Why a Clean Horse is a Happy Horse

Whether your horse is out competing or just hacking, you’ll always want them to look their best. However grooming is also important in order to ward off ticks, parasites and protect your horse’s wellbeing; it’s also known to make your horse feel happy!

Cleanliness promotes horse happiness

We all know that horses love a good roll in the field, especially in muddiest areas, but it’s up to you to make sure you brush off that muck to keep your horse feeling comfortable and looking great.

There is a huge variety of grooming products available including shampoo and conditioners, coat shine and hundreds of brushes such as dandy brushes, main combs and curry combs that will help to keep your horses coat clean and comfortable.

A daily grooming routine means that you have an excellent opportunity to look out for any minor injuries your horse might have sustained. Early treatment of sores can be introduced as a result of grooming but you’ll also build up a stronger relationship with your horse.

Grooming promotes horse health

Equine lice look like dandruff on a coat but are in fact a parasite that makes life very uncomfortable for your horse. Use your cleaning routine to check out for them.

There are numerous safe shampoos on the market that are perfect for treating this problem and an anti-bacterial shampoo will also help.

Another unwanted friend that can be treated by efficient grooming is the tick. This horrible bloodsucker loves warm-blooded animals that graze outside and they need to be carefully removed by using special tick remover which then takes off the whole tick, not just the body.

Make sure that you look around your animal’s ears and legs when grooming to check for ticks as these are two of their favourite breeding spots.

One last pest to look when grooming is the Chorioptes mite. This little critter causes mange, which can lead to inflamed skin and discomfort in your horse.

Another variant from the same family is the Psoraptes which can cause swelling around your animal’s ears so always look for signs of these parasites when grooming to treat any problems early on.

How to groom your horse for happiness

As grooming and cleaning your horse maintains their health and wellbeing it is no wonder that the activity makes them happy too.

Before you start your grooming session, make sure that you have all the right tools to hand. You’ll need a curry comb to attack dirt, a dandy brush to loosen hair and a hoof pick to take care of those precious feet.

Cleaning your horse is a great way of checking that its whole body is in good condition so take your time when grooming.