Just for Fun: What's your grooming routine?

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peanut0611

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Hey everyone :) Would love to hear your grooming routines! Here's mine.

If she's been out in the field:
- Pick out feet
- Wash mud off legs & hooves
- Brush mane & tail
- Rubber currycomb, scrub mud out of coat & face
- Hard-bristled dandy brush to go over coat & face

If she's been in, it's pretty much everything except washing/scrubbing off mud. After the ride she gets brushed/sponged off again. Once a week she gets her Cornucrescine hoof moisturiser on (she has great feet, and more than once a week makes them a bit soft in this weather), and her whiskers/mane/anywhere-else-hairy trimmed.

What's your routine? :)
 
Pick out feet.
Wash hands in freezing water whilst muttering darkly.
Attack mud on belly and behind ears with body brush.
Abandon body brush in favour of rubber curry comb.
Scrub harder.
Swap to dry water brush in the hope it might shift more.
Once the lumps are finally off where tack's going to go, dust over the rest with the body brush, because by this time we've both lost all enthusiasm for grooming in the freezing cold.
Tail gets washed every few weeks, and left the rest of the time.

Roll on summer!
 
Pick feet out, flick over with dandy brush, condition mane and tail and brush through with dandy brush, brush face then grease hoofs.. Applies when she's in and out as she's generally a clean horse and fields aren't too muddy (not above hoof deep) even in all the rain we had!
 
Klix said:
Pick feet out, flick over with dandy brush, condition mane and tail and brush through with dandy brush, brush face then grease hoofs.. Applies when she's in and out as she's generally a clean horse and fields aren't too muddy (not above hoof deep) even in all the rain we had!
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You're so lucky! Both my mares get absolutely, embarrassingly filthy and then have a tantrum when I try to brush everything out. 14hh isn't so bad, but the 17hh one is a danger to me, herself and others.
 
She's a proper girlie :p and luckily, even if she does get plastered she LOVES to be groomed, I don't think I could have a horse that didn't :)
 
Pick out feet
Scratch under her mane for a while ( she loves it!), getting some great faces! :)
Brush mane and tail
Give coat a quick brush over (she's fully rugged so stays really clean luckily)
Brush face (she loves that too!)
Tack up.

If just schooling then a quick brush over after untacking.
If we've been out then a quick brush after untacking and legs washed (underneath sometimes too if its been a really dirty ride) and check feet again.
 
Liveries and my own who are in at night -

- legs and tummies washed off with hot hose
- feet picked out
- mud sponged off faces, necks etc. with hot water
- mane and tail brushed out with mane and tail detangler and my old hairbrush (only once a week for the Friesian, but every day for the others)
- body brush all over
- Newmarket scrub with hot hot water all over
- baby oil from the armpits down to help stop mud sticking
- hoof oil once a week
- those who are clipped get clipped out once a week, and those who aren't get any hairy bits (ears, whiskers etc.) trimmed once a week
- manes and tails pulled as needed

Those who live out are only groomed when they come in for anything like vets or farriers. They get legs washed off, feet picked out and the mud brushed off with a rubber curry comb, then manes and tails brushed.
 
Klix said:
She's a proper girlie :p and luckily, even if she does get plastered she LOVES to be groomed, I don't think I could have a horse that didn't :)
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When I first bought him, GD wasn't too keen on being groomed . . . now he LOVES it . . . the key, though, is choosing the right brushes . . . he's a sensitive chap and really doesn't like stiff-bristled brushes (bless him).

P
 
Starzaan said:
Liveries and my own who are in at night -

- legs and tummies washed off with hot hose
- feet picked out
- mud sponged off faces, necks etc. with hot water
- mane and tail brushed out with mane and tail detangler and my old hairbrush (only once a week for the Friesian, but every day for the others)
- body brush all over
- Newmarket scrub with hot hot water all over
- baby oil from the armpits down to help stop mud sticking
- hoof oil once a week
- those who are clipped get clipped out once a week, and those who aren't get any hairy bits (ears, whiskers etc.) trimmed once a week
- manes and tails pulled as needed

Those who live out are only groomed when they come in for anything like vets or farriers. They get legs washed off, feet picked out and the mud brushed off with a rubber curry comb, then manes and tails brushed.
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:eek: :eek: How do you find time to muck out?! :eek:
 
If you like, however mines alway broken! She's the most accident prone horse iv ever had and is on box rest 24/7 at the moment :( has been for the past month except for plodding ( I use that lighty!!) around the school twice a day.. So if you want a clean horse that uses a lot if bedding and loves the vet to be called bring you box tomorrow :)
 
Wash legs and feet
Pick out pick
Dandy brush on caked mucky areas
body brush on the nice clean part under the rug :p
Brush mane and tail with conditioner spray.

He hates getting his face brushed.... ive told him if he didnt get it so bogging there wouldnt be a problem!

*hiding his face, hoping I dont notice how mucky he is!*
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Klix said:
If you like, however mines alway broken! She's the most accident prone horse iv ever had and is on box rest 24/7 at the moment :( has been for the past month except for plodding ( I use that lighty!!) around the school twice a day.. So if you want a clean horse that uses a lot if bedding and loves the vet to be called bring you box tomorrow :)
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Ahh see we don't have that issue. Neither of my girls are very accident prone, they're quite careful where they put their feet :) *Knocks on all wood found* The big mare is still booted up to her eyeballs in the field though, not risking it as she can be silly!
 
3Beasties said:
:eek: :eek: How do you find time to muck out?! :eek:
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I'm on the yard at 4:30am every morning.

I've also got a good routine going, and the grooming is throughout the day as they're ridden. When I bring them in for bed they get legs washed off, feet picked out, and any mud sponged off faces. I've found that if you keep them clean all the time, it's much quicker!
 
I'm will you 3B bare minimum remove from needed areas of mud and **** stains . I'm lucky not mine or darcys idea of fun. She does enjoy a good scratch though !
 
Pick out feet
Wash off legs and hooves
Brush over body with plastic curry comb
Then with rubber curry comb
Brush legs with small rubber curry comb for dried mud and then with a soft brush
Then Mane and tail
Face with soft face brush
Baby wipe eyes and nostrils
Then flick off whole body
:D slightly anal about grooming!!
 
Ahh see we don't have that issue. Neither of my girls are very accident prone, they're quite careful where they put their feet *Knocks on all wood found* The big mare is still booted up to her eyeballs in the field though, not risking it as she can be silly!


I tried booting, this time round she caught herself in the stable and had what I thought was a featured splint bone, fortunately X-rays and scans showed extensive bruising, but my goodness she's a wimp!! Do you think I could put travel boots on her overnight?! :p
 
We have an absolutely rigid routine :)

Every day, without fail, his hooves are cleaned and frogs squirted with something antibacterial.

See, told you I was a slave to routine :D

On riding days (about 4 or 5 days a week at the moment), a quick flick over areas where tack touches - so that would be behind ears, any part of face that's muddy, and saddle and girth areas.

Absolutely without fail, I brush out mane and tail at least once a month :D If I'm in the mood and it's dry, I will brush other areas including legs about once every two or three weeks.

He lives out. Most of the time, he keeps himself superbly clean - the worst I have to deal with on a daily basis is that he may have a damp patch on his flanks and the side of his head where he's just been lying down. Sometimes, he has a wee bit of mud on his withers from rolling.

I make up for all that grooming I don't do by standing and stroking and scratching him for about 5 minutes a day ;)

ETA - he's been with me for 6 years now. And in that time, he has never had a bath or had his legs washed ;-)
 
Pick out feet, remove rug rub girth area with hand to make sure clean and replace with saddle and exercise sheet. Scrape off mud from face and neck if dry else rub this with old towel..put on bridle and go.

If there is poop in tail I may remove that with a wet wipe also. ;)
 
Klix said:
I tried booting, this time round she caught herself in the stable and had what I thought was a featured splint bone, fortunately X-rays and scans showed extensive bruising, but my goodness she's a wimp!! Do you think I could put travel boots on her overnight?! :p
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Haha not too sure how well that would go down welfare-wise... My big mare had Kissing Spines for a suspected period of over 3 years and didn't show any symptoms, she's quite the toughie in that department! 5 injections of cortisone and a lot of physio later she's doing (and winning) elementary dressage! <3
 
Mine all live out. Bring in, take off rug, brush head (where the bridle touches) run my hands over the saddle and girth areas, brush as necessary which is generally just under his belly where the girth goes. Scraping mud off and out of hooves before putting hoof boots on is pretty unpleasant. I would love to have a clean horse, but time doesn't allow it in the winter - I rode twice in December, and twice so far in January!
 
With my girlie:
1) Battle to tie horse to wall, she'd rather spin in circles thanks. Attempt to remove rug, though easier said than done as she has clocked onto the fact that SOMETHING is going to happen and has begun bouncing up and down.
2) Try to convince her to lift up each foot while she jumps up and down snorting and waves the other 3 in the air (this can take upto 15 minutes)
3) Sigh of relief, put hoofpick down, take breather and energy drink
4) Go to fetch escaped horse who has now broken free and is doing laps of the yard
5) "Do her hair" and try to comb through tail as it spins in my face
6) Go back into battle with dandy brush to the still-very-much-active-legs
7) Swap to softy softy body brush for everywhere else - if softy softy brush is not used on neck/body/tummy areas I receive punishment
8) Clamber onto something to gain extra height in order to brush a face which has been poked up into the air
9) Prepare for part 2: The Tack :rolleyes:


The boys are much easier - hooves, dandy brush for muddy bits & mane/tail, body brush for not-too-bad bits - done!
 
starryeyed said:
Mud monster!!

With my girlie:
1) Battle to tie horse to wall, why stand when something exciting's about to happen??
2) Try to convince her to lift up each foot while she jumps up and down snorting and waves the other 3 in the air (this can take upto 15 minutes)
3) Sigh of relief, put hoofpick down, take breather and energy drink
4) Go to fetch escaped horse who has now broken free and is doing laps of the yard
5) "Do her hair" and try to comb through tail as it spins in my face
6) Go back into battle with dandy brush to the still-very-much-active-legs
7) Swap to softy softy body brush for everywhere else - if softy softy brush is not used on neck/body/tummy areas I receive punishment
8) Clamber onto something to gain extra height in order to brush a face which has been poked up into the air
9) Prepare for part 2: The Tack :rolleyes:


The boys are much easier - hooves, dandy brush for muddy bits & mane/tail, body brush for not-too-bad bits - done!
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Hahaha my little mare is like this. LIFE IS SO EXCITING!
 
Scrub girth area with dandy brush.
Scrub back legs to exact boot height specifications so no additional work.
Sigh at eye bogeys/snot/forelock.
Stand back and admire.
 
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