How do I groom my horse?
To groom the horse properly, you need a set grooming routine. It would not be helpful to brush off the muddy coat with a fine brush. So there are a few basic steps to follow when grooming your horse’s coat and mane. We show you what a daily horse care can look like.
The care of the horse’s coat
A thorough grooming of the horse’s coat is not only for visual reasons. It gives you the opportunity to check your horse for injuries and skin changes and treat them accordingly. Grooming also strengthens the bond with your four-legged friend, as mutual grooming among horses is a sign of bonding. Furthermore, grooming is especially important before riding and working the horse, so that dust and dirt do not chafe between the skin and the equipment.
Proper coat care is therefore important and ensures a horse that feels comfortable in its skin. The following measures should be observed when caring for the coat:
1. Remove dirt from your horse’s coat
The easiest way to remove coarse dirt and dried mud stains is with a curry comb in circular movements. The legs are treated with a dandy brush.
Our secret tip:
Coarse dirt on the head is gently removed with a wonder brush, which is available in two degrees of hardness and gently removes dried sweat and stains from the coat.
2. Remove dust from your horse’s coat
Use a card brush to pull the dust out of the coat in the direction of growth. To remove the dust from the brush, wipe the card brush repeatedly on the curry comb. The legs can also be cleaned with the card brush. For the head area, it is recommended to use a smaller and softer body brush.
3. Make the horse’s coat shine
A shiny coat finish can be achieved in many ways. Firstly, sheepskin or teddy fleece grooming gloves will give the coat a great shine, a damp towel or wet wipes will have a similar effect. You can also use special shine brushes (e.g. made of goat hair) to pull even the finest dust particles out of the coat for a perfect result. For special occasions, such as before a competition, there are also coat shine sprays that can be applied before or after grooming to give a silky smooth look.
How to groom the horse’s tail and main correctly
Dry grooming should start with a thorough combing of the mane and tail. In addition to hay and straw, mud crusts and other dirt can be optimally removed and the long hair can be „sorted“ and untangled.
The next step is to use a tail and mane brush or comb. Part several strands and hold the hair at the roots so that not too many hairs are pulled out when brushing.
Tail and mane sprays can be used to improve combability.
Shorten and thin out the mane
Anyone who competes with their horse knows about the special requirements for well-groomed long hair. It should be shortened and thinned out regularly. For this purpose, depending on the horse’s composure, you will need a mane thinning knife, a comb or thinning scissors as well as a tail and mane scissors.
With a pair of tail and mane scissors you can shorten the hair efficiently and cleanly. However, the cut is also relatively hard. If you use thinning scissors near the roots, the mane will only be thinned out, but they can also be used for shortening by starting at the tips and cutting in the same place again and again – this will also achieve a soft transition and the mane will fall naturally.
Mane combs and mane thinning scissors should only be used on horses that are not sensitive and react calmly. Pull out individual strands and wrap the longest hairs around the scissors or comb, then pull the hairs out with a determined downward movement.
Keep it natural
When shortening and thinning out the long hair, remember that the mane and tail provide the horse with natural protection against insects. Unless it is urgently necessary, manes and tails should be allowed to grow as naturally as possible.
Cleaning of sensitive areas of the horse
Besides the head, the intimate area of the horse is also one of the sensitive parts of the body. Since the skin in these areas is particularly thin and the mucous membranes react especially sensitively to external stimuli, the grooming routine should be gentle.
Since painful infections can occur, especially in the eyes and intimate areas, when germs and bacteria populate the sensitive mucous membranes, strict hygiene must be observed.
Keep the following in mind when caring for sensitive parts of the horse’s body:
- Use separate cleaning cloths or sponges for the nostrils, eyes and intimate area or use disposable cloths.
- It is best to mark the utensils with colours so that you can distinguish between them and also clean them regularly at high temperatures (e.g. by boiling or in the washing machine from 60°C).
- Cleaning the eyes: To clean the eyes, take a damp and clean cloth or sponge and wipe from the outer edge of the eye inwards towards the lacrimal gland. Make sure that the cloth is lint-free, otherwise unpleasant irritation may occur. If the eye secretion has dried up around the eye, it should never be scraped away, but first softened with the damp sponge. The same procedure is followed for the nostrils.
- Intimate care of the horse: It stands to reason that intimate care is also a sensitive issue for horses. The skin of the genital organs is sometimes very thin and very susceptible to bacterial infections. Usually the penis and vagina clean themselves and no intervention is necessary.
Many veterinarians recommend sheath cleaning of geldings and stallions no more frequently than once a year.
In mares, the udder should be cleaned with lukewarm water and a clean sponge if heavily soiled. Please bear in mind that horses are very sensitive to touch in the intimate area and can kick. - Cleaning the anus: If the anus is sticky, it can also be cleaned gently with lukewarm water and a clean cloth or sponge.