Basic Grooming

Grooming your horse is an essential part of any horse's routine. Not only is it important for his physical health, but the quality time you spend grooming will cause the bond between you to increase and will benefit his emotional well-being. His mood can be partially assessed during the grooming session and may give you insights on how your training day will proceed. His physical condition can be observed during grooming to determine any wounds, stiffness, skin problems, etc. Many problems can be detected and treated early to avoid more serious difficulties. Basic grooming is a consistent routine but bathing and shampooing should be done on a regular basis as well.

The basic grooming kit contains:

Hoof Pick

Currycomb- Metal, rubber, or plastic

Dandy Brush- Stiff bristle brush

Body Brush- Soft bristle brush

Rub Rags

Mane and Tail Comb

Picking the Feet: The horse's hooves are of paramount importance to pay attention to. Failure can result in costly lameness. Your horse needs to be trained to stand quietly while standing on three legs and the groomer needs to have an education in safe methods. Starting with the near front foot, stand next to the shoulder facing the rear, run your hand down his leg and ask for the leg to be lifted. A helpful word command such at "foot" or "pick" will soon teach your horse what you want of him, however, pressure may be applied to the chestnut or tendons to prod the horse if need be. Begin picking the debris out from heel to toe with the hoof pick and particularly clean the area around the frog. Gently set the foot down and step to the near hind and proceed as before. Let the hind leg rest supportively on your left thigh and pick heel to toe. Repeat on the offside. Check the condition of the shoes and overall health of the feet at this time.

Use of Currycombs: United States Pony Club only recommends using a metal currycomb to clean the bristle brushes and never on the horse. Rubber or plastic curries are preferred to loosen dirt and massage the large muscle groups. Begin at the top of the neck, brushing in circular motions, to the hindquarters. Currycombs are used only where there is a muscle "cushion" therefore they are not used on the face or below the knee and hock. This step in grooming is important to circulate the blood and show where any soreness may be present.

Use of the Dandy Brush: This stiff bristle brush will reach to the skin and the dirt brought up by the

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