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GROOMING
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GROOMING One grooms the horse in order to keep it
clean and to give the coat a lustrous and beautiful sheen. The body
gets rid of salts and other unhealthy substances through the skin
and it is therefore important to keep the pores of the skin open.
Dust from riding-schools and roads, straw, wood shavings, as well as
bulk feed collects in the horse’s coat, and has to be brushed
away. Sweat under the saddle and the girth has to be taken away
before the saddle is placed on the horse again. Mud that has
spattered far up on the legs needs to be washed off before it gets
dry and starts chafing. Grooming also makes the blood circulate
better in the skin and thus aids the transport of nutrients.
The fat glands of the skin function better with grooming and
give off more fat making the skin soft and smooth and the hair
lustrous. Fat also repels damp and helps the horse to keep its body
heat. Consequently, the horse ought to have at least one thorough
grooming a day. DAILY GROOMING Hold the brush in the hand that is nearest
the horse’s head (right hand on the right flank, and left hand on
the left flank). Start at the head and work backwards and downwards.
Always follow the direction of the coat. The grooming strokes need
to be long, calm and firm. The horse’s sensitivity decides how
firm the strokes can be, and how hard a body brush you can use. Clean the brush on the curry comb between
every stroke and empty the comb now and then by tapping it on the
floor. A white residue shows that the horse is regularly and well
groomed. Dry the horse with a cloth. Clean the sensitive parts
around the nostrils and the eyes, as well as the dock with a humid
sponge or a soft cloth. Brush out the mane and the tail. Put the
mane on one side of the crest, and brush the mane thoroughly from
underneath. Brush downwards step by step, so that the whole mane
gets brushed out carefully. Take the whole tail in your hand and
brush downwards hair by hair from the dock to the tip of the tail.
The mane needs to be regularly pulled and the tail hairs have to be
trimmed at the dock, so that the horse looks well groomed. CARE AFTER RIDING After every ride it is important that the
horse is immediately taken care of. Wash off mud and dirt from the
legs with a water hose or wash with a sponge in the same direction
as the coat. Take special care of the pasterns where the skin is
very thin and sensitive. Check with your fingertips that all the
gravel is gone. Dry the horse after cleaning it. A
horse that is sweaty or wet needs to be dried carefully. Dry the
body with a straw whisk that is made by twisting clean and dry straw
together. Move the whisk with the coat. If it is not possible to dry
the horse completely put a wool blanket on it until it has dried.
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HORSE SANCTUARY UK LIMITED is a company with charitable objects Registered in England and Wales No. 4593172
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