Theresa

How To Groom a Horse

This is a tutorial on how to groom a horse. Though there are other ways to do it in my eight years of riding and caring for horses I've found that this is the simplest, fastest and most efficient way.

1

Using a rubber currycomb you want to grind the dirt out from under your horse's coat. You do this by scrubbing in small circles, starting at the top of the neck and moving down and over the shoulder and over the horse's rump. Be careful not to curry the flank (where the hip and the stomach meet) or down the legs past the shoulder or hip.

2

Next using a dandy brush flick the dirt off your horse's coat. Start at the top of your horse's neck and continue down to your horse's butt. You should clean your dandy brush every couple of strokes by brushing it with the plastic currycomb. (The plastic currycomb can also be used to brush your horse's mane and tail)

3

Once you've finished brushing your horse you clean its feet. You start with your horse's left front foot, then its left hind, then its right hind and then its front right. You pick up your horses foot and using one hand to hold it you use the other to scrape out the dirt w/ the metal part of the hoofpick. Be careful of the triangular piece of flesh on the bottom of your horse's foot, this is the frog and it is very sensitive. Next use the brush side of the hoofpick to scrub away leftover dirt and to clean the frog. Do this with every foot until you're done.

Photos courtesy of www.statelinetack.com