I don’t know about you, but the word “static” really makes me cringe! Every winter, my horse has major static in his coat that never seems to go away. I’ve heard many other horse owners complain about this cold weather issue, so I’ve decided to share my secrets to a static-free coat!In order to reduce the amount of static, I spray my medium brush with Show Sheen or any leave-in conditioner and then brush the horse like you normally would. It takes one spray on the brush for every few strokes on the coat. This not only takes out the static, but it picks up any dust particles and little pieces of grass and bedding that always get stuck in the horse’s coat during the winter. One thing to remember about this is that it makes your brush a lot dirtier than normal. So, washing your brushes a little more frequently is a must if you decide to use this method…

For manes and tails, I spray the leave-in conditioner directly on and work it in with my fingers. This seems to work great for static and makes the mane and tail easier to comb through when a bath isn’t an option. However, if the weather is not warm enough (or you don’t have an indoor wash room with heated water) it’s a good idea not to put the leave-in conditioner in your horse’s main and tail as often as you use it on their coats. The conditioner can build up and become itchy if it’s applied too often without being washed out.

Another option that can be great during the cold weather is the hot towel bath. Simply soak a few towels in a bucket of hot water. The trick is to wring out the towels as much as you can so that they’re just damp and not soaking. Rub the towels all over your horse’s coat, making sure that he’s just damp from the towels and not wet. Once your horse has been rubbed down with the hot towels, go back over his coat with a dry towel to eliminate any moisture that hasn’t evaporated yet. You can do this as often as you like, and it really helps to take out the excess dirt that builds up when horses roll in mud and snow.

After a hot towel bath, you can always use the brush/conditioner method mentioned above to take out any excess static. Using a product like Show Sheen also helps repel some of the dirt and grass until you’re able to do it again.

Good luck and stay warm!