Horse Grooming Kit

While it might seem that grooming a horse is purelyThe curry comb brings all the dirt to the surface and
cosmetic, its in fact a necessary part of the horse'sloosens any shedding hair. Rubber curries are best for
care. By caring for your horse's coat, you not onlythe summer months, while plastic ones are better for
make him look better, but make him feel better too.long winter coats. Avoid currying the legs and face as
Spending time with him while grooming can also be athey're more sensitive and need a softer brush.
wonderful method to bond using your horse, lettingNext take the medium brush and brush the whole
you get to know him in the mutually enjoyablecoat inside the direction of the hair growth. Use short
setting.strokes and flick the brush at the end of each
For basic grooming you may need several variousstroke. This dislodges the dirt and removes it from
kinds of brushes. The following are some of thethe coat. You need to use a tough brush on the legs
most common brushes:if necessary to break up any caked on mud, but
Curry comb - a plastic or rubber brush with raisedgenerally hard brushes are too firm for the rest of
bumps on one side plus a strap or loop on the backthe coat.
to hold your hand inA medium brush can be utilized on the face, but
Hard brush - a wooden or plastic backed brush withmost horses prefer a soft brush. The soft brush is
bristles which are hard to the touch and not terriblyused over the horse's entire coat and is used to flick
flexibleoff any remaining dirt and dust. It produces a nice
Medium brush - a wooden or plastic backed brushshine and for everyday grooming is the perfect
with bristles which are firm, yet flexiblefinishing touch. If you're showing, you might want to
Soft brush - a wooden or plastic backed brush withuse a finishing or dandy brush to finish the job.
soft, long bristles which can be very flexibleThe mane should be combed out regularly with a
Finishing/Dandy brush - a wooden backed brush, ovalmane comb. Pulling combs work well too, but may
in shape, with short bristles that are tightly packed tobreak more hair than a plastic mane comb. You can
be firm, yet soft to the touchcomb the tail with a mane comb if you'd like, but
Hoof pick - a metal hook-shaped implement (seemsmany horse owners like better to use a brush. You
like a bent screwdriver) designed to remove dirtcan buy specialty brushes for horses, but brushes
from the hooves, sometimes carries a brush on onemade for human hair work just as well and often
end, could have a metal or plastic hand holdcost less.
Mane comb - a large-toothed plastic or metal combFinally, every time you groom, you should pick out
of variable lengththe horse's feet. Start out at the point where the
Pulling comb - a large-toothed metal comb, aboutfrog meets the heel, and clear out the grooves
4″ long and with 1″ long teethbeside the frog. Make sure you clear the grooves
Tail brush - much like a human hair brushthoroughly as stones wedged inside the groove can
Shedding blade - a long, thin metal bar that is bentbruise the frog and cause lameness. Then clean the
back upon itself, one edge smooth, the otherrest of the sole, clearing any dirt packed around the
serratedshoes (if any). If your hoof pick has a brush on it,
To groom your horse, it is safest to tie him securelyyou need to use the brush to sweep the rest of the
either on crossties or in the stall. While you candirt from the hoof.
groom a horse loose in his stall, unless you realize theHorses should be groomed daily if at all possible. If
horse well, tying is safer.you are riding, its important to groom both before
Start with the curry comb. Curry your horse in aand after every ride, paying careful attention to the
circular motion so that the comb strokes follow thefeet. A well groomed horse is a healthy horse. Both
direction of the coat. Feel free to use a fair bit ofyou and he will feel better for a good grooming.
pressure as this acts like a massage for the horse.