How to Groom Horses Step-by-Step

Complete and careful grooming or your horse is an essential part of maintaining its happiness and health. It increases a horse's circulation, holds potentially problematic skin conditions at bay and fosters trust between the horse and its handler. Grooming is also a good way to check your horse's body for abnormal bumps, abscesses or cuts that might otherwise go unnoticed or stay hidden by its hair.

Things You'll Need

  • Rubber currycomb
  • Hard bristle body brush
  • Soft brush
  • Wide-tooth hairbrush
  • Hoof pick
  • Towel
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Instructions

  1. Step One

    • 1

      Move the rubber currycomb in a circular motion at the top of the horse's neck. Slowly work your way down the neck, over the animal's barrel and across its rump. It is important not to currycomb a horse's legs because the delicate tendons and ligaments of the lower leg can be easily irritated by the thick rubber knobs on most styles of currycomb. The comb moves any dirt or dust that has settled beneath the horse's coat to the surface so that it can be easily brushed away using the hard brush.

    • 2

      Start at the top of the horse's neck and whisk the hard brush firmly in the direction of the hair growth. Do this on both sides of the animal's body but take care to avoid the face and legs.

    • 3

      Raise the soft brush slowly to the horse's face. Move the brush gently down the horse's face, in the direction of the hair growth. If the horse has runny eyes or a runny, dirty nose, use a damp towel to gently wipe away the fluid.

    • 4

      Brush away any dirt that has settled on the horse's lower legs with the soft brush.

    • 5

      Brush out the horse's forelock and mane with the wide-tooth hairbrush. Although horses have no nerve endings along the thick ridge of skin that lines the crest of their necks, work gently through knots because gentle combing decreases the amount of hair that gets pulled out in the grooming process.

    • 6

      Move to the horse's tail and begin to work the wide-tooth hairbrush through the tail hair. Stand to one side or the other of the animal's rump, in case it decides to stomp at a fly or point an irritated kick in your direction.

    • 7

      Clean the horse's feet out, one by one, with the hoof pick. Gently cleaning out your horse's feet is paramount to its health and comfort as any dampness or dirt left too long inside the soft and sensitive area on the underside can quickly create a common but often problematic fungus known as thrush. Many horses will willingly pick up their feet. Gently leaning up against the horse's shoulder when you ask it to pick up its foot, or pressing gently just above the fetlock or ankle joint will encourage it to lift the foot. One the horse has lifted its foot for you, use the pick side of the hoof pick to gently dislodge dirt and shavings from the spaces in between the horse's frog (the fleshy, triangular mound at the center of the hoof) and the rutted furrows of skin beside it.