Instructions
Stable your horse indoors. Keeping animals out of the winter weather as much as you can will help stunt their hair growth.
Blanket your horse, which also keeps your horse's coat from growing too much. To keep hair growth on the horse's neck and head in check, use a hood. You should start blanketing the horse as soon as the temperatures start cooling down at night. In spring and fall, use a lighter blanket than you would during the dead of winter, so that you don't overheat your horse.
Stable your horse under lights. Research has shown that exposing your horse to 16 hours of light each day will help stunt your horse's hair growth. Incandescent or fluorescent bulbs (either clear or frosted) that are at least three feet long should be placed at about eye level with the horse, but in a safe location out of the horse's reach. Turn the lights on during the morning and evening hours so that your horse has light for 16 hours.
Heat your barn. This is an expensive but effective way to keep your horse's coat from growing too much.
Shave your horse. If you are taking your horse to a show, plan to body shave your horse at least a week before the event so that its coat can grow in a little. The coat on a freshly shaved horse normally appears dull and off-color. Letting the coat grow in a bit will allow the coat to appear more natural at the show.
Depending on the situation, you may prefer not to completely body shave a performance horse that will not be appearing in a show ring. Instead, you may just clip the horse under the saddle area, for example, so that the horse won't get extremely sweaty there.
Seek a veterinarian's opinion. If your horse has been developing a thick coat, especially in the summer, it is possible that it has a medical condition known as Cushing's Disease.
Curry or use a shedding mitt daily on your horse to rid it of excess hair.
How do I Stunt Horse Hair Growth?
Performance horses---such as foxhunters---that have grown thick winter coats cam quickly become sweaty, overheated messes if they have to gallop for a while or do other hard work. To win ribbons, show horses need to look sleek, not shaggy. These are just two examples of when an owner would want to stunt the growth of his horse's hair. If you follow the tips here, your horse will both look better and be more comfortable while working.