Grooming Your Horse

The Coat, Legs and Head
You will need:
a) A rubber or plastic curry comb – used to remove mud, loose hairs and grass stains.
b) A dandy brush – used to remove dried mud after the main of it has been taken away by the curry comb.
c) A body brush – used to remove dust and grease from the horse’s coat.
d) A metal curry comb – used to clean the body brush by pulling across the bristles. Please do not use it on your horse!
e) Two sponges – one is used to wipe the horse’s eyes, nostrils and muzzle while the other is used to clean under the horse’s tail.
f) A stable rubber – this piece of old, clean cloth is used to rub down the horse at the end of the grooming session to remove any remaining traces of dust.

1. First, you need to assess how much work needs to be done. If it has mud and grass all over its coat, then you need to give it a full groom, using the rubber or plastic curry comb, the dandy brush, the body brush, the metal curry comb and the stable rubber. But if it is just a bit dusty, you can leave out the rubber or plastic curry comb from the others. I will describe a full horse grooming you.

2. Start with the rubber or plastic curry comb (I will just say ‘rubber’ from now on, as most people don’t used the plastic ones). What you do is press the comb against the horse’s body firmly, but not forcefully. Then, starting by its neck, move the comb in small, circular strokes. Work your way down from the place where the horse’s head meets its neck to its tail, then go to the other side. Once you have done this, the majority of the mud and dirt should be gone.

3. Now pick up the dandy brush. Re-brush the whole of the horse’s coat – except for its head, mane and tail – by following the lines of its hairs. If you look closely you should be able to see the way its hairs fall. Do not brush the hairs in different directions or you will annoy your horse. Your strokes should be smooth and firm. This time, also brush the horse’s legs and top of its hooves. Once you have done both side of the horse, there should be no mud, dirt or dead skin left on the horse. A quick way to test this is to pat the horse’s rump. If dust flies out of it, you should go over with the dandy brush again.

4. Take up the body brush. You can start at the horse’s head now, and begin to gently brush its whole face. Follow the lines of the hairs like you did with the dandy brush. Once you have brushed its face, move on and brush its whole body, except for its tail and mane. Once you have brushed both side of the horse, there should be no dust, dirty, dead skin, loose hairs or grass stains on your horse’s coat. If your brush gets full of hairs while brushing, take the metal curry comb and run it through the bristles on the body brush.

5. Pick up the first sponge. Now, gently wipe off any thing you see around your horse’s eyes. Then, sponge its nostrils with another corner of that same sponge. After this, wipe down its whole muzzle, especially the corners of its mouth. Once you are done at the horse’s head, go down to the back of it with the other sponge. Gently lift up the horse’s tail and wipe underneath it.

6. Now you are nearly done. All you have to do is take the stable rubber and rub your horse down. Follow its hair lines like you did with the brushes. Once you have done this, your horse should be sparkling clean!

The Hooves, Tail and Mane
You will need:
a) A hoof pick – used to remove anything in the horse’s hooves.
b) A dandy brush – used to brush the horse’s tail.
c) A mane comb – used to brush the horse’s mane.

1. Pick up the hoof pick and head over to one of the horse’s legs. Put your hand that is not holding the pick – the left hand – on the horse’s fetlock – ankle – and pull upwards on it, clicking your tongue. The horse should let you pick up its hoof. Now examine the hoof. You should see a triangular part of hoof that is raised above the rest. It is called the frog. Do not directly touch that with the hoof pick – you could hurt the horse. On either side of the frog there are grooves. Things often get stuck in there. Now, take the hoof pick and pull it down through the grooves from heel to toe. Then, take out any remaining dirt from the part in front of the frog. Once you have done this, used the brush on the back of your hoof pick to brush all over the hoof. If you don’t have a brush on your hoof pick, used the dandy brush.

2. Now for the tail. Brushing a horse’s tail is rather simple. All you need is the dandy brush. Go to the back of the horse and stand next to its hindquarters, but not behind them. If you look at the horse’s tail, you will notice that the hairs form spiralled, ringleted clumps. What you do is take one of these clumps in hand and then brush your dandy brush through it until each hair is separated. Do this with all the clumps you can find. Once you have done all the clumps, your horse’s tail is groomed.

3. The last stage of grooming a horse is its mane. Take the mane comb and run it through the horse’s mane, starting from the roots and ending at the tips. Try not to pull too hard or it will hurt your horse.

Well, there you go! Your horse is fully groomed! There is just one thing to remember when you are grooming a horse: Each horse is different. What I mean by this is that each horse will react to the brushes differently. You may get one horse who likes a strong, firm brush and another who like a soft, gentle brush. You may also get a horse who is fine with having its hooves picked, but another who freaks out. Just be prepared for each new challenge as you work around horses. Happy grooming!

Remember that on warm days you can also give your horse a wash