As well as keeping your horse looking and feeling fabulous, grooming is also the perfect way for you both to bond, building a positive relationship and allowing you to spend quality time together out of the arena. It’s also a great way to massage your horse’s muscles, promote circulation, and remove dead skin cells, as well as stimulating healthy oil production for a shiny coat. Finally, it can help you to spot any unusual bumps or scratches that might need some extra attention. With this in mind, we’ve put together a handy grooming guide packed with all your grooming kit essentials, so your favourite horse or pony can look their very best from head to hoof.
Brushes and Combs
There are lots of handy brushes that will help you care for your horse’s coat, ensuring it stays soft, silky, and shiny. Body brushes are perfect for day-to-day care, with softer bristles that easily brush away loose hair and dirt. If your horse is a mud monster, dandy brushes have firmer bristles that are ideal for removing dried mud from the coat. Face brushes are specifically designed for use on your horse’s face. They have soft and gentle bristles for this delicate area and are smaller in size, so they are easy to carefully manoeuvre away from the eyes.
Curry combs are typically made from plastic, rubber, or metal. The plastic and rubber versions are ideal for removing loose hair, mud, and dust from the coat, but they are best kept away from sensitive areas like the face and legs. Use your rubber curry comb in a circular motion for the best effect. Metal curry combs can have sharp teeth, so use these to remove the compacted hair and dirt from your other brushes rather than on your horse’s coat.
Grooming Mitts
Grooming mitts fit like a glove over your hand and are great for extra special grooming time. There are different types to choose from, with some palms featuring bristles, rubber nodules, or simply super soft fabric to brush and polish the coat.
Mane and Tail Combs
Mane and tail combs are a grooming kit essential to help keep your horse’s mane and tail silky smooth and tangle free. Start at the bottom to gently work out any knots, using slow and smooth strokes so as not to cause discomfort by pulling and jerking. Hold long tails in your hand as you groom to minimise any pulling felt by your horse and remember to stand to the side of your horse rather than directly behind them.
Hoof Picks and Brushes
Picking out your horse’s hooves is an important part of the grooming process for many reasons. It enables you to remove the mud and debris that become compacted in your horse’s hooves and allows you to regularly inspect the hooves for injury or sign of infection. For this, you’ll need a hoof pick. Start by running your hand down your horse’s leg to signal what you are doing. It may help to gently lean your weight against them if they are reluctant to lift their leg. Make sure to support the hoof in your hand while you clean in a downwards motion around the frog. When you are finished, gently lower the hoof to the ground.
Now you’re ready to have fun grooming your horse!
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