just ressurecting an old-ish thread....my 13.1hh 20 yr old pony has Cushings, which I suspect started developing about 5 years ago (wispy coat during the summer and impossible to shed) but I finally got him tested in summer 2009 when his coat was even worse than usual. Since then he has been on 1/4 tablet of Pergolide per day and the results have been brilliant! His coat sheds so much better (although I still give him an all over clip in the summer) but he still gets a very thick coat in the winter (native breed). He loves being ridden (though I don't over-tax him) especially a good canter and a little jump :-)

He has previously had colic before diagnosis, but now I am extra careful with everything and the slightest sign of something wrong I will keep an eagle eye on it. He hasn't yet had signs of laminitis so am still feeding him on Speedi beet and Veteran mix, with grass and hay. I know some people say the medication is expensive but it's totally worth it to have a healthy happy horse!

In reply to WildPony, if your horse is coping with the workload you give him then just keep with it, the exercise is really good for him.  My pony never got pergolide, I went with Vitex 4 Equids from the very start from the laminitis clinic, before he began to retain his coat, and he lived for another 6 years before he died from colic, and was never known to retain his coat at any time.  If your horse previously did retain his coat but is now shedding, then that is probably the result of the pergolide working.  Fenugreek is another useful herb as it also helps mop up excess cortisol, I used to get mine from Hilton Herbs.