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Taking care of horses is not the easiest assignment for those that look after the equine stars, but it is a job that should be taken very seriously to ensure that horses have the best quality of life.

Horses that are well-groomed always look like they are the best-cared horses in the yard, and learning how to get into a routine for grooming an equine is essentially important if you want to be hands on with a horse.

Hiring a professional groom can typically be expensive, meaning that being able to groom a horse yourself is an excellent alternative to cut your outgoings. But, what are some of the most important factors to take into account when grooming a horse?

Why Groom a Horse?

Keeping a horse well-groomed is vitally important to making sure that your equine is healthy and happy. Having a shiny and gleaming coast is a sign of health and all owners of horses will want their equines to look as though they are well looked after.

However, there are also important factors that should be considered when it comes to grooming a horse. For example, it improved a horse’s health as brushing can stimulate blood flow to the skin and help spread natural oils.

Removing dirt and other items from the coat also reduces the risk of skin diseases, as wet and dirty hair are prone to bacterial growth. Meanwhile, grooming a horse also ensures that you’re able to monitor your equine, ensuring that you can quickly notice anything that looks strange and assessing whether you need medical assistance.

Owners will also need to maintain hoof care, as constant grooming reduces the risk of conditions such as thrush. Furthermore, there are also positives that come with grooming and riding, as a healthy grooming lifestyle will ensure that horses are comfortable to ride, as tacking up a dirty horse can lead to shaving due to equipment which may cause issues and discomfort for a horse.

So when you are ready to bet on the 2025 Kentucky Derby with TwinSpires imagine all the work and investment that was put into taking care of each racehorse.

When Should You Groom A Horse?

Horses should be groomed before every ride. This ensures that everything is fine with the equine, and maintains that they will be able to move freely without any lingering issue.

Pre-grooming before a ride also ensures that there is limited risk of chafing when working out, as this could be very uncomfortable for a horse when equipment is rubbing up against their skin.

Checks should always be made to horses before sitting on it, and also when you get off the horse. Daily grooming is also completed to make sure that there is nothing amiss with the equine every day.

While this may not be practical for every owner, it is still encouraged to put your mind at ease. Despite horses that wear blankets reducing the amount that they get dirty, owners should still groom these equines just as they would the horses without a blanket. This is vitally important as horses with blankets on could have rain scald if they are wet or muddy.

General Grooming Tips

Grooming your horse can be straightforward if you have a good relationship with the equine.

Firstly, you must ensure that the horse is secure, as if the equine is moving around and wiggling, it will be harder to complete the grooming process. You should then clean the horses’ hooves, this should always be the first step on your daily grooming schedule.

Lift their leg and then remove all the debris from their foot. If they are wearing a horseshoe, you should pick inside to remove any pebbles and big pieces of dirt. Next, you should currycomb your horse. This piece of equipment is used to bring dirt to the surface of the skin, which you can then pick up or brush off to ensure that they are clean.

After completing the combing, you can get straight into adding some shine to your horse. A soft body brush can be used to add the shine, while this will also help remove any finer pieces of dirt that you may have missed in the last step. Long and broad strokes are required, while shorter strokes may be preferred for more delicate areas such as the legs.

When you get to the tail, a wide-toothed comb or brush could be the preferred option. You should untangle the hair using your fingers, before moving onto using the comb or brush.

Work on small sections at a time, and gently hold the root end of the hair. It is important to stand to the side of a horse when combing or brushing the tail, which ensures that you will be nowhere near the dangerous kicking zone. After the grooming process is complete, you can hop aboard your horse and go for a stroll.