Grooming your horse is not all about getting your horse clean, the more time you spend with them, giving a good hands-on groom, the more you'll be rewarded for the time you invest as your bond with them.
Follow our simple 3 step routine to spring clean your horse with helpful tips and advice.
Start with an invigorating massage Start with a massage brush and use circular motions on your horse's coat. This effectively gives your horse a mini massage, helping to tone up his muscles and increase the blood flow. As you use the massage brush all over his body, you'll start to remove dead and loose hair, which is the first step towards a nice shine.
Work on the coat grease After the invigorating massage, give your horse a good brush over with a soft bristle brush. Brush in the direction of the coat growth and stroke away the dirt and grease.
Hot clothing Hot clothing helps to lift any of the dirt and coat dander that brushing has missed. For this use an old towel soaked in hot water with a solution such as baby lotion. Rub the towel all over your horse's body to lift any lingering grease or dirt. To read more on How To Hot Towel Your Horse, click here
Keep the white bits bright.
There's nothing worse than battling dirty white legs on the day of competition, and the key is to avoid dirt build-up on a horse's white areas is to clean them every day. With a good whitening shampoo that is mild and gentle, use frequently to keep the skin healthy and clean. When rinsing always make sure all the soap suds are removed, otherwise they can cause skin irritation. Towel dry thoroughly, and bandage if it's a cold day. Nothing worse than a horse with wet legs, standing in his stable getting cold.
Practice makes perfect Don't leave it until the day before going out to compete to start practicing plaiting. Instead, use your free time to practice the best shape and size plaits for you horse's neck. If your horse has a small neck pop in more plaits to lift the neck and accentuate the arch. If your horse has a big neck, use fewer plaits, as the neck will stand out without them. Elastic bands are quicker and easier to use than a needle and thread. To use bands, plait a piece of mane, tie off the end with a band and roll up to the base of the neck. Secure tightly with a second band that suit's your horse's mane in a similar colour.
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