Why is it Important to groom your horse?
- Bonding with your horse: When you’re grooming your horse you’re letting them know that you care about them and that they can trust you. I’ve learned that when I take my time grooming my horse he’s learned to relax and feel safe. Grooming is very relaxing…as long as your gentle and not pushing ridiculously hard. The more you do it your horse will grow to LOVE it. It’s crazy to see how much of a bond I have grown with my horse just through grooming alone!
This article has some affiliate links. If you choose to click on them and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you, I will make a small commission
- Finding hidden wounds: grooming is really good for finding wounds that you wouldn’t have found otherwise. As your brushing them, you could find that your horse is tender in some spots, you could find small cuts on them that would’ve escaped your eyes had you not been brushing the spot next to it. There has been many times when I have found cuts under my horses belly or tender spots on his legs because of grooming, and because of that, I have been able to help him feel better. So while you’re brushing your horse down, be mindful of those hidden wounds you may find.
- Keeping them clean: when you’re grooming your horse you’re keeping them clean! Surprise! Keeping your horse clean helps with their health and helps them feeling nice and ready for the day 🙂
- Comfort while being ridden: It is SUPER important to groom your horse before you ride them! You want to make sure you get off as much dirt, shavings, grass, etc, as you can before you saddle up and go for a ride. Make sure to really brush off their back and under their stomach. If you were to put on the saddle and ride without grooming first, the saddle could push any dirt, shavings, grass, anything at all, against their bodies, rubbing on their skin or shifting their hair into uncomfortable possessions which would not be fun for them at all. Please groom before you ride, even if they’re not dirty just give them a quick brush down. They will love you for it!
how often should i groom my horse?
- I would say that this is up to you 🙂 Grooming them often helps keep them healthy and keeps their coat nice and healthy as well, they will be fine as long as you make sure to groom them often, however; you do want to make sure you groom them before you ride.
- You don’t need to pick horses feet as often. It is important to keep up on it so the dirt and rocks don’t build up and so you can be aware of any developing wounds, but you don’t need to do it everyday or every time you ride either. Just do a quick check before you get on, and if it looks clean don’t worry about it.
- Grooming can take as long as you want it to. I usually do a quick groom when Im going for a ride, but when Im just grooming my horse for fun I like to take my time because I strongly believe that grooming is a HUGE way to bond with your horse (and my horse just likes to be brushed).
- When you’re done grooming your horse, add some ShowSheen spray to make their coats nice and shiny and beautiful! You should also add some fly spray when you’re done to keep the fly’s away from them and their eyes (especially in the summer!).
Why do we pick out horses feet?
- Horses use their feet to get them around all day long just like we do, and just like we step on things that might prick us or feel uncomfortable, horses do that as well, but half the time what they step on stays stuck in their feet…ouch! We pick out horses feet for several reasons, such as removing objects that could be causing them discomfort. If they got a rock or something else hard wedged up in their foot, they might not enjoy that days ride, so it’s important you check your horses feet before you get on.
- If you see a rock stuck in their foot, make sure you get it out. A rock, if left there, can cause the foot to bruise making them tender and lame for a while. We call this stone bruising.
- Just like brushing your horse, picking out your horses feet, helps you identify any wounds that have started. Helping you catch it early on and heal it.
- Another reason is just keeping them clean 🙂 Keeping them clean will help your horses move in comfort and happiness, and last time I checked…happy horse, happy ride 🙂
brushing your horse:
- when you brush your horse, make sure you are gentle and soft. Don’t slam the brush onto your horses back as that could cause bruising and tenderness…and your horse will hate it.
- You want to make sure that you are following the direction of your horses hair as you brush them instead of the opposite direction. If you brush the other direction it’s not going to hurt your horse but it will feel pretty awkward to them.
- Be gentle on the legs. Same as the back and stomach, if you are too hard on the legs, you could accidentally cause them to be sore and stiff.
- Make sure to brush your horse good after you ride. Brushing them after a ride helps remove sweat and anything that could’ve stuck itself on them while they were moving. It can also help cool them down faster if they’re super hot and sweaty 🙂
Mane and tail:
- The length of your horses mane is completely up to you! I personally like shorter manes, but I know people who love longer manes 🙂 The only thing I would say about manes is to make sure they are healthy. If your horse has a short or long name I think it’s important to keep them as healthy as possible. It’s good for them and it just looks nice which is always a bonus 🙂 All you have to do to keep them healthy is remove any split ends. Take some scissors and chop those suckers off. You don’t have to cut a lot off either, just enough to get it healthy again. It’s just like getting your own hair done!
- Same goes for the tail. Whatever length you want just make sure it’s healthy. If your horses tail is super thin and you would like it thicker, you can always put it into a braid and leave it there for a few days. When you take it out, brush it really good them put it back into a braid. Just like our hair, when you braid their hair and brush it constantly, it stimulates growth and soon your horses tail will be thick and beautiful! I have done this with my own horse and it worked like a charm, his tail is long and thick 🙂
