Does anybody groom their horses any more?

blackcob

blackcob

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As title, really. I've recently been appalled at the state of some of the other horses at the livery yard we are on, kept by people who are for the most part generally horsey and competent.

Said horses are often ridden out dirty, for example, brought straight out of the field with muddy patches on and have tack put straight on. Their coats are greasy to the touch, leave a residue on your hands when you pat them and they smell slightly offensive. Sort of a mix of musty old horsehair and urine.
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They often have crusty eyes too.

My horse has a clean, silky, shiny coat that smells of warm clean hair, and I wouldn't dream of putting tack on her unless she was clean all over. I even brush the shavings out of her tail before leading her out to the field.
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Am I in the minority or what? I find myself regularly ridiculed and put down on for having a clean smart horse which is beginning to make me seethe inside.

I enjoy the bonding time spent bodybrushing her, it leaves her clean and sparkly, feeling comfortable and gives me some good exercise to boot (it's not proper brushing unless you're in a sweat afterwards!).
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I brush Sol everyday
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I am obsessed with keeping her white bits white though so I need to brush everyday
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But I know I am in the minority on my yard aswell
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I have to be honest and say yes, I brush my horses but not obsessively
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They all as a matter of course get their feet picked out and an injury inspection when they come in and the pony / yearling get a brush over a couple of times a week. I'm slightly more obsessive about the 4yr old but she's in work so a different scenario.
 
I flick Ted of morning and Night to get rid of the worst, and has a fuill groom (an hour min) on my two days off..

If i bring him in from the field filthy and want to ride, then i will brush the bits that need to be clean well and i flick the rest off..

He is usually very cleen and very shiney (not today, hes been int he bog)

At our yard, i would say that it is the minority that DONT groom, the others all seem to flick off like i do.

Lou x
 
Have just got back home from the yard & have spent about 40 mins grooming!
I think you are right - I'm a member of a local riding club & have recently turned up to a few 'training' sessions and some horses are filthy. Clearly they have been brought in from the field, loaded on the lorry, tacked up & ridden! Personally I'd be embarrased turning up to a RC training session on a horse that clearly hadn't been groomed.
My horse is kept at a local racing yard - all the horses are spotless. Grooming is part of their daily care. They get 15 mins grooming in the morning & 20 mins in the evening. No woodshavings in tails allowed!
The horses all look very well & grooming's a great way to check for injuries etc.
 
I groom Ellie but not every day. There are some on our yard that groom when they fetch in, ride and groom before turning back out. There is one owner who washes her neds feet nearly every day and we don't have a great deal of mud even in the depths of winter
 
Two of mine live out, so it would be unfair to keep grooming them and take the natural protection out of their coats. That's not to say they smell of urine though.
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When I bury my face in their necks they smell all warm and sort of cosy, and the mare smells different to the gelding, more "biscuity".
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When I ride I make sure the essential bits are nice and clean, but wouldn't obsess about the odd patch of mud elsewhere. Also, I don't brush manes and tails very often, which is why when I do brush them out they are so long, lush and lovely.
Obviously feet are picked out, the stabled horse and the two live-out ponies. If I'm short of time I can just take a hoof pick into the field for that.
 
Mine are all groomed daily before exercise but not after, the reason being I am not always there to supervise their ridden work (if not riding myself) and the very simple proof of them having been ridden is a sweat mark under saddle.
The white one is brushed, but not made white unless she is going out - be it on a hack or to a show - then it's hot cloth to remove red colouring from mud and green/yellow stable or grass stains.
Tails are only brushed if full of bedding or going to a show, I am a great believer in not interfering with tails if possible.
Manes are only pulled, brushed in the competition season.
 
Yep!
As i have a grey the winter is usually spent preening and making the white bits at least a bit white and i WILL NOT go out on a ride unless my horse is clean, or if i do ill find myself embarrissed.
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Its just the way i work
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p.s. I never wash legs, I think it's an invitation to mud fever.

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I agree totally, I see these same people on a freezing winter evening blasting mud into their horse's skin with an ice-cold hose, then they wonder why they get terrible mud fever...
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I just leave it on overnight and brush the dry mud off in the morning.
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She only gets a full shampooey bath the night before a show, which isn't often as we don't have our own transport, lol!
 
I groom my horses every day. One of them is half white (skewbald) so harder to keep clean but i do try! Most people i know are pretty good about grooming their horses.
 
I dunno, I brush mine when it's time to ride, and knock any dried mud off them when they come in from the field. Legs get hosed religiously when it's wet, have to risk mudfever due to the sort of mud we have - I'd never see smaller injuries if I didn't (seriously).

But I have been on yards where people brush and groom and faff to the n'th degree, but never seem to ride and if they do anything at all it's the dreaded P word (not saying people who brush horses are all P people, I think I was just on that sort of yard). There were 20 horses on one yard, most of them gleamed at all times, most of thos were never ridden and many were the worst mannered beasts I ever came across.

My horses look well, they are happy, shine on their coats, and a gleam in their eyes, tack is serviceably clean - not a problem. My mare who is on box rest atm gets 1/2 hour twice a day of brushing which she enjoys.

I'm another who doesn't brush tails. I pull out bits with my fingers before hacking or schoolong, and wash condition and comb through care fully before hunting/competitions. Manes are pulled super short, I can't stand untidy long manes except on breeds that should have long ones.
 
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Two of mine live out, so it would be unfair to keep grooming them and take the natural protection out of their coats. That's not to say they smell of urine though.
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When I bury my face in their necks they smell all warm and sort of cosy, and the mare smells different to the gelding, more "biscuity".
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When I ride I make sure the essential bits are nice and clean, but wouldn't obsess about the odd patch of mud elsewhere. Also, I don't brush manes and tails very often, which is why when I do brush them out they are so long, lush and lovely.
Obviously feet are picked out, the stabled horse and the two live-out ponies. If I'm short of time I can just take a hoof pick into the field for that.

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Same here. All my horses live out, 24/7, unrugged all winter. They only get the essential bits brushed over when ridden and a proper all over scrub once a week or so.

They're coats are oily but they should be. They doesn't smell nasty though
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One livery however seemes to equate a good groom with proper horse care. One of her horses is very underweight, the other one obese, they have terribly itchy mite-y legs and appalling thrush. She has no idea what to feed them, and couldn't tell when one was hopping about for 4days with an abcess in the hind foot. But her horses are shiney clean with well brushed manes and tails, so that makes it all ok.
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Mine gets a quick all over brush every day with the body brush and mane and tail done, and a "proper" groom 2-3 times a week. Having said that, if I am in a rush and only riding in the school in the evening I may just knock the mud off and make sure the saddle and bridle areas are clear. I wouldn't go out anywhere without making sure she was smart though.
 
I brush my horses every time before I ride and sometimes after as well as they are moulting like mad atm.
At work we brush every horse that has been ridden and every horse that isn't clipped as they are moulting so much. It usually means every horse is brushed every other day, not ideal but we have 26 horses between 3 of us.
 
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But I have been on yards where people brush and groom and faff to the n'th degree, but never seem to ride and if they do anything at all it's the dreaded P word (not saying people who brush horses are all P people, I think I was just on that sort of yard).

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Oh yes, I've come across these as well, the other side of the spectrum as it were! I do my share of faffing and fussing but at the end of the day I'm equally happy to undo all that good work by galloping on a muddy track or going for a swim in the ford.
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Must be mad to spend all those hours grooming and tack cleaning the night before hunting, only to be black/brown head to toe ten minutes after setting off.
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I once knew a girl whose poor pony was rugged 24/7, 365 days a year, even on the hottest summer days. She was an obsessive cleaner and a 'scared to ride' as well - thank god she hadn't discovered the P word though, although her horse still had appalling manners!

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Manes are pulled super short, I can't stand untidy long manes except on breeds that should have long ones.

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If I didn't have an M&M then mane pulling would be a biggie, certainly. I hate to see TB types with a long straggly mane - nothing against long manes, but when the ends are all raggledy and sunbleached I have an urge to get the pulling comb out!
 
Luckily my horses are supposed to have long manes. I hate short manes.
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My Arab's mane is now nearly all the way down his shoulder now - so watch him rub it out in the summer...
I don't quite get why it is supposed to be "good" to groom once or even twice a day. Or is everyone talking about stabled and religiously rugged horses? Even the horse who comes in doesn't get over-groomed, particularly as winter comes on. But then, he doesn't get rugged until it's necessary either.
 
Two of mine live out. One is fully clipped so only her saddle patch is hairy and the other has a trace clip. The full clipped one is rugged at night. They still get a groom every time I ride as they are moulting so much. I curry comb and dandy brush so I don't take too much grease out.
 
Mine arent rugged, I dont groom unless I'm riding or have spare time and want to bring them in to the barn. They've been out now for about a month.

They dont smell, leave nothing on your hands and certainly dont have crusty eyes
 
Mine are all groomed at least once a day and often twice. However, if you look at my very hairy mare you would think she hadn't seen a brush in months. I am taking bucket loads of hair off her and still no sign of her summer coat!!
 
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Or is everyone talking about stabled and religiously rugged horses? Even the horse who comes in doesn't get over-groomed, particularly as winter comes on. But then, he doesn't get rugged until it's necessary either.

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Wouldn't consider mine religiously stabled and rugged; certainly she's clipped in the winter, rugged to suit and comes in at night then, but she's out every day whatever the weather and out 24/7 in summer. I think that's a fairly normal regime for a horse that's in work year-round.
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I just find it bizarre to encounter horses that smell of ammonia and have poor, scurfy coats. Even when mine is out 24/7 in summer she is still clean-smelling and shiny. Maybe it's a management issue as well as a case of whether you groom or not, but I do think a good grooming regime is indicative of good overall care in general. The experience of a previous poster notwithstanding.
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Mine are all groomed at least once a day and often twice. However, if you look at my very hairy mare you would think she hadn't seen a brush in months. I am taking bucket loads of hair off her and still no sign of her summer coat!!

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Oh gosh, tell me about it. I made the mistake of getting her blanket-clipped this time round, and I am suddenly reminded of why a full clip is so much easier to deal with.
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It's good fun to watch the birds come down and take the hair clumps off the muck heap for their nests though.
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Ponio is groomed everytime I read. She is a grey though so sometimes does have stable stains that would require washing out but unless we're going out, as opposed to just hacking around the roads, I jsut brush it out as best I can. I spend agggges brushing her tail though. Her tail is yummy
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I often brush her just cos I can, not that I am going to ride or anything.
 
I too have noticed this. I work Full Time and so I need to use the time I have with my horse sensibly and get the essential things done. Usually, I will give him a quick flick over before I ride him and then brush him properly after I have ridden. I make sure I give him a thorough groom at least twice a week. However, if my horse was filthy I wouldn't be able to just flick him over and tack up, I would have to spend longer as I like him to look tidy and presentable.
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I'm with you, I'm a groomer. He has to be clean and lovely before I ride or I don't enjoy it as much! I quite often give him a good groom when he's having a day off, so he knows sometimes I will just spend nice time with him rather than riding every time I see him. I call them our "love-ins"
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At one yard I was on, people used to laugh at me and joke that my horse went to bed cleaner than theirs went to shows!

I do have some friends who just don't groom - one claims her horse doesn't like it and will ride out with mud caked up its neck. I have to say, I don't like riding with her when her horse is like this!!

I have gone too much the other way though, and when daylight is running out on occasion I've missed out on riding because I've taken too long getting him ready. On the odd occasion when light has been short I've forced myself to brush off saddle and bridle bits and ride. But I won't go outside of our farm if that's the case!

When we've been out anywhere and he's got all hot I put him away while I unload the lorry and clean it out, and then when he's all dry I'll curry him all over, to get the dried sweat, dust, hair and salt out. I figure it's giving something back at the end of a long day when he's worked and tried hard for me; he'll feel nice and will sleep better, and also the massage and stimulation will do his muscles good if they are tired. I see it as the equivalent of me going home for a hot bath!
 
I am always one for clean neat presentable ponies. It sets a good example. Ponies never went anywhere with dirt on, If they were leaving the yard they'd have a splash of hoof oil(didnt leave the yard (hacking) very much) on and they always look smart and presentable. Always had nice comments.
When any pony was worked it was brushed off mane run through quickly, Tail left. legs brushed off completly. After work untacked flicked off no matter how much they had done.

Went to an in hand show once and one of the ponies in my class was a grey that had the biggest poo stain ever on its rump and down its leg! I couldnt have gone in a ring like that!!!

Oh my god I sound anal! lol

I just think we should be proud of our horses and keeping them clean is 1 step in the right direction.
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Can't wait to be grooming a pony again and being proud of how clean it is
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P.s im am not a compulsive groomer! I promise
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Once a day unless worked!
 
I'm afraid my daughter and I are probably the sort of people you look down on. For daily exercise, we ensure the tack areas are clean, but are not adverse to riding out with bits of mud left on, particularly in the winter. Daylight hours after school are limited in the winter and we don't have a school, so I am not going to sacrifice riding time in order to ensure the horses are clean and shiny.

However, pony is always immaculately turned out for rallies, lessons and competitions - to the extent that it is usually remarked upon by others.
 
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