Just for Fun: What's your grooming routine?

[Klix]

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


Aww bless her, what a brave girl, and well done to you too for persevering!!

 

[MoodyMare11]

just a quick daily routine involves feet being picked out and mud comming off anywhere where his tack and boots go. If I'm really spending time on him I'll do everything and make him all shiny, mane tail everythingg


xx

 

[Carefreegirl]

I don't

 

[nikicb]

What is this grooming that you talk of??

That said, they are clean when they leave the premises.

 

[ShadowFlame]

Plastic curry to scrub, long bristle dandy to brush off. Mane, tail and feather (if dry) with mane brush, pick feet out.

That's about as far as I go lol!

 

[benson21]

Ummm....pick out feet, ummm..look at grooming kit, and think i really should give him a brush.....Grooming...what does that mean???

 

[Uraeus]

Pick out feet. Start at head, nice soft body brush for face, dandy for neck/mane/back/legs. Rubber curry for stubborn mud. Soft body again for inside legs. Body for tail pull any straggly bits of mane. Condition tail.

 

[cold_feet]

I make sure there's not mud under tack........

 

[ElleSkywalker]

Grooming for normal ride....brush under tummy where girth goes, brush behind ears, put tack on & weeeeeeeee off for ridies

Most of my chums are the same opinion, ie as long as clean where tack touches away we go I have one riding buddy who insits on brushing her pony throuhly before every ride meaning we only get to go out for short rides

Competition days however go a little like this.....

Night before,

Brush all 4 of horses legs, removing weeks of solid mud

Wash white socks & put chalk powder on wet legs

Brush all over with super soft brush

Brush head with super soft brush (involes me hanging onto head as she chucks it all over, am now v good at brushing while being swung about )

Brush mane, brush out tail & spray with conditioner.

Turn horse out......(needs to be out at night or will seize up)

Next morning,

Repeat all above at 6am, plait & put on travel kit.

Get to event, get horse off lorry, the proceed to sob uncontrollably as horse is filthy when you get her in.daylight

 

[Cobsndogs]

Hose feet and legs up to knees
Pick out feet
Go round body with plastic curry comb
Knees, face, armpits get a going over with wire wool stuff, gently !
Spray mane and tail in said manes and tails, then comb through
Go over body, legs, belly with one of the finer long bristles dandy brushes
Brush tail out again
Go round again with a body brush
Face with a little face brush
Sometimes go round again with a sheepskin mitt
Kevin bacon their hooves every 2-3 days
All this times 2 horses prior to riding, one is very clean the other crossed with a warthog
Then after they have been ridden I will flick them over again with the long bristled brush
( I only have time to clean myself once a week !!!)

 

[Ellen Durow]

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?

Morning

Clean any mud off feet and pick out. Brush out feet.

In mild weather strip rugs. In cold weather quarter.

Pick mud out of mane and tail by rubbing with fingers, brush mane and tail with body brush (NOT stiff brush) working into roots in sections.

Dandy brush for dried mud on body and legs.

Body brush all over to remove dust and to distribute natural oils in coat. Six stroke for each patch of skin. (Horse enjoys it if I count out loud - strange beast!).

Body brush or special soft face brush on face

Damp sponge under dock, round eyes and nostrils and in ears(separate sponge for each).

We used to go over the show horses' coats with a silk scarf after grooming before a show to enhance the sheen on the coat - a counsel of perfection which you don't see often these days.

Evening Stables Set fair for night.

Pick out feet

Quick brush over with body brush

Wipe eyes, ears, nostrils and dock with damp sponges.

 

[Skippys Mum]

I brush the bits that tack will touch! In summer if his legs are muddy I will give them a quick hose down but I dont bother in the winter. He gets pig oiled over winter though so I dont need to wash them.

If he is going partying though he gets his legs and tail washed but the rest of the time he looks pretty minging

 

[Ellen Durow]

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!

Sorry, but you shouldn't brush manes and tails with anything stiffer than a body brush. Dandy or other stiff brush will break the hair. As will those horrid metal or plastic pin brushes - WotD!!

Dandy brushes are at the bottom of a lot of complaints about sparse manes and tails.

 

[Grinchmass]

Swear under my breath about the fact that he isn't the same colour as he was when I turned him out, he was grey, is now disgusting brown colour. And the fields aren't even bad he's just a pig, and I think he's trying to camouflage himself.

Then swear under my breath some more as he dances side to side, breaks a headcollar and beggars off while I'm trying to remove the grime.

Have now been showing his tea under his nose as he stands still and actually seems not to mind.

It's more the standing in one place too long he objects to opposed to the actual grooming business