Horse Grooming Tips

Grooming your horse should be an essential part of your daily routine.

It’s a pleasurable experience for both and your horse, and an essential part of bonding, giving you the chance to focus just on him or her and spend time together.

It has a host of benefits too, including helping promote good circulation; it gives you the opportunity to spot any infections, cuts or abnormalities and treat them early and your horse will love the attention.

The best time to groom your horse is after you have ridden as the horse is warm and the pores are open and it’s easier to lift grease from the coat and remove loose hairs.

Make it stand out

Grooming tools

Before you get started you need to get some good grooming tools. We found this great guide that highlights some of the basic tools for grooming and techniques required to use them efficiently.

Our favorite tips include:

• Baby powder

• Coconut oil

• Vinegar and water

• Microfiber cloths

• Vitamin E oil

• Garlic

• Baby wipes

• Tail care

Nutrition

You are what you eat! The same goes for horses, so if you want your horse to have a healthy, shiny coat you need to make sure that you are supplying a quality feed and re-worming your horse regularly.

Baby powder

Does your horse have tangles in the mane and tail? Use regular baby powder to detangle- we love this one, it works really well.

Coconut oil

Another great tip for knots in the mane and tail is coconut oil, which is a natural antifungal and anti bacterial. It’s easily absorbed into the hair and skin and is also great for wound care, especially fighting infection and minimising proud flesh.

Vinegar and water

Fill a spray bottle with a 1:1 solution of vinegar and water. This works really well at breaking down dirt before bathing.

Microfiber cloths

These reusable and washable cloths are excellent for a final finishing rub to create a great sheen. Give them a try- we loved the results.

Vitamin E oil

Try this on any rubs or bald patches left from scratches.  You will find that it helps promote quick regrowth of the hair. 

Garlic

A scoop or more of garlic in your horse’s feed each day acts as a natural fly and insect repellent and will help reduce the number of bites on your horse’s body. It has other great benefits too including supporting the immune system, has anti-inflammatory properties and aids the digestive and cardiovascular system.

Baby wipes

These should be an essential part of your grooming kit. Excellent for spot cleaning off dirt and you can use them on anything form the eyes to the dock and everything in between.

Tail care

A top tip from a professional groomer: use finger combing only if you want to ensure that you preserve the length of the tail. Alternatively try using a soft-bristle brush, the types designed for human hair. This will be much gentler than a mane and tail comb.

Good luck with your grooming. Do please share your top grooming tips with us, we would love to hear from you and share them with our community.

Thanks to http://www.prosportive.co.uk for sharing this informative post.