Good Grooming Practices

If you are grooming a horse in a hurry, it can be tempting to cut corners and sacrifice your safety or thoroughness. However the following grooming practices really shouldn't be skimped on.

Firstly, grooming a horse is a good opportunity to ensure that he is free from injury. Even if you are pressed for time, try to run your hand all over his body, particularly his legs, to feel for any cuts or swellings he may have got in the field or overnight in the stable. Visually assess him as well, but don't rely purely on this as often you can miss things. A thorough inspection for injury should be your main priority, so always try and make time for this. Also aim to keep your grooming kit well stocked with various items of first aid equipment, for example, cotton wool, antiseptic wash, and some sort of antiseptic barrier cream.

If you are intending to ride, then grooming a horse is important, but you don't have to go all-out to ensure that he is shining, as you know it won't last more than five minutes! For the sake of time, just remove any mud, sweat or dirt in the saddle and bridle areas, particularly where the girth sits and behind the ears where the headpiece sits. A good stiff dandy brush and a rubber or plastic curry comb from your grooming kit should remove the worst of this, but be careful around the head: you may need to keep a softer brush in your grooming kit for the sensitive area behind the ears.

Tying up is a controversial issue. In reality, how many people actually tie up when grooming a horse? The answer is not that many. Ideally, when grooming a horse, you should have him tied up whether in the box or out. It might seem ridiculous, but it takes less than five minutes to do, and it can avoid you getting kicked or trodden on. You might think that your horse would never do such a thing, but it is surprising what they are capable of if startled. If you are in a rush, tying your horse up is even more important as he may have a heightened sense of awareness if he can sense you are hurried. This could make him tense and more unpredictable than usual. Finally consider your horse's safety. Is he likely to try and run out of the door, stand on your grooming kit, or get upset when you try to brush areas that he doesn't like? If so it may be best to tie him up to prevent him hurting himself, and give you some control over the situation.

Ultimately, you need to consider where you can and can't cut corners when grooming a horse. You don't want to compromise his or your safety, and yet you do still need to get to work on time! Having some effective emergency grooming equipment at the ready in your grooming kit for just such days can be a real time-saving asset. Therefore, investing in quality when purchasing a grooming kit could benefit both you and your horse.


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