It has been proven that the single most important thing you can do for your horse is.....grooming.
We all like to take a bath on a regular basis, it makes us feel better.
A good cleaning for our horse does the same for them.
More importantly, grooming your horse on a daily basis does more than keep them clean, it builds a solid relationship with your horse.
It can be pretty much a conclusion that if you cannot give your horse a complete body grooming you will not have success doing ground work or work from the saddle.
This is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do with your horse!!!
I cannot stress this enough. If you want to be partners with your horse learn to groom them properly and daily.
They will love you for it, it will build your confidence as a horse owner and be the true beginning of a strong relationship.
Be especially consistant with foot care, their health depends on it. Make sure that they are balanced before you begin.
Also remember when you lift their hind feet they will naturally pull back, this has to do with tendons, they are not trying to kick you.
Gently pull the hind leg toward you and rest it on your thigh and pull the bottom of the hoof upwards, using a good pick clean everywhere, from the the heel towards the toe.
Keep in mind that some horses feet are more sensitive than others, like some people, so be aware of this.
Remember, grooming your horse is the beggining of the relationship.
Ronda
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Horse Behavior and Training
Grooming, why???
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Yes I too think this is the most important thing you can do for your horse, it also makes you aware of any problems there might be as you work around your horse you will become so familiar with him that any small changes you will notice quickly. I would add that this is no small job especially if you live in the uk. As winter can be very challenging with so much mud, but all the more important.
grooming is the very first thing i taught my two young girls to do with they're horses before i allowed them to ride. it is important to be aware of the horses body and how it feels.how the coat swirls in diff directions and look for anything out of the ordinary. now the girls ponies have such a bond with them its fab i love watching them talk to the ponies as they groom and watching how the ponies react to the girls. laura-mae is 5 and her pony pippin in 5 and lili-ann is 3 and has just been given a yearling section a pony which follows her around like a little dog lol
Yes, here in Canada we too have harsh weather and horses love to roll, of course as soon as you have them groomed and let them out into the pasture they find the first mud and are covered with it.
I sometimes wonder if STAR is black or gold!!
I use several different tools when grooming STAR and each one has it's own purpose, one is a shedding blade that works wonders on mud, I let it dry a bit first.
One has to be careful with this tool, to go lightly on the legs because of the lack of flesh, but when used lightly it does wonders.
Most of the research I have done suggests twice a day grooming but we have to be realistic that unless you have a groom this is not going to happen, if you own more than one horse, a lot of horse owners do not have that kind of time.
At night when we are bedding them down, to just do their feet is highly benefical and a comfort for them, plus it is good prevention against foot disease.
I discovered STAR is extremely sensitive against bug bits by grooming her throughly. Also, when she flipped, I was able to see the swelling and address it immediately, so yes it helps us a great deal.
I'm happy to hear that your two girls have built close personal relationships with their ponies.
My granddaughter has the responsibility of three horses to groom and has done this from an early age, she is now ten, and all of the horses (six) follow her wherever she goes.
I posted this subject for those who have expressed problems with their horses or those who have fears.
But it is so pleasant to here from those who understand how important this part of horse ownership is.
I'm going to post a video on youtube on how I groom STAR and her response to it.
I hope it will be beneficial for others. I too will be able to study her different responses to my touch, enabling me to read her body language and improve my method.
Thank you for your posts.
Ronda
My husband groomed STAR completely, for the first time yesterday.
He has slightly groomed her, brushed her only, before but this time he did her feet.
He did a good job and she was relaxed.
Any one else out there have any stories about grooming their horse/horses.
Ronda