Grooming is an important time for you and your horse. The primary objective? Cleanse the horse’s body and rid it of dirt and dust. However, grooming plays another role: it allows you to create a natural bond with your horse. How to properly groom your horse? Woopets shows you the steps to follow during this particular moment of grooming.
When living in the wilderness, the horse cleans its skin by rolling in sand, mud, and water or scratching against tree trunks.
When living in a box, the horse depends only on you. He, therefore, needs regular brushing to clean his hair and horsehair from dirt. Beyond simple cleaning, grooming your horse offers him a moment of well-being by stimulating his blood circulation and massaging his muscles. Grooming also allows you to observe your pet’s body in more detail to detect possible minor or more severe injuries.
Granted, grooming can be a real chore when cleaning a gray horse covered in mud. However, it is also an opportunity to seize to establish precious contact with your horse.
The different stages of grooming
Generally, grooming is done before riding with adequate equipment. It will be necessary to focus on the back and at the level of the strap passage to avoid any risk of irritation.
However, you can brush your horse outside of a work session if it is foul or to strengthen your bond with him. To proceed with proper grooming, certain steps must be observed.
Secure your horse during grooming
To begin with, it is preferable to tie your horse outside the box to groom it. This will prevent you from breathing the dust you have just removed from the horse’s hair. Tie it to the TV to secure it or set it up in a grooming area if you’re lucky enough to have one.
For the safety of your horse, be sure to tie a quick knot that you can untie in an emergency. Horses that fox, do not hesitate to place a string between your lanyard and the bar or post of your box. If your horse pulls, you will avoid injury: the series will break.
Take care of your horse’s feet.
It is essential to clean your horse’s feet before riding or after. To do this, take a hoof pick. Take your horse’s foot and remove manure, stones, or any other foreign body that may be on the sole.
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Then run the hoof pick on the sides of the fork to release it, being careful not to place it directly on this fragile area of the hoof. If the knife is dirty, use the brush on foot picks to clean it.
When you clean your horse’s feet, you should take the opportunity to check that there are no visible injuries. Also, check that the irons are still correctly attached (if it is shod) and that they are not too worn.
Take care of the horse’s mane and tail.
Your horse’s mane and tail also require good disentangling, mainly if provided. You will need a horsehair brush and possibly a good detangling spray to avoid tearing your horse’s hair.
Brush strand after strand of your pet’s tail and mane, holding the horsehair well with your hand to avoid hurting him.
If you need to untangle your horse’s tail, position yourself well to the side of your hindquarters. You can never be too careful, even when it comes to your horse.
Read More: Horse Blanket
Pass the curb
The first step in grooming is to pass the curb on your horse to remove the dust encrusted in its hair, the patches of dried mud, and the dead hair.
The curl is used all over the horse’s body, excluding the legs, head, and bone areas. For its use to be effective, you must make small, vigorous circular motions with your currycomb. Pass it against the grain to dislodge all the dirt from your horse’s hair.
Pass the cap
The stopper is a stiff bristle brush that removes dirt and dust pulled out of the horse’s hair through the curry.
The stopper can be passed all over the horse’s body, in the direction of the hair. Movements should be vigorous, both dry and short. Start the top of the horse’s neck and work your way up to the point of the buttock.
Pass the soft brush
After passing the stopper, you can use the soft brush to finalize the grooming of your horse. Can use it all over the animal’s body to remove the last dust residues and shine the coat.
The soft brush is ideal for dusting the horse’s head. There are also small brushes that will allow you to match the shapes of his head better.
Clean your horse’s head
If your horse’s eye area or nostrils are dirty, you can gently clean them with a damp sponge.
You can also use baby wipes. Just check that they do not contain alcohol or soap.
