As humans, we have to regularly wash and brush our hair to keep it looking clean and healthy. Horses too, require frequent grooming in a similar fashion that helps maintain their coat and keep it beautiful. However, it’s alright to feel unsure regarding the proper grooming techniques that are normally applied, if you are a new horse owner.
But the following guide will provide a complete, albeit basic, overview of grooming techniques and tips that can be used to keep your horse content and beautiful.
Starting With the Coat of Your Horse
Depending on your grooming habits and techniques, you can make the coat of your horse the most beautiful, shiny and most important of all, healthy. The points to remember and follow are:
- You should never place the saddle on top of a dirty coat as that can cause irritation and sores to your horse. This is why the animal should be thoroughly groomed before every ride.
- While investing in the proper grooming brushes is very important, so is following the right technique. Small circular motions should be adopted when combing, usually in the opposite direction of hair growth. Sensitive and bony areas should be avoided.
- Curry combs are used to loosen dirt encrusted in the horse’s coat while a hard brush removes that dirt. Staying away from sensitive areas such as legs, ears, face and tail is advised.
- A soft brush is generally used once dirt has been removed from the coat. This is the grand finale to the grooming of your horse’s coat and thus, extra attention and time should be spent on the job. Soft bristled brushes can be easily found in the market, same as curry combs and hard brushes, but it’s important to invest in good quality.
Leading To The Tail
This is to be done before brushing the mane and tail of the horse.
- Treat the two parts with a good quality shampoo and conditioner, made specifically for horses. You can easily find grooming products that can not only clean but also soften your horse’s hair.
- If hair of the tail and mane is coarse and rough in texture, making it hard to brush, then invest in a good de-tangler as that will make the job easier.
Finishing With the Hooves
Taking good care of the hooves is just as important, as healthy hooves mean a healthy horse.
- You will find the chore of picking your horse’s hooves to be the hardest part of grooming, at first. In order to get this done, good communication between the horse and the one picking the hooves is very important.
- You can start this step by running your hand down the leg of your horse, and then gently squeezing the ankle. Rest assured that doing this won’t startle the horse and will give you access to the hoof for picking off mud and dirt.
The simple act of grooming your horse is considered to be a great way to bond with your equine companion, so slowly developing his trust in you will be more helpful in keeping your horse healthy and happy in the long run.