Grooming is good for one's soul! Not only do you make
your horse look & feel wonderful, but have you ever experienced
your horse stretching it's lip & neck out letting you
know "that's the spot"? Thought so!
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Oster
Grooming Kit
Kit includes a coarse curry comb, a stiff grooming brush, a mane and tail
brush and a hoof pick. All pieces have the exclusive one of a kind control
touch handle and come in a convenient zippered nylon case with a shoulder
case.
No. 4496 |
We carry brushes, hoof picks,
sponges, shampoos, coat conditioners...just about any
tool that lets you clean your horse (or dog & cat) from
nose to tail.
GROOMING: WRITTEN BY: Cheryl Sutor
2002
When grooming a horse, start at the top of his neck
and work your way to his rear, then switch sides and
repeat. Make sure your horse or pony is safely tied wearing
a leather halter or by using 'quick-release' snaps on
cross-ties.
1. Start with the Rubber Curry. The rubber curry should
be used in a circular motion to loosen dirt that has
settled under the horse's hair. NOTE: be very careful
and gentle around bony areas of your horse's body (such
as his back or shoulders). Don't use a Rubber Curry on
your horse's legs unless you can be extremely gentle
with it. Never use a Curry or any stiff brush on your
horse's face. It's too easy for your horse to injure
his eye on the rubber curry or stiff bristled brush,
and eye injuries are usually serious, needing immediate
veterinarian attention.
2. Next, use the Dandy Brush. The motion for this brush
is like the same motion you would use when sweeping a
floor. You 'flick' the brush away and up from the coat
so that the dirt comes off of his coat. Unless your horse
is already extremely clean, you should see a slight cloud
of dust with each stroke. If you don't, you need more "flicking" action
with this brush. If you don't use this "flicking" motion,
the dirt will just get pushed back under the hair, potentially
causing irritation to the horse.
3. Then, you use the Body Brush. The body brush is meant
to smooth down the hair and to get rid of any traces
of left-over dirt after you have thoroughly used the
Dandy Brush. With the Body Brush, you do not use a 'flicking'
motion, instead, you smooth it flat over the horse's
coat to flatten the hair. This brush often gives the
horse a shiny, clean appearance (but only when the brushes
are used in this order!)
4. Next, use the Mane Comb to gently comb the horse's
mane. Use the Dandy Brush to brush the horse's tail.
Many people use the comb to brush their horse's tails,
but I don't use a comb since it breaks the hairs more
easily. If you want the horse to grow a long, flowing
tail, you should use the Dandy brush instead (or don't
brush the tail at all...in this case, you could use warm
water to rinse the tail, then apply a tail conditioner
or Show Sheen to keep the tail from tangling or getting
knots).
5. Now, on to the feet! You should first have your instructor
show you how to pick up a horse's feet. Usually, this
can be done by running your hand down your horse's leg,
then gently squeezing his fetlock (ankle). Be sure not
to pick up the horse's foot too high, or he might loose
balance. When you use the hoof pick, always scrape away
from you, just as you would if you were using a carrot
peeler. You don't want to accidently injure yourself
or your horse if he suddenly moves or pulls his foot
away. It is important to thoroughly clean out the hollow
areas on both sides of the frog, and around the sole
of the foot. For an illustration of these areas of the
hoof, view our Parts of the Hoof & Foot article.
6. The last step is using the Towel. A plain towel or
rag will do, just wipe it over the horse's coat to bring
out the shine.
TA DA! You're all done!
When you are finished riding, it is good to give the
horse another grooming to remove any sweat marks or dirt
that accumulated from the arena or trail. It is also
a wonderful 'after riding' reward for horses who like
to be groomed.
OTHER TIPS:
Some people will lightly spray the towel with a hair
conditioner such as "Show Sheen", to help bring
out the shine in the horse's coat. NOTE: be very careful
when using Show Sheen or any similar product! It is very
slippery under a saddle, so do not use it on the horse's
back or girth area if you are planning on riding or your
saddle could slip and you could fall off! (I've seen
this happen a few times at shows).
Another brush called a "Mud Brush", has very
stiff bristles. This can be used on horses that have
been out rolling in the mud. Be sure that all the mud
has dried before trying to brush it off, or it will just
be smeared over the horse's coat and rubbed in under
the hair!
A Shedding Blade can be used in the spring time to help
loosen and get rid of the extra hair that the horse may
shed off due to the season change. Be very, very careful
with a Shedding Blade, since the edges are very sharp!
To avoid injuries to the horse, I recommend the shedding
blade NOT be used on the face or legs of a horse.
