Grooming a Horse

Grooming a horse is a very important process. Apart from keeping your horse clean and beautiful, its also a chance for you to check for any injuries that might go un seen on a normal basis. Also grooming can act as a reward for your horse after a long day of work. Grooming relaxes your horse's muscles as well as their brain. Grooming a horse is a great way of building a bond between horse and rider, the horse will soon learn to trust you while grooming and eventually in riding. For those of you who don't know how to groom a horse, here's how to do it :

Step 1:
tie your horse on the cross ties or hitching posts. Remember to always use the quick release knot, so you can untie it with one swift pull.

Step 2:
Pick your horse's hooves. Using a hoof pick, start at the heel of the toe picking your way to the toe, carefully removing any rocks, dirt or any other objects. The frog ( the V- shaped squishy part of the hoof) is extremely sensitive, so don't hit that. By picking out the fee first It will be more likely for you to notice any signs of lameness or un soundness in your horse.

Step 3:
Use the Curry comb on the coat first. It helps allot if your horse is shedding his winter coat (molting)
or has very thick long hair and is muddy. it should always be done before brushing for its loosens the hair and brings out mud. use the curry in small vigorous circular motions across your horse's muscles avoiding bony areas like the face,spine, or legs. Work you way from the neck to the barrel to the rump. repeat on the other side.

Step 4:
Use the dandy brush. the dandy brush is a hard bristled brush used to remove the dirt and hair the curry comb left. Use the brush in short flicking motions to allow the bristles to take all dirt away. do not use this on the face, ears, belly, mane and tail or any clipped areas as it will cause a horse discomfort.

Step 5:
Use a Body brush next. A body bush is a soft bristles brush that can be used on any part of the horse. if you have a very soft bush you can brush the face and legs too if you are very careful. Do not use it on the inside of the hind legs. This brush is used to remove any remaining dirt on the horse's body. make sure to avoid cuts.

Step 6:
Take a wet sponge and gently clean out his eyes, nose and dock. Make sure to use different sides of the sponge for each eye or nostril, also different sponges for the dock and the eyes to avoid spreading infections.

Step 7:
Use a wide bristled mane and tail brush to remove any tangles in the Mane. First remove any knots with your fingers to make the combing easier. Like us humans horses do not have nerves in their hair, so don't worry if you pull on it. In fact you could pull the horse's hair all day and it wouldn't feel a thing, but either way be gentle with your horse. Make sure when brushing the tail, to never stand directly behind the legs, stand on one side and pull bit by bit the tail to you because the horse might kick.


Well, That's how you groom a horse. Once you get the hang of it, Its easy!! Check this link out to see how to do it.           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHtyy0tAPpA