Ways To Grooming Your Horse

Grooming is an activity which is pleasurable for you and your horse. It is usually a good chance to look for injuries and irritations. Make an effort to make grooming a regular habit. It is, in fact, a must before riding. Have your grooming equipments and tools organized in a secure handy place. A wide bucket could possibly be least expensive and easiest to place your brushes in, though there are plenty of grooming boxes out there which can keep your tools organized and handy.

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

1) Clean out all four hooves and see indications of injury or disorder. Draw the hoof pick back to front to clean out throughout the frog. Pay attention to any breaks in the wall of the hoof so you can talk to your farrier as to what should be done. Gently place the foot down on the floor and continue on until finally all four feet are done.

2) Make use of the curry comb or grooming mitt to dislodge the dirt and grime in your horse’s hair coat. Use vigorous round sweeps, being gentle over bony regions like shoulders, hips and legs. Most horses are very sensitive about having their bellies and between the back legs stroked. Be very careful over these parts to use a light touch. Some horses are more delicate skinned than others so adjust the pressure given on the brush according to what they seem to like. In case your horse responds by laying back his ears, or swishing his tail in frustration, he is letting you know that the brushing is too brisk. As well as currying you’ll be searching for any kind of skin lesions or wounds.

3) Hold your position to the side while softly brushing or combing through your horse’s tail. Brush section by section, working your way up from the bottom, brushing downwards a few inches at a time. A grooming spray that detangles hair would be nice to have, and makes brushing out the long stands much easier while cleaning, shining and protecting the hair.

4) Brush away the remaining dirt during currying with a stiff bristled dandy or body brush. The body brush is more useful for clearing the dirt off the legs as opposed to curry comb. This is a good time to check for lesions and other skin irritations on the legs, knees, and pasterns.

5) The finishing brush makes your horse’s coat sleek and glossy. It also cleans away the last traces of dirt and dust. Use lengthy sweeping brushes over the whole body and wide regions of the face.

6) Look at the eyes of your horse. A bit of tears at the corner of the eye is not uncommon, but take note of too much tearing, redness, or swelling. Clean round the dock and tail head. Examine the ears for stuck seed heads or dust.

7) To finish, use hoof ointment to shield and hydrate the horse’s hooves when it is suggested by your farrier. Use fly spray as well as protecton from the sun if conditions demand.

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