Grooming your horse regularly is not just about aesthetics. In fact, grooming is a crucial part of maintaining your horse’s health. Your horse will get dusty, dirty, and loose hair and dead skin. All that will start building up on their skin and cause infection without brushing and grooming. On top of that, grooming helps promote healthy circulation and feels like a gentle massage while spreading natural oils throughout your horse’s coat.
Regular and thorough grooming will also help your horse look their best and deepen your bond. Here are some grooming tips that will make your horse look luxurious.
Hooves first
The first step when grooming your horse is to clean out the hooves. You might want some horse training when you first start the grooming process to help your horse get used to having their hooves cleaned because they may not be used to having their legs and feet touched. Training will also help you to learn how to do it properly. You always start with the hooves first so you can identify any problems with the horse’s feet, such as loose shoes or any lumps or scrapes on the legs. If there any issues, you may be unable to ride that day. Clean the hooves with a hoof pick to prevent any abscesses, corns, or bruises as a result of dirt.
Curry your horse
The curry comb is a groomer’s best friend, and your horse will love it as well. Currying your horse means brushing your horse in circular motions using a rubber comb with short, flexible teeth, although some curry brushes have harder plastic teeth. Start from the neck and move downwards to the tail. Currying will help to loosen any dirt, hair, and other debris, pulling it all off so the skin can breathe. It also gives the muscles a nice massage and stimulates the skin to encourage it to produce more natural oils. The natural oils are essential for your horses’ coat to look shiny and luxurious! Brush in the opposite direction to the way the hair grows to get any debris out.
Move on to a stiff-bristled brush
Once you’ve removed the loose stuff with the curry brush, it’s time to move on to a stiff-bristled brush to get rid of the dirt in your horse’s coast. Stiff-bristled brushes are also the best way to get that luxurious shine, as they pull all the natural oils out from the skin and spread them throughout your horses’ coat. Don’t use the stiff-bristled brush on your horse’s sensitive areas like their udders and be careful using it on their face. When you use this brush anywhere that is bony, like the legs, try to be gentle, but you still want to use it to pull out the dirt.
Use a soft brush
Soft brushing is last, as it will smooth down your horse’s coat, leaving it sleek and shiny. It’s not for removing dirt or debris, so make sure to use it last to finish off. You can use a soft-bristled brush everywhere, even on their face.
Once your horse’s coat is looking luxurious and shiny, you can finish up by cleaning out their nostrils and eyes using a soft cloth, which is slightly damp with warm water. You’ll also want to give their mane and tail a gentle brushing with a wide-toothed comb, and then you’re all finished.