The Art of Horse Grooming- Tips for Proud Horse Owners

February 7th, 2010 Samantha No comments

The Art of Horse Grooming- Tips for Proud Horse Owners

The art of horse grooming is lost on a lot of people, even those who actually own horses.  If you are an owner and you are looking to get your horse cleaner and healthier, there are very simple ways to achieve this.

The first thing you have to keep in mind is that horses get dirty all the time and they cannot help it because this is second nature to them.  As an owner, what you can do is to maintain its cleanliness by keeping a regular regimen that would maintain the lustre of its mane and the smoothness of its coat.

What Cleaning Regimen Works for My Horse?

While there is no single best way to answer this, there are basic cleaning regimens that you can use in order to keep your horse exceptionally groomed.  This requires more than just brushing and hosing down.  You will need to cover every inch of your horse’s body to make sure that no dirt will be left unchecked as it can lead to serious skin problems.

Here are some basics that will come in handy:

Always start with the rubber curry brush.  This is the first step in cleaning your horse because it helps to loosen the dirt locked in its hair. Be careful not to tangle up the horse’s locks as he or she might get uncomfortable and might end up bolting.  Use gentle circular motions which are effective in loosening the dirt as well as giving your horse that calming feeling.

Next is the Dandy Brush. Use this brush in the same manner as you do with a broom when you are sweeping the floor.  You need to use gentle but firm strokes in order to brush off the dirt that was recently loosened by the runner curry.  Make sure your strokes are even.

Use the Body Brush. After sweeping off the loose dirt using the dandy brush, you now have to move on to the body and make sure that whatever dirt is left will be removed as well.

Move on to the Feet. This is going to be particularly tricky because this part of the horse’s body happens to be the dirtiest of all.  First you have to loosen the dirt, preferably soaking it first to make the clean up easier.  Then you have to scrape the dirt off gently and make sure that the horse is calm the entire time since you would certainly not want to be kicked while grooming.

After you are done with the body as well as the feet, make sure that you towel the horse dry thoroughly.  It is important to dry him/her off before going back out to prevent any new dirt from sticking to a damp coat as it would be a lot harder to remove.

There are several online sold books that talk about all the best grooming practices that would keep your horse clean, healthy, and happy.  These books would teach you the best grooming regimens according to what kind/breed of horse you have.

I have found many helpful tips from an amazing, underground grooming source. You can check it out if you like. >Click Here<

Key Horse Grooming Supplies

February 7th, 2010 Samantha No comments

Key Horse Grooming Supplies

When it comes to cleaning your horse, it is paramount that you have the right tools for the job.  Horse grooming is not as simple as hosing down a quadruped and assuming that you got everything off.

Before you start with the cleaning process, you have to check all your tools to make sure that everything you need is within reach.  What would be even better is if you do a little research regarding the best tools and supplies for horse grooming.

Here are some of the tools and supplies that a horse owner should never be without:

  • Curry Comb or Grooming Mitt- helps loosen the dirt
  • Body brush with stiff bristles- to sweep off the loose dirt
  • Mane and tail comb
  • Fine and soft bristled brush for finishing
  • Clean sponge and soft cloth
  • Grooming spray
  • Hoof ointment
  • Scissors and clippers
  • Horse Shampoo- to keep the horse’s mane and tail smooth, soft, and untangled.

Where to get supplies

If you are new to the process of horse grooming, you are probably not very familiar as to where you can get all the supplies you need.  It is quite possible that you can get all these things at your local pet store.  However, not all pet stores cater to horse essentials so the next best thing is to shop online.

Yes, you can pretty much get everything online these days including all your horse grooming essentials.  Once you have located a site where you can buy these tools, it is well advised that you get everything you need in one purchase to cut the cost of delivery and perhaps even get a discount.

How to choose horse grooming supplies

You don’t just buy any horse grooming supply without a second thought.  Just as you would inspect the jeans you would buy at the department store, you should also be very particular about the grooming tools you are looking to purchase.

First, you have to look at the quality of the merchandise.  If the bristles of the comb appear to be loose or brittle, you should not buy it and move on to much better choices.

Price comparison is also very important especially if you are shopping for these supplies online.  There are a number of online stores that sell this type of merchandise so you can take advantage of the competition.  However, you should also be wary of goods that are sold at a very low price.  This can be an indication that they are of low quality, something that you would want to avoid buying.

Other tips:

It might also be helpful to will visit recommended sites based on the feedback of past customers.  Some people who have recently bought items from an online store would give other prospective buyers advice as to whether they should get the same items or not.

There are horse grooming sites where you can get vital information as to where you should buy supplies and which particular items to get. The site that I learned the most from is here. You can check it out if you want.

Grooming a Horse the Right Way

February 7th, 2010 Samantha No comments

Grooming a Horse the Right Way

As a horse owner, you should know that there is a proper way of grooming a horse.  If you want your horse to look and feel clean all the time, it is necessary that you learn all the basics of horse grooming such as what tools to use, and what cleaning techniques to employ.

The most important tools that you need to have are the following:

  • A curry comb or grooming mitt.
  • A body brush with fairly stiff bristles. (not too stiff)
  • A mane and tail comb. Plastic causes less breakage than metal ones.
  • A fine soft bristled finishing brush.
  • A hoof pick.
  • A clean sponge or soft cloth.
  • Grooming spray.
  • Hoof ointment if needed
  • Scissors or clippers.
  • Buckets

Most horse owners think that they can get away with a hose and any type of brush that they can find.  However, if you are serious in grooming a horse, you have to make it a point to use the right tools for the job otherwise you will end up wasting time because your quadruped pal will not be as clean as you want it to be.

Strokes are important

It is imperative that you know what types of strokes to use when it comes to grooming your horse.  For instance, you have to start with the curry comb which is used to loosen the dirt that got stuck on the horse’s body and hair.  This way, it would be so much easier to do the cleaning.

When trying to loosen off the dirt, you need to use gentle and circular strokes all over the horse’s body as well as its hair.  Keep in mind that you have to make sure the horse will remain calm while you do all this in order to keep both of you safe.

Sweeping is another very important stroke which would remove the loosened dirt off the horse’s flank, mane, and tail.  This time, you need to be more thorough as you would not want to leave anything behind.

Safety Tips

In order to keep your horse calm, you have to stroke its back and talk to it in a very soothing manner.  This might sound silly but there is something about low dulcet human voices that really calms a horse.

Also remember to keep the horse upright and not moving.  When you get to the part where you are grooming its mane and tail, you should be very light with your hands otherwise the horse might feel pain or utter discomfort causing it to bolt.

When handling the feet, do not grab it or hold on to it too tightly.  While horses respond well to discipline, they also do not want to feel any pain.

Horse grooming might not be as easy as you have thought but it is also not that hard either.  You just need to get used to it and your horse as well.  Once you find that comfort zone, it would be a breeze and you might actually enjoy it.

I must admit that I did not always enjoy grooming a horse. I learned so really cool tricks from a secret friend of a friend. I will live a link so that you can check it out for yourself if you want. >Check it out here.<

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Horse Mane Grooming Tips

January 15th, 2010 Samantha No comments

OK who ever said that it was just about the body brushing. When it comes to grooming horses I always like to start at grooming the horses mane. To me this is the fun part. When I first got my Quarter Horse Redboy, his mane was very short and it looked like it had been chewed on by other horses or what ever. I was not expecting much growth from it because he was a quarter horse, but boy was I ever so wrong.

A friend of mine that owns a Friesian really hooked me up with some good pointers. I asked her if the grooming tips she was giving me will only work on Friesian’s and she laughed at me. lol. So I went ahead and tried this new way of horse grooming on my quarter horse. That horses mane grew about 4 inches every month with the proper grooming tips that I learned.

I am truly a big fan of long manes and tails on horses, not quite sure what it would do for my quarter horse but come to find out, it played a big difference in the way that my horse looked. Long, silky smooth horse mane and tail is how I like it yall.

Horse Grooming – Beautiful Horse Mane and Horse Tail

January 14th, 2010 Samantha No comments

Horse Grooming

How many of you horse lovers wish your horse had the long mane and tail of the infamous Friesian horse? I use to look at my 6 year old quarter horse and try all types of different horse grooming techniques that did not work. To me a horse mane and tail are the pride of the horse. Yes a quarter horse already has its name in the history books but to me, I wanted him to stand out. Folks, his mane and tail was absolutely horrible when I first got him. I felt so sorry for him.

As his owner I was determined that there was some type of horse grooming kit, or tool that I could use to get his hair to grow and look great. That is why I made this site, to help someone that might be in the same situation that I was in some years ago. Well I can say that Red Boy (my quarter horse) is one proud fellow. He even walks different with his vibrant mane and tail.

Samantha Nash

Folks you can learn some serious tips from this lady Beth Moore. I strongly advise you check here out. Here is the link to check out here page.