Tips for Grooming a Horse

To keep your horse looking beautiful, the best thing to do is keep him well groomed. Here are some tips that will help you make the most of the time you spend grooming your horse.

Coat:
To groom your horse’s coat, start out with a metal curry comb. Use the curry comb to scrape off any dried mud or hard substances on your horse. The metal curry comb is a wonderful tool, but make sure that you do not use it on sensitive areas like the face or below his knees. Next you can use the rubber curry comb. This is a good tool to use to get dried mud off of the sensitive areas that you can’t use the metal curry comb on. It is also good for getting dust out from under your horse’s coat, just rub your horse with the rubber curry comb in circular motions. Next you can use a hard brush on his body to get rid of the dust lifted up by the rubber curry comb. Use a face brush to get the dust off of your horse’s face and a soft finishing brush on his body to add shine.

Mane and Tail:
To groom your horse’s mane and tail, start out by cleaning off any mud or coco burrows. If your horse has been rolling in the mud, the easiest way to get the mud out of his mane is to wash it off with water using a hose, or a bucket of warm water if it is winter. After you have removed all the mud, spray some detangler evenly over your horse’s mane and tail. Detangler will not only make your horse’s mane easier to brush, but it will also make it shinier and will prevent tangles later on. Then use a metal mane comb to brush out the tangles, starting from the ends and working your way up.

Hooves:
To clean out your horses hooves, start out with a front hoof first. For example, clean out the right front hoof then clean the right back hoof, then move to the left side and do the same thing. To pick up a hoof, squeeze the chestnut of your horses leg until he lifts his hoof. Once he lifts his hoof, release the pressure on his chestnut and hold his hoof up. Hold the hoof with one hand and hold a hoof pick in the other hand. Start at the back and work your way toward the end of the hoof, removing all mud, rocks, and any other debris. Make sure to be gentle when picking around the frog area, if you push to hard on his frog you could puncture it.