Grooming Horses

Top tips for grooming horses

Like any other pet, horses need a lot of care and attention to ensure they stay clean, healthy, and happy. As horses love rolling on mucky fields, grooming can be a daunting job but with some tips, keeping on top of it is easy.

Groom your horse every day: Daily grooming will keep natural skin oils active and help to prevent dirt from sticking in. If your horse is very messy, cover the horse with a breathable “hoodie” after grooming has been done. It is designed to keep horses clean without making them sweat.

Feed your horse clean: Make sure that your horse’s diet is rich with nutrients and minerals. Adding a drop of flax oil to your horse’s diet will help keep their coat healthy and shiny. Seaweed supplements are said to help maintain healthy hooves.

Brushes to suit the purpose: Some horses just love getting groomed, others do not. The most usual reason for horses acting up when getting groomed is that the brush is too hard. For horses with sensitive skin, use brushes with soft natural bristles.

Untangling mane and tail: Prevention is the key in keeping your horse’s mane and tail untangled. When washing the horse, use some supermarket brand hair conditioner for mane and tail. It is cheap, safe to use and saves you from spending hours untangling.

Hoof health: If you only have time to do one grooming task each day, hoof picking should be the first choice. Daily picking will keep you up to date on the condition of the hoofs and prevent the horse from developing foot problems. For show hoofs, use some baby oil to make them sparkle

Cleaning greys and white horses: Light-coloured horses often get grass stains which are hard to get out even with shampoo. The secret is to use a little bit of blue washing up liquid. Add liquid directly on the wet stain, rub gently and rinse. If you are preparing your horse for a show and have no time to get the stains out, use some face-paint to cover the stains.

Keep the grooming equipment clean: Clean your grooming kit at least once month. It will make grooming your horse easier and prevent bacteria from developing in the brushes. Do not use the same brushes for every horse you groom as this will increase the risk of spreading skin illnesses.

Thank you for reading, I hope I taught you something about grooming horses.