Grooming is a fun activity for both you and your horse. Also, it’s a good opportunity to examine injuries and irritations. Make sure to make grooming a daily routine. It is a must before riding a horse. Arrange your personal care equipment in a safe and convenient location. A wide pail may be less expensive and easier to put your brushes in, although there are many grooming caddies on the market that keep your tools organized and easy to use.
Here are the things you’ll need in grooming your horse: a curry comb or a grooming glove, a body brush with fairly stiff bristles, a mane and tail comb, a soft bristle finishing brush, a hoof pick and a clean sponge or soft cloth. It would be great if you had a body spray, which can provide sun protection as well as add shine to your horse’s coat. Hoof cream if suggested by a farrier and scissors or clippers.
1) Clean all four hooves and look for signs of infection or problems. Draw the nail chuck back forward to clean the frog. Note any cracks in the hoof wall so you can talk to the farrier about what to do. Carefully place the foot on the ground and continue until you are finished with 4 feet.
2) Make use of a curry comb or grooming glove to loosen the dust from the horse’s hair coat. Use firm, circular strokes, and be gentle on bony spots like the shoulders, hips, and calves. Most horses accept the idea of cleaning their bellies and between their hind legs. Be careful in these areas to use only light contact. Few horses have more sensitive skin than others, and so they adjust the pressure on the brush according to what they seem to value. If the horse reacts by putting its ears back, or wagging its tail in frustration, it is telling you that the brush is too fast. In addition to the curry, she’ll look for any skin lesions or wounds.
3) Keep your ponytail to the side while gently brushing or combing the ponytail. Slide section after section, working your way up from the bottom, brushing down a few inches at a time. It would be nice to have a detangling care spray, it helps to make brushing long strands easier while it cleans, shines and protects hair.
4) Wipe off the remaining dirt while ironing with a brush or body brush. A body brush is more ideal for removing dirt from legs than a curry comb. This is the time for you to check for skin lesions and other skin irritations on the legs, knees, and pasterns.
5) The Finishing Brush helps make your horse’s coat smooth and shiny too. It also erases the last traces of dirt and grime. Use long sweeping motions all over the body and large areas of the face.
6) Examine your horse’s eyes. A little tearing in the corner of each eye isn’t really uncommon, but type excess tearing, inflammation, or puffiness. Clean around the pelvis and the tip of the tail. Check the ears for seed heads or loose dirt.
7) Finally, apply a hoof cream to protect and also moisturize your horse’s hooves if highly recommended by the farrier. Apply fly spray or sunscreen if conditions warrant.