Heavy coat on minis in the summer

[odv]

I have had large horses for years but just got our first mini about a year ago.
I am used to large horses shedding their winter coat and having a very smooth shinny coat naturally through the warmer months before they grow their winter coat again. My large horses get clipped in the winter if they are showing and then in the spring when the weather starts to warm up and they keep their short smooth coat throughout the summer and don't have to clip.

I clipped my mini in the spring when I clipped my large horse but she grew a heavy coat again.
I am in Maryland and this week has been in the 90s with high humidity and she's still not shedding.
Is this normal for minis? Do they naturally have thicker coats? I have seen online some posts of people who own miniature horses and they have to clip them even in the summer, so I was just wondering if this is normal for minis.

Any help from you more experienced mini owners will be very much appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[Cayuse]

I think it is individual to the mini. Some seem to need clipping mid summer and some don't. I have one of each. That being said, a heavy coat can also indicate metabolic problems (and I have one of those, too!) If your mini is older, it might be worth looking into any health issues that might be causing the heavy coat. Once you rule that out, you can rest easy and just resign yourself to buying lots of clipper blades

 

[odv]

Thanks Cayuse for your response.
She's a yearling, so I ruled out cushings, but wanted to hear what other people have to say before looking further into it.
Thanks again.

 

[Taz]

My two year old didn't shed out as a yearling but did this spring. His summer coat isn't sleek but it's much less than his winter. I have some that shed out sleek and some that shed out the same as the two year old, not as much of a yak as in the winter.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I always clip mine. And one I sometimes do again around Sept 1, as he is already growing a coat again. Just our yearly routine.

 

[chandab]

Yearlings often need help getting rid of their woolie coat, as it's typically a combination of left-over foal coat and first winter coat that tends to get matted together.
What is her diet like? A balanced diet can help with shedding. As a yearling, she should still be a growth formula, or a ration balancer along with her forage. Babies need quality nutrition for proper growth.

 

[Kazie]

I wondered about the shedding this year. My mini still hasn't completely shed. My big horse also has areas where he hasn't shed out. It's been humid here as well as high temps.

 

[Pitter Patter]

Yearlings often need help getting rid of their woolie coat, as it's typically a combination of left-over foal coat and first winter coat that tends to get matted together.
What is her diet like? A balanced diet can help with shedding. As a yearling, she should still be a growth formula, or a ration balancer along with her forage. Babies need quality nutrition for proper growth.

What's the best to feed a mini foal? How much, etc.?

 

[chandab]

What's the best to feed a mini foal? How much, etc.?

What size of mini? [So are parents A size or B size?]
How old? Weanling? Yearling?
What brands of feed are available to you? [For that matter, what do you have in the feed room, something may be appropriate for a growing foal.]