As the days begin to lengthen in early spring, horse owners everywhere start noticing the same thing: hair. It shows up on brushes, blankets, fences, in the air and on just about everything around the barn.

Shedding season is one of the most visible signs that winter is coming to an end. But what many people don’t realize is that growing and shedding a coat requires significant energy and nutritional resources. While it may be a huge relief and seem like a simple seasonal change, the body is working hard behind the scenes to replace thousands of hairs and transition to a new coat.

Understanding how shedding affects your horse’s body can help you support them more effectively during this important seasonal shift.

Why Horses Shed in the Spring

Contrary to what many people assume, temperature alone doesn’t control shedding. The primary trigger is day length. As daylight increases after the winter solstice, hormonal signals begin preparing the horse’s body for spring.

This process starts weeks before most owners notice loose hair. By the time shedding becomes visible, the horse has already been using energy and nutrients to grow the new coat underneath.

For many horses, shedding season overlaps with other seasonal changes, including increased movement, getting back into work, changing turnout schedules, and the gradual return of pasture.

Shedding Takes Energy

Hair growth is metabolically active. Each hair follicle requires energy, nutrients, and cellular activity to produce a new hair shaft.

During peak shedding season, horses may be simultaneously:

• Finishing the growth of their new coat
• Releasing the dense winter coat
• Adapting to sudden shifts in temperature
• Preparing for increased activity in spring

This combination means the body is juggling several processes at once.

Most healthy horses handle this transition well, but nutritional support can make the process smoother and help maintain coat quality and skin health.

The Winter Nutrition Gap

By the time shedding season begins, most horses have been on stored forage for several months. While hay remains the foundation of a healthy equine diet, the drying and storage process reduces some naturally occurring nutrients compared to fresh pasture.

One of the most notable changes is the reduction in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E, which are abundant in fresh grass. During the grazing season, horses naturally consume diets richer in omega-3s and vitamin E. Over the winter, those levels often decline.

Omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in supporting:

• Skin health
• Coat condition
• Normal inflammatory balance
• Cellular function

While vitamin E plays a role in:

• Muscle and nerve function
• Immune support
• Antioxidant protection and also cellular health

As the body works to produce a new coat, maintaining a balanced fatty acid profile can help support overall skin and coat health. Vitamin E ensures your horse’s body isn’t working harder than necessary to keep systems operating!

Why Fat Quality Matters During Shedding Season

When people think about supporting horses nutritionally, they often focus on adding calories. But the type of nutrients in the diet matters just as much as the quantity.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a natural part of the horse’s grazing diet and contribute to the health of skin and hair follicles. Among commonly fed ingredients, flaxseed provides a fatty acid profile that closely resembles the balance found in fresh grasses.

Flax is particularly rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid that supports skin health and normal inflammatory processes throughout the body.

Rather than dramatically changing a feeding program, providing a consistent source of omega-3s can help maintain nutritional balance during the seasonal transition from winter to spring.

Supporting Horses Through Seasonal Change

Shedding season is temporary, but it reflects the body’s ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions. While brushing and grooming help remove loose hair, internal nutritional support is equally (or more) important.

As spring approaches, it can be helpful to take a moment to evaluate a few key areas:

• Has pasture been absent for several months?
• Does the current feeding program include a source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E?
• Is the diet supporting skin and coat health during seasonal transitions?
• How are my horses looking? Are their coats shedding easily, or could things be better?

Consistent nutrition can help support your horse as their body shifts out of winter mode and into the more active months ahead. Check out Omega Horseshine for your omega-3’s and Omega grandE for boosting your horse’s diet in vitamin E for optimum health year round.