Grooming Your Horse

Grooming is definitely an activity which is fun for both you and your horse. It’s also a good chance to look for injuries and also irritations. Make sure to make grooming a day-to-day habit. It is deemed an absolute must before riding. Have your grooming equipments set up in a secure convenient spot. A large pail could possibly be most cost effective and easiest to place your brushes in, though there are numerous grooming boxes available that keep your tools arranged and handy.

You will need a curry comb or grooming mitt, a body brush preferably with pretty stiff bristles, mane and tail comb preferably plastic for it causes less breakage than metal ones, a fine soft bristled finishing brush, a hoof pick and a clean sponge or soft cloth. It would be great if you have grooming spray, it can give suncreen as well as add shine to your horse’s coat. Hoof ointment if recommended by your farrier and scissors or clippers.

1) Thoroughly clean out all four hooves and see signs of injury or disease. Draw the hoof pick back to front to completely clean out around the frog. Become aware of any breaks in the wall of the hoof so you can seek advice from your farrier as to what must be done. Slowly place the foot down on the floor and go on until all 4 feet are done.

2) Make use of your curry comb or grooming mitt to dislodge the dust in your horse’s hair coat. Use brisk round sweeps, being gentle over bony parts including shoulders, hips and legs. Many horses are receptive about having their stomachs and between the back legs stroked. Be careful in these areas to use just a light contact. A few horses are much more delicate skinned than others so adjust the pressure given on the brush based on what they appear to enjoy. If your horse responds by laying back his ears, or swishing his tail in frustration, he is telling you that the stroke is too strong. In addition to currying you will also be searching for any lesions on the skin or wounds.

3) Stand to the side while lightly brushing or combing through your horse’s tail. Move section by section, working your way up from the bottom, then stroking downwards a couple of inches at a time. A grooming spray that detangles hair is great to have, and helps brushing out the long stands easier while cleaning, shining and shielding the hair.

4) Whisk away the remaining dirt while currying with a hard bristled dandy or body brush. The body brush is more helpful for cleaning the legs than the curry comb. This is an excellent time to check for lesions on the skin and other skin irritations on the pasterns, legs and knees.

5) The finishing brush can make your horse’s coat smooth and shiny. It also takes away the last traces of dirt and grime. Use long sweeping brushes over the body and also wide areas of the face.

6) Look at the eyes of your horse. A bit of tearing at the corner of the eye is not really abnormal, but become aware of excess tearing, inflammation, or swelling. Clean around the dock and tail head. Examine the ears for stuck seed heads or dirt.

7) To finish, apply hoof cream to shield and also hydrate your horse’s hooves if it’s urged by your farrier. Apply fly spray as well as sun screen if situations require.

You can find more tips on how to groom your horse, ways to set up stable matting and finding the perfect stall mats for your stables at http://stallmats.org.

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