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How to Groom a Horse

Grooming is important for horses, not only because it cleans their coats, but also brings out the natural oils, making them shiny and healthy. Grooming allows you to check over your horse for any bumps or cuts that need to be treated and bond with your horse. Here are a few steps on how to groom your horse thoroughly.

Steps

1. Tie your horse up with a halter and lead rope. This will assure you that your horse will not run away while you are trying to groom them! Alternately, you can also put your horse on cross-ties, especially useful if you want to tack up after grooming.

2. Pick out your horse's hooves. Using a pick, start at the heel of the foot and pick forward to the toe, carefully removing all rocks, dirt and other foreign objects. Don't hit the V-shaped part of the hoof, called the frog because it is sensitive. By picking out the feet first you are more liking to catch lameness before you've finished grooming the horse. This is also a good time to check for thrush and loose shoes. If the hoof smells bad and the frog is squishy (rather than firmly resilient), the horse may have thrush. Check that the horse has not lost any shoe nails. Try to give the shoe a little wiggle. If it moves around, it's loose.

3. Use a curry comb on the coat first. It is especially helpful if your horse is molting (shedding out the winter coat), has very thick, long hair, or is muddy. Still, it should always be used before brushing to bring out the dirt. Use the curry in a vigorous, circular motion over the horse's muscles, avoiding bony areas like the face and legs.

4. Use a dandy brush. A dandy brush is a hard-bristled brush used to flick off the dirt and hair brought out by the curry comb. Use the brush in short flicks to allow the bristles to get all the way through the coat and whisk the dirt out. Do not use on the face, ears, belly, mane or tail or any clipped area.

5. If necessary use a cactus cloth on any parts of the horse that the horse resented being brushed with the dandy, but not the head, the inside of the hind legs and between the hind legs.

6. Use a body brush. A body brush is a soft bristled brush that can be used on all areas of the horse, including the face and legs.

7. Take a wet sponge, washcloth or baby-wipe and wipe your horse's eyes and nose. Use a different one for the dock area (under the tail).

8. Use a mane comb to get tangles out of the mane and tail. Starting at the bottom of the tail, slowly and carefully work the tangles out as you work your way up the tail. Use your fingers as much as possable to aviod breaking the hair. Only do this occasionally when preparing for a show, as it can break the hair, which takes years to grow back!

Tips

• Put the most effort into currying! It will really get your horse nice and shiny! Stay away from silicone-based shine products, as these do more damage than good.


• Get someone to help you. It will make the grooming go by faster and your horse will look his best.


• You can train a flexible horse to allow you to pick out both hooves from the same side saving you from having to go around.


• Remove your gloves before grooming so you can feel for any abnormalities.


• Pick the feet out in a muck skip to save you having to sweep the yard later.


• If the horse is dusty or has dried mud, curry very thoroughly to bring it to the surface. Then, take a slightly damp terry cloth towel and lightly run it over his coat. It will pick up a lot of dirt. Dont make it too wet, or it will wet the remaining dust and you won't be able to brush it off. After brushing, dampen a clean section of the towel and use it to remove the last traces of dust. The damp towel is also good for removing dust from sensitive areas like around the eyes. Just be sure that your horse isn't spooked by the towel approaching his face.

Never get frustrated with your horse if he acts silly. He will only get worse, instead try a calm and gentle approach and talk to him in a soothing voice untill he settles down. If his behaviour continues then have a break until your frustration dissapears and your horse relaxes and settles again.

Warnings

• If using baby oil to make your horse's coat shiny, do not put it on in the heat of the day, as the sun can make it very hot and it can burn your horse.


• Do not use show sheen or baby oil every day, as the dirt eventually sticks to it and it can be a toughy to get off! The best time to put it on is just before a show, to make your horse look nice and shiny for the judges. Remember that a healthy, well fed and groomed horse will have a natural shine and won't need additional products.


• Don't put the show sheen on where the saddle will go as it will make the area slippery and you might end up under the horse, and that won't look good from the judge's eyes!


• Never use silicone products, which also cause breakage.


• When you are picking out the horses hooves, it is a good idea to try to stand far out beside the horse as you can. That way, you won't be in the way of a kick.


• Don't groom the horse in his stable as it makes the bed dusty. If the horse has breathing problems it's best to groom outside.


• The body brush removes a lot of grease from the coat. This grease helps keep the horse warm and dry, so the body brush should be used sparingly on the field-kept horse.


• Never apply too much shoe polish or hair spray products on your horse's hooves. It can make the hooves brittle and easy to break. Remember no foot no horse.

Things You'll Need

• Halter and leadrope or crossties


• somewhere to safely tie/crosstie your horse


• hoof pick


• curry comb


• dandy brush


• body brush


• 2 sponges


• 1 or more towels


• a grooming box to hold your tools

 

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