Daily grooming is very important. Brushing is important for two main reasons. First you have to keep your horse clean but more importantly, when you brush your horse you'll want to check for cuts or scrapes. If a cut is left unattended to it could become infected and cause serious problems and pain for your horse. When you brush your horse you also bond with one another. Bonding with your horse builds trust and friendship. It is good to be bonded with your horse because when you ride you work together and trust each other.
When you are grooming you horse you always want to make sure that you pick out their hooves. This is important because if you don't their hooves could become infected and cause your horse much discomfort. You should never put too much pressure on the part of their hoof called the frog. This particular part is very sensitive. Make sure you get out rocks and all the dirt.
When you brush their body start off using a curry comb. Brush in circular motions. This will raise all of the dirt to the surface to make it easier to brush off. Never use a curry comb on your horse's face because it is not smooth enough and could hurt them.
When brushing a horse's face you will use a face brush. It is very soft and smooth. Be careful around their eyes. They aren't the smartest animals in the world and may keep their eyes open while you brush them. This could cause dust to get into them. A face brush isn't hard enough to brush their bodies with. instead you will use a body brush.
When brushing a horse's body you should brush in quick, short and strong strokes. Always start at their neck and work your way down to their legs. While brushing their body check for scrapes and cuts. For some reason their hind quarters seem to always accumulate the most dust. Always make sure you brush that area well.
When you brush their tale you can just use a person's hairbrush. Just be sure that you take your time and don't rip out too much hair when brushing it. If you go to a show you always want to make sure that there are no shavings in their tale. If you put baby oil on the tail then brush it through it makes it very shiny.
If you compete in shows you always want to make sure that your horse looks his best. You would repeat all of the steps from above but, you do have to do a little bit more. If you want your horse to be extra shiny you can use a number of products. My personal favorite is Show Sheen. All you do is spray it all over their body and brush it through. Just never spray their face! When you go to a show you can also braid their mane. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to do this because it takes a while.
Another thing that you always want to put on your horse is fly spray. Just spray it all over their body (especially their legs). When a horse is turned out it is also very important to put it on. If they are let out with no fly spray on they will run to get away from the flies. They do not understand that if they run it causes them to sweat which attracts more flies. Flies make horses crazy and if you truly love and care about your horse you will do the necessary steps to make sure they are clean, comfortable and content.
