Gorgeous George
Well-Known Member
As a kid I was always taught not to use a body brush on any horse that went out at all during winter becasue the brush removed too much grease from the coat. Is this still accepted advice or have things changed?
Using a body brush in winter?
- Thread starter Gorgeous George
- Start date
jumpthemoon
Well-Known Member
If you are rugging up it doesn't matter. If not though, you shouldn't use a body brush as it removes the oils in the coat.
Shilasdair
Patting her thylacine
I body brush mine, and they live out 24/7. They are rugged though, so I'm quite happy to brush out the grease from their coats without ill effect. My friend's gelding lives out nude, and we don't brush him with them..>
S
S
B_2_B
Well-Known Member
Ours still get body brushed but they will start coming in at night from wednesday.
peanut
Well-Known Member
I only use a body brush for sensitive areas in winter, otherwise a dandy brush for my grass kept horse. But then I'm probably just old fashioned!
YorkshireLass
Well-Known Member
Body brushing removes grease. Grease is the horses waterproofing.
If the horse is rugged, it has alternative waterproofing!
We should also bear in mind that this wisdom comes from an age where a horse would be vigorously groomed for about 2 hours a day by very fit grooms. If the groom wasn't dripping with sweat they were not doing the job properly. Very few people strap, quarter and full groom today. The old fasioned grooming regime would remove enough grease to affect the water proofing of the horse.
The 20 minuite grooming sessions of today are a cats lick compared to the vigorous pummelings that horses used to get. You would be unlikely to remove so much grease as to make the horse suffer for it!
The yard manager would test the grooms skills by rubbing a white silk handkerchief over the freshly groomed horse. Any discolouration to the white silk and the groom was not doing his job!
If the horse is rugged, it has alternative waterproofing!
We should also bear in mind that this wisdom comes from an age where a horse would be vigorously groomed for about 2 hours a day by very fit grooms. If the groom wasn't dripping with sweat they were not doing the job properly. Very few people strap, quarter and full groom today. The old fasioned grooming regime would remove enough grease to affect the water proofing of the horse.
The 20 minuite grooming sessions of today are a cats lick compared to the vigorous pummelings that horses used to get. You would be unlikely to remove so much grease as to make the horse suffer for it!
The yard manager would test the grooms skills by rubbing a white silk handkerchief over the freshly groomed horse. Any discolouration to the white silk and the groom was not doing his job!
MagicMelon
Well-Known Member
I've always wondered why exactly a body brush is frowned upon when a dandy etc. is not? They have the same bristles?! Is it the spacing between them (ie. body brushes have shorter and more dense bristles) that brings the grease out?
I personally never body brush my native unrugged ponies but only because a body brush isnt stiff enough to remove the filth they come in with! I do BB the other 2 horses but they're clipped and rugged.
I personally never body brush my native unrugged ponies but only because a body brush isnt stiff enough to remove the filth they come in with! I do BB the other 2 horses but they're clipped and rugged.