Onyx, my little bowling ball. Photo by Lindsey Kahn
When I first bought Onyx, my Morgan gelding, my inner horse-crazy child was going absolutely bonkers with glee. Images of Black Beauty, the Black Stallion, and [insert other famous fictional dark horse’s name here] pranced in my head next to fantastic fire-breathing obsidian equine nightmares on black metal album covers, courtesy of my inner goth teenager. Little did I know how much of a pain it could be to keep this black pony gleaming. Between sun-bleaching, dandruff, and sweat stains from baking in the midday sun, I quickly learned that Onyx’s summer nickname should be “Rusty.” Stabling him during the day and turning him out after the sun left its peak helps keep him happy and cool in the summer, and using SPF coat conditioners helps maintain his smooth, black coat.
What color is your horse, and what challenges have you had with keeping their coats clean and healthy? What are some of your tips and tricks?
This Week in Horse Health News:
Check out these hot weather horse care tips: [The Horse]
Hendra virus responsible for Australian horse’s death: [The Horse]
Starving horses to be fed by equine charity: [Horse & Country] [The Brooke]
Test tube babies? Horse embryos have been successfully matured in vitro: [The Horse]
Clonmel Racecourse cleared in horses’ deaths: [Horsetalk]
Equine dentistry, its importance, and how to find a good dentist for your horse: [The Horse]
