of hair all over. Even his little ears look like they've never ever been clipped already!

Is it normal for a mini to get such a winter coat sooo fast? It has been a little chilly up here, but he has been inside and blanketed (lightly) on those nights. I know if he were a big horse with hair growing like that, I would get a blood draw done for cushings, however, his summer coat is super sleek and he shows no other signs. He looked like a sheepdog when i purchased him in february, but he had never had a blanket on. Or been clipped - he is 6 yrs old if that helps.

Is it normal to be sooo fuzzy so fast? I know minis get thick winter coats, but come on CLoudy!

 

[dreaminmini]

I have been hearing from a few people that the minis are getting fuzzier earlier and faster this year. Supposed to be an indication of a cold winter

Yuck

 

[chandab]

Mine are surprisingly unfuzzy for this time of year, while it looks like its starting, its not as long as I've seen in the past. My fuzziest are the babies, but they still have most of their baby fuzzies, so really fuzzy anyway.

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

His "wife" (a fallabella mare) is getting fuzzy too, however, she hasn't been body clipped since May! Lets hope they just want to be fuzzy and its not going to be a cold winter!

 

[shorthorsemom]

My guys dropped summer coat in July/August and are rapidly turning into yaks. Very early for us. I saw a groundhog today and it was very light almost silver.. signs pointing to a bad winter. Sib.

 

[HGFarm]

Even though it's still been close to 100 during the day here, the horses already started to hair up about 3 weeks ago. The temps at night are dropping too, the days are getting shorter, so I am not surprized they are starting to get thicker coats. Ha, sounds like your boy has a healthy coat.

 

[Jill]

Not even 2wks ago, my new stallion, Squirt (a/k/a Erica's Can't Take My Eyes Off You) showed at the Nationals and was as smooth as a peeled onion. He is a woolly man now!

This time of year, they do fuzz out very quickly

 

[Knottymare]

When I got Dolly 2 1/2 years ago, as a companion for my last large horse, I was absolutely amazed at how hairy she was. I was also amazed at how long it took for her to shed out and how quickly they fuzz right up again.

My mares are ever so slightly showing more density of hair... winter is indeed on its way.

 

[mydaddysjag]

My guys are half way to a full winter coat already, and they were clipped the last week of august.

 

[Matt73]

Mine are getting fuzzy and ready for winter, too

.

 

[Riverrose28]

HA HA! Sorry for your luck, but it's that time of year, I love in Md. and I can clip one day and have fuzz three days later! All of mine are getting wooley and we have a show on Oct. 7, Oh well, I won't be body clipping as the nights are now too cold, but I will clip faces and necks. Sounds like life to me with mini's.

 

[eagles ring farm]

Yup they can fuzzy up so quick this time of year ours are all getting fuzzy here in NJ

 

[JennyB]

I think there are a few reasons why this happens...

the amount of daylight, the colder nights and just the equine themselves.

We live at 6200 feet and I have one young stallion that had haired up before the others and it was still in the 80's during the day and not even close to cold at night. I was surprised at that...the nights are now freezing most of the days and they are all starting to hair up with this colt really bushy now.

I have also heard the same that early hair and means a cold winter, but not sure that is true. Ponies and others large breeds will hair up MUCH more than say Thoroughbreds or Arabians in the same climate. Miniatures horses come 100% from Shetland and other pony genetics so they would also hair up more than larger equines.

Some of us get colder easier than others, would it not be the same with horses?

Jenny

 

[Ashley]

I noticed my moms fuzzing up back in Aug.

 

[targetsmom]

Yes, the clipping question... I have a show Oct 14 and then Equine Affaire starts Nov 8. I clipped a foal today because I need photos for an ad and hope I can get by for the Equine Affaire (assuming she isn't sold by then). I really don't want to clip later than early October, so I expect there will be some fuzzy minis on display at the EA. The mare I clipped 2 weeks ago is fuzzy now and will have to get clipped again for the Oct 14 show, along with the 2 others that are going. At least we can bathe them with warm water! (I wish the mare was as easy to clip as the foal I did today!).

 

[wingnut]

My girls start growing their winter coat in August. This is our 4th year going into winter. I haven't noticed a difference in the start of the growth nor the length/density of this year's coat vs. previous years coat, including our first year when we had 3 blizzards nor last year when we had lower than average temps each month (Dec, Jan, Feb).

It always surprises me to see the winter coats coming on so soon, but when I look back I see that it's actually right on schedule for us.

 

[Blackwater Farm]

My boys are starting to coat up too! The days are getting shorter. I'm not showing this year but I will be driving so everyone will be getting trace clips soon.

 

[kay56649]

mine get fuzzy so fast it's unbelievable. Two nights of freezing weather and their coats are at least an inch thick (that's what you get for living in Minnesota)

Mine go from sleek to fuzzy and it's hilarious how fast it can happen!

 

[Riverdance]

It is the amount of daylight they get a day that trigers the winter hair growth. If you had them in a stall with a light over their stall that went on at 6:00 in the AM and did not go off till 9:00 PM, they would not grow their winter coats. Just putting a blanket on them will not stop the hair growth. Of course in the warmer climates they do not grow as much winter coat, but they do grow it. Sometimes too much, then they have to have a head neck and chest clipping so they do not get over heated.

 

[Marty]

Yes