Horse Grooming Tips

How does your horse look this good? How does it achieve its glowing coat and lush, shiny mane and tail? Can that be achieved only by a professional groomer? Not really! You can do professional-level grooming to your own horse, too.

A good grooming kit is a must, of course. You should invest in the best quality brushes and curry combs possible. You should also keep these brushes clean after use. After all, you cannot do a thorough and proper grooming to your horse using dirty and dusty brushes. Keeping the grooming kit clean will also help them to last longer.

Horse grooming usually begins with a good clipping job. If your horse has a long, dirty and matted winter coat, clipping it properly will make the animal to look clean and neat. You may want to trim the muzzle, ears, bridle path, chin, as well as the lower legs. If you do not want to trim much of the legs, you may want to cut away the excess hair around the coronary band.

Use a curry comb, a horse brush or a shedding blade to get rid of the dirt and excess hair. Proceed to brush your horse first with a hard brush, and then a soft brush to bring out that shine from the coat. You can also apply hot toweling to “steam clean” your horse using clean rags or towels soaked in hot water. Dip the rag or towel into a bucket of steaming hot (but not boiling) water – make sure to wear rubber gloves as the water may be a lot hotter than you could endure. Squeeze and wring out the rag or towel as you want the tower to remain damp and hot, then start using it to clean your horse. It’s also better to use a second bucket for rinsing the towel and removing the excess hair from it.

As for the horse’s tail, proper nutrition is still the best way to keep it looking good, healthy and shiny. It won’t be achieved by potions, shampoos or conditioners alone, although they can be good supplementary care for your horse’s tail.

A horse’s hair is quite delicate, so use only wide-toothed combs and brushes that are designed only for your horse’s mane and tail. If you use a human brush on your horse, it will only break the hair and pull it out. Also, don’t brush the tail and mane every day – as a matter of fact, don’t brush it at all. The hair will only get thinner and thinner if you brush it daily since, as said before, it is quite delicate.

The horse’s body coat, mane and tails are not the only ones that should be cleaned. Do not overlook the areas that are usually ignored when grooming a horse. Clean the less obvious body parts such as the nose and the ears with a damp sponge.

No matter how good the grooming tools and products you use, nothing works better than a good old-fashioned elbow grease – it ultimately brings out the shine on your horse’s coat. If you do a little bit of elbow grease daily, not only your horse will like it but he will also literally gleam! Currying your horse regularly will bring out the coat’s natural oils which not only make your horse to look glossy. The natural oils also add a layer of protection to its coat.

Cleaning and trimming a horse’s coat can be so messy. It’s also important to leave the barn clean, neat and hygienic after grooming. For a fast and thorough sprucing-up, you should use the most powerful vacuums possible. They suck in dirt, dust, debris, manure, hay as well as those clipped hairs that can accumulate. If you are looking for a powerful, effective and dependable vacuum, the the HEPA vacuum should be the ideal type to use. Check out great tips on this article: “How to Choose a HEPA Vacuum Cleaner.”