Before you start grooming your horse, make sure you have all the things you need in order to groom correctly.

You will need:

Hair Brush for Mane
Soft Brush
Scissors to cut mane and tailn ( if necessary )
Body Brush
Currycomb
Hoof Pick
Two Sponges
Hard Plastic Brush
Skin cream (if necessary)

Step 1: Grooming the Horses Mane and Tail

The First step in grooming are the mane and the tail of the horse.

Use the Hair Brush to brush through the horse’s mane, be careful not to make fast unexpected movements, especially as you get closer to the horses head and ears. Some horses might not like that.

When grooming the tail, be careful to not rip out too much hair. You can also use the Body brush which will prevent too many hairs to rip out of the horse’s tail. Those hairs will take 7 years to fully grow back to their initial length!

TIPP: When brushing the tail, divide the tail into sections and hold each of them individually while you brush the lower end. This also prevents too many hairs from being pulled out.

Step 2: Cleaning the Hoofs:

After this, the next step would involve cleaning the horse’s hoofs.

When picking up the horses hoof be sure to:

Stand next to the horse, not in font of the horse or anyway behind the leg because it might kick you might kick you or run you over when it spooks.

Slowly move your hand down the horse’s leg, this will make the horse lift its hoof. This is what the horse has learned to be the command for lifting its hoof.

When you have lifted the hoof, hold the hoof with the hand facing to the horses side and clean the hoof using the hoof pick with your other hand, as seen on the picture.

Remove any small stones and dirt out of the hoof, especially in the areas marked red on the pictures. In these areas stones can easily get stuck under or in-between the hoof and the horseshoe.

Be organized: Clean the front two hoofs first and then clean the horse’s hind hoofs.

X X X ---Don’t be surprised! The hind legs of the horse are often a bit harder to clean as they are heavier.

IN AN EMERGENCY:

In the case that the horse spooks, let go of the horse’s leg immediately and quickly move away from the horse’s range, preferably somewhere, where the horse can see you and won’t run you over accidentally.

Step 3: Grooming the Horses Fur

When grooming the horses fur you should use the body brush, the plastic brushand the soft brush.

If the horse is very dirty it is recommended that you use the blue plastic brush first which will help you remove all the hard dirt in the horses fur. Do not use this brush on the horse’s legs or head!

After you have removed all the rough dirt you should use the body brush to clean the fur and make it straight so that the saddle and the snaffle will not cause bruises on the horse’s skin if the dirt rubs in between the equipment and the horse.

Brush the horse in the direction of the fur and move from the front of the horse to the backside in an organized manner.

When brushing the head it might be helpful to use the soft brush if it is not too dirty, as some horses are very sensitive in the head area. Do not clean the horse’s ears! Many horses are very sensitive on their ears and might spook and run you over. Make sure you stand next to the horse! Not in front of it!

Use the body brush to clean the horse’s legs and hoofs, make sure to not kneel down but crouch down next to the horse. Do not move under the horse, stand behind or in front of the horse’s legs. It might be helpful to make noises while you are doing this so the horse knows exactly where you are and won’t run you over or step on you accidentally.

Step 4:

LAST STEPS:

The last finished involve:
• The two sponges
• Hoof Oil

After you have finished grooming the horses main parts you can be extra clean and make sure the horses nose and its behind is clean.
Use the sponges to clean the nose, make sure not to stick the sponge too high up the horse’s nose!
When cleaning the horses behind, don’t move inside of it. Clean it from the outside only. This might involve a little more force because the dirt might have gotten hard around that area.

When you have completed that step you could give extra care to horse’s hoofs. Coat each of the hoofs with a small bit of oil on the inside and outside. This will prevent the hoofs from drying out.

Step 5:

The horse is your partner, show him respect and he will do the same.
Make sure you give him a treat on occasion or when he has done something good.
If your horse doesn't do what it is suppose to do, like not standing still or purposely tries to bite, show the horse that this is not what it should be doing! Use an angry or calm voice as well as dominant body language when communicating with your horse!