| INTRODUCTION |
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Grooming is more than just the brushing and cleaning of the horse.
Good grooming involves the feeding, exercising, bedding and blanketing
of your horse. The lighting, either artificial or natural and the overall
environment also play a role in the appearance of your horse. Parasite
control is very important for the well being and appearance of the horse.
I am only going to cover basic
brushing and cleaning of the horse and the items usually used for this
purpose. The stabled horse has different requirements for grooming, from
the outdoor pony or horse. The care of the outdoor horse must be quite
different from that of the stabled horse or pony.
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| THE STABLED HORSE |
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The stabled horse usually
has a fairly fine coat, since he is not exposed to the elements as much
as the horse at pasture. He is usually exercised more, fed a more concentrated
diet, and is probably blanketed in the winter. Whether this animal is
for pleasure, or for show, makes little difference in the basic grooming
requirements. A well turned out show horse is simply a representation
of your daily grooming efforts. The health and well being of the horse
will be quite evident through his overall appearance. No amount of oils
and coat treatments can make up for a lack of good grooming. The more
concentrated the feed and exercise, the more good grooming becomes necessary.
The diet containing higher protein and more concentrated energy also causes
more skin secretions. More concentrated exercise usually causes the horse
to sweat. The health of the horse in this environment becomes much more
dependent on the quality of grooming he receives.
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| REQUIREMENTS |
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Grooming should perform several functions
at the same time. The skin and coat must be cleaned and stimulated and
the dirt and excess oil should be removed from the coat. The skin secretes
oils to keep it, and the hair on it flexible and healthy. Grooming should
stimulate this secretion and move the oils evenly over the hairs. A healthy,
well groomed horse will be a billboard for his groom’s efforts. As
the skin replaces itself, particles of skin are shed and become encased
in the oils. This mixture, plus dirt, becomes white greasy flakes called
scurf. It is important to remove this scurf from the stabled and exercised
horse. Sweat mixed with scurf, forms a dirty lather that reduces the horse’s
ability to keep his temperature down during spirited exercise, and then
allows the horse to chill quickly at the end of the work out. The efficiency
of the skin as a thermal protector for the horse becomes compromised on
a poorly groomed horse.
The outdoor horse grooms himself
by rolling in the sand, rubbing on tree branches and, if he has a herd
friend, they will stand side by side, one’s head at the other’s
tail, and rub each other, nibble each other’s skin, and swat flies
away from each other. Horses seem to enjoy this grooming. While grooming
your horse, you should try to develop a routine and manner that he enjoys
and looks forward to each time you arrive. Grooming is really good for
the novice rider, since it allows the student horse person to learn more
about the structure and personality of the horse. A good grooming will
cover the entire horse, giving the groom a chance to inspect the horse
for sores, injuries or areas needing special attention. Grooming also
provides a warm-up for the rider’s muscles, getting them ready for
riding. For the young horse, grooming is a good introduction to
being handled. Care and patience, here, can lead to years of friendship
between horse and handler or, for the careless and impatient handler,
a horse that may never fully relax and enjoy this important part of his
daily routine.
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| THE GROOMING ENVIRONMENT |
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The grooming environment should be safe
for horse and groom, and should also be a place where the horse feels
comfortable. Studies have shown that white is a colour that creates tension
and nervousness in a horse. White is nice when clean, and gives the impression
of cleanliness to a wash or grooming area; however, the horse, especially
the nervous horse, will probably be more comfortable in a natural, or
medium coloured area. The horse should be secured with ties that are secured
to the wall, or posts at about the height of the withers, and that have
some break away or release feature. Do not secure a horse to anything
that the horse could break loose and then drag around, possibly injuring
himself or anyone or thing that gets in his way. A grooming stall or area
in the barn with a wall behind the horse, will help keep the horse from
pulling back very far. The floor or ground should be clear of anything
that you or he could step on. A quiet area is usually preferred; however,
most stables have ties along the stable aisle in which there is a fair
amount of traffic. Care must be taken to ensure that a horse is not surprised
from behind while in ties. The horse should always be untied and moved
to one side, while another horse passes a horse in cross ties. We use
cross ties that are extra long and have a section of heavy rubber secured
in each tie to take up the slack. Should a horse pull back, the rubber
takes the pull smoothly, and progressively, until the tie is fully pulled
out . Before this point is reached, most horses give in and come back
to their original position. We also have panic snaps on all the ties.
For nervous or problem horses, baling twine can be used between the ends
of the ties and the horse’s halter. Then a short cotton lead
suspended from the bottom of the halter, in case the horse does break
free, provides something with which to catch the horse, rather than having
to grab at the halter and further scare the horse. Don’t use a long
lead or nylon lead since these may be stepped on or get wrapped around
a leg, causing a sudden jerk on the head or a rope burn injury. A nylon
lead can burn the skin on your hand, if the horse is pulling hard when
you grab the lead, causing it to slip through your grip. With a green
horse, or a horse that has learned to fight the cross ties, attach a long
smooth cotton rope to the off side of the halter. Run this rope through
the cross tie rings on the wall on that side of the horse and then back
through the bottom ring of the halter and to your hand. Attach a cotton
lead to the near side of the halter and hold this in your hand as well.
You can then hold the horse without too much pressure, gaining his confidence,
while guiding him to stand where you wish. A regular halter can be used
while grooming, unclipping the throat latch for grooming the jaw, and
the poll, or even better, use a grooming halter without a throat latch.
A leather halter or one with a breakaway crown, will provide an extra
measure of protection from injury, just in case the horse does have a
panic attack while in the cross ties. Don’t leave the horse unattended
in the cross ties. Horses can get curious and may get into trouble while
you are not there. If you need to do something for a minute, put the horse
back in his stall, and when you return place him in the ties again.
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| TOOLS & METHODS |
The horse’s skin must be
stimulated, and scurf and dirt removed from the coat, on a regular basis.
A soft rubber curry, or a medium soft dandy brush, is usually the choice
for most horses. Some horses will only tolerate a very soft, fine toothed
rubber curry, or maybe even a rubber grooming mitt. The sensitive or very
short haired animal may be happier with a pig bristle body brush. A good
currying will stimulate the skin and lift the scurf and dirt to the surface
of the coat. Remember to groom the elbows, jaw groove, between the front
legs, and down the legs completely, paying special attention to the pastern
areas where the medium, or medium soft, dandy brush is most useful.
The novice horse person seems
to have the impression that the horse has a tough hide and can be groomed
with stiff or firm brushes and curry combs. Many riding horses and ponies
have a medium fine coat, and are not really groomed very thoroughly by the
riding school students. These horses usually have fairly sensitive skin,
in part, because it has not been stimulated sufficiently on a regular basis.
Some of these horses become a little irritated when groomed more vigorously.
The smart ones figure out that by threatening the nervous or beginner groom,
the irritation ceases for a few seconds while the groom draws back. The
more experienced groom will probably not draw back but will continue irritating
the horse. The number of students who do not groom this animal adequately,
may determine the condition of the skin and therefore, to some degree, the
comfort of the animal during grooming. The expert horse person will change
tools and methods of brushing this horse. A change to a very soft, fine
toothed rubber curry and a softer dandy brush should make the grooming less
irritating to the horse. Some horses or ponies will still misbehave, when
the grooming starts, but if the groom is patient and more gentle the animal
should gradually accept the grooming and may eventually enjoy it. Better
riding schools and most show barns hire grooms to perform daily grooming
on all their horses. This maintenance costs the stable money, which in turn
must be recovered from the customers. Some barns encourage work exchange
programs in which some riding school students groom horses in exchange for
services for themselves (extra lessons, coaching or trailering fees, etc.).
The overall horse management practices of a stable will show in the typical
appearance of the animals stabled and cared for at that establishment.
A good grooming should start
with the removal of any mud and loose dirt from the horse’s coat. A
rubber curry comb rubbed in circles or a medium dandy brush drawn in the
direction of the coat with a rocking, flicking action, will do the best
job. A plastic curry or a stiff dandy brush is a little harsh for the stabled
horse’s skin and should be avoided, if you want your horse to enjoy
being groomed. Horses that are groomed properly all the time will certainly
develop a healthy skin that will benefit from vigorous grooming with firmer
dandy brushes and curry combs. Stiff dandy brushes and plastic curry combs
are best left for the really thick coat on the outdoor horse or pony. The
grooming should start at the neck of the horse and work along the sides
and the top of the horse to the hind quarters. Care should be taken in using
the curry near sensitive areas, or areas where there is little flesh over
the bone. The medium dandy brush works better than the curry in these places,
as well as between the horse’s front legs. Keep one hand on the hip
of the horse as you groom the hindquarters, and hind legs. This steadies
the animal and, should he try to move over toward you, you can balance yourself
and get your feet out of the way easily or probably push him back square
again. Never kneel down, or sit down while working around your horse. If
something startles a horse, the horse usually dances around and becomes
oblivious to where his feet are landing. The injury potential is just too
great to take this risk.
The medium dandy brush should
be used to groom the roots of the mane. Start by pushing the mane to the
near side and then draw the length of the dandy firmly across the base of
the mane, using a rocking motion, stimulating the roots of the mane and
lifting out the scurf. Once the mane has been groomed from the off side,
push the mane to the off side and repeat the grooming from the near side,
stimulating and cleaning the base of the mane. The mane itself may then
be groomed, on its proper side, the off, or horse’s right side, first
by carefully removing any tangles with your fingers and then while holding
the base of the mane to the crest of the neck with one hand, draw the medium
soft dandy, a pig bristle body brush or a smooth plastic mane comb, (most
aluminum combs have rough spots that may grab the hairs and break them off)
carefully through the hairs. A pin cushion brush is a good alternative and
does not readily break off hairs. Care must be taken, when grooming the
mane, so as not to break off hairs through rough brushing. Broken hair stubble
tends to stick up and look fuzzy once the mane is braided for a show. These
short hairs take many months to grow long enough to stay in the braids.
Cutting them off after braiding leaves shorter stubble that gradually grows
and is added to new stubble created by future rough grooming. Soon the mane
looks as if it were shot at and not missed. Many show barns only allow fingers
to be used in the mane to prevent the breaking of hairs that must be braided
for shows. A hair finish product may be applied to the mane or tail to help
the comb or brush more easily slide through the hair.
The pastured horse is groomed
by the grasses rubbing his pastern areas. The stabled horse typically has
shorter grass or even sparse pasture and spends more time in the stall than
is best for his well being. Most barns today use shavings instead of straw.
Straw tends to groom the pasterns and coronary bands; therefore, horses
bedded on straw usually have better skin health in these areas. The shavings
that some stables use have particles of some hardwoods mixed in with the
pine or spruce that is preferred. These hardwood particles are often irritating
to the horses skin, especially when dampened with urine. This leaves the
skin in poor condition around the pastern area, and results in many more
cases of mud fever than there should be. Many school students tend to be
a little lazy or in a hurry to complete the grooming and give the pastern
area very little attention. These students are sometimes a little nervous
around the legs of the horse; therefore, they avoid proper grooming of the
legs. Horses bedded on shavings require more grooming around the coronary
band and pasterns. Horses with white hair on the lower legs often have more
sensitive skin here and require extra care. There are a few medicated sprays
on the market that seem to clean up crusty skin; however, good daily grooming
usually prevents this condition.
After a thorough job with the
curry or dandy, the horse should be groomed with a pig bristle body brush.
Start again at the shoulder and neck and work around the complete horse.
Clean the brush against the curry every few strokes, and then bang the curry
out on the floor, not on the walls of the barn. A dirty body brush does
not lift out much scurf or dirt. The pig bristle, when clean, will lift
out more dirt and scurf than any other bristle. On a really dusty horse
a medium soft finishing brush can be used to whisk out the dust into the
air. Use a deep flicking motion to get the loose dirt and scurf up and out.
This flicking of dust is not recommended for grooms with dust allergies.
They should stick with the body/curry combination. (This airborne dust situation
also applies to grooms who ride in cars with pristine interiors). The more
dust you flick into the air, the more it will end up on your clothes, in
your nose and in your car. After the cleaning stage the horse may
be finished off with a horse hair finish brush or linen towel.
There are now little, fine toothed
rubber curry combs(really dog curries), that are great for around the face,
and also little tiny face brushes made with goat hair or pig bristle. For
the corners of the eyes use a soft clean cloth that can be easily washed
and disinfected. For the nostrils use a disposable cotton ball. A little
face brush will be soft enough for the ears. The ears are often sensitive
because they are up high and hard to reach and; therefore, are neglected.
In these cases the skin has not been stimulated and the oils have not been
worked around in the ears as much as in the other areas of the horse’s
coat. If a stool is required for grooming the high parts of the horse, make
certain that it is solid on the surface so that a horse can’t get a
foot stuck in it if something goes wrong. The groom should be careful around
the ears and patient with the horse’s concerns After a few weeks of
daily work on the ears, the skin should be a lot more supple and less sensitive.
The horse should also be more accepting of your grooming efforts here.
The tail should be treated with
great care, in the same manner as the mane. A nice tail for swatting flies,
or for the show ring takes years to grow. A few rough grooming sessions
can break off enough hair to make braiding the tail a frustrating task.
The medium dandy should be drawn across the sides of the tail grooming the
base of the hairs and the skin. Do not groom down the length of the hairs
as this action puts too much strain on the hairs and too many will break
off. Use your fingers to untangle the tail, or spray some coat conditioner
on the tail and then use a smooth plastic comb or a pin cushion pet brush
to carefully separate the hairs. Hold the tail with one hand, while carefully
brushing small sections below your hand with the brush. Using a coat conditioner
on the mane and tail, on a regular basis, helps prevent tangles and seems
to reduce hair breakage. We find that Vetrolin Shine doesn’t
attract dust to the hair like some coat conditioners. We have regular customers
who use this product on their own hair. One young actress with very long
hair used this product for about a year on her own hair and has had very
positive feedback from her hairdresser.
The feet require cleaning and
inspection before and after every ride. Pick the feet with your choice of
hoof pick, making certain that the tip of the pick is against the hoof sole,
not scraping at the side of the frog. Clean out any stones and the bulk
of the dirt, then brush the frog and the grooves along the edges of the
frog with a hoof brush. If the sole is hard and dry, a hoof dressing may
be applied. Inspect the shoes and nails, having any loose nails or shoes
fixed immediately. A dressing should be rubbed into the coronary band about
once a week, depending on the time of year and the dryness of this part
of the hoof. Dry summer conditions may require more effort here. If the
surface of the hoof (the periople) has been scraped off by the blacksmith,
apply a clear sealer like Tuff Stuff. Many blacksmiths apply a sealer
after filing the edge of the hoof near the shoe. This keeps the moisture
in the hoof wall, so that the nails don’t come loose before the next
scheduled re-shoeing.
After grooming, be sure to clean
up the grooming area so that the next groom doesn’t have to stand in
the mess that you, and your horse have made.
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| THE OUTDOOR PONY |
The outdoor pony or horse
requires far less grooming. The scurf and oils on the hair act as a waterproofing
to protect the animal from the rain and snow. Brushing will remove this
protection and for ponies and horses living in regions where there is frost
and snow in the winter, a blanket will be required for any horse or pony
that must be brushed regularly for riding. The thick natural coat keeps
the horse warm; however, regular brushing will remove a substantial amount
of this coat and; therefore, the horse will require stabling or a shelter
and a blanket to keep warm for the winter. The horse or pony that is kept
outside, should probably have the winter off if he is not blanketed,
so that he does not require brushing. Burrs and mud should be carefully
removed from the coat, from time to time. The animal should regularly be
checked over for any scratches or injuries that require attention and also,
the feet should be picked out at this time.
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| SENSITIVE ANIMALS |
| There are many horses out there
with real concerns about handling and grooming. This situation may be the
result of poor previous handling or lack of handling, period. The natural
preservation instinct in all horses is to run away from pain or scary situations.
The horse’s sensitivity and any fears must be addressed before handling
and grooming becomes safe and enjoyable for groom and animal. There are
some good books on the subject of sensitivity training for horses. Linda
Tellington-Jones offers a few titles based on her Equine Awareness Method.
John Lyons offers good advice in his book, Lyons on Horses. Pat Parelli
and his Natural Horsemanship method also is a great resource for problem
horses. |
