Grooming
What are the grooming supplies and tools?
- Curry Comb
- Stiff/Hard Brush
- Soft Brush
- Body Brush
- Face Brush
- Soft Rubber Curry
- Shedding blade
- Mane Comb/Tail Brush
- Grooming Mitt
- Hoof Pick
- Hoof Dressing
- Fly Spray
- Sponges
- Sweat Scraper
- Towel
What does long hair do for horse's?
- Winter coat traps air close to the skin to insulate the body
- Long hair allows water to run off without penetrating the coat
Where do you Trim?
- Ears
- Muzzle/Whiskers
- Bridle Path
- Excess leg hairs
*DO NOT trim protective whiskers/long eye lashes around horses eyes*
What is bathing, and how and why do we do it?
- Excessively dirty horses require bathing
- Too much bathing removes natural oils from horse's coat (can look dull, may be more suitable to skin conditions/scratches)
- Dilute shampoo in a bucket of water before applying to the coat
What are the characteristics of horse's grooming and looks in the wild?
- They groom each other in groups
- They have a long mane and tail as a insulator in the winter and a fly swatter for sensitive neck, head, and legs
- Long hair in ears and on legs to filter dust and to keep bugs out of ears, also allows water to run off, and helps keep warm in the winter
- Long whiskers and eyelashes, as proprioceptors (Sensory receptor that receives stimuli from the environment)
What is safety while grooming?
- Breakaway cross ties and a wall behind the horse
- Never have another horse walk under the crossties
- Do not walk underneath the horse
- Keep grooming area clean
- Be aware of horse's reaction and expression
- Pay attention to signs of discomfort or pain and signs of aggression
What does Body Clipping do?
- Removes long heavy winter coat
- Removes protection against cold weather so you must blanket
- Trim unwanted hair/whiskers
What are different types of clippers?
- Trimmers
- Body Clippers
- Multi-purpose Clippers
-Corded and Battery-operated models
What is Polo Wrapping?
-Provides support and leg protection to legs during exercise
- Horse should be standing even, weight on leg you are wrapping
- Even pressure and spacing, no gaps
- Wrap from below the knee to the fetlock
* Don't use in wet conditions = heavy when wet, which can pull on tendons
What is the anatomy of a clipper blade?
- Follow the L rule: The lower the number leaves longer hair
- Cutting edge: Longer edge, longer hair
- Blade number (Big number on the blades): Lower the number the longer the hair
- Hair Length (the number in mm under the blade number): Length of hair after clipping in millimeters
What are the benefits of grooming?
- To promote circulation and overall health
- Add shine to a healthy coat
- Opportunity to notice things (good or bad) about a horse's body, legs, and general condition
- Additional time for ground training
- Bonding time with your horse
- Improves mood and well-being
- Improve skin and coat health
- T-84 for body and leg clipping
- 10 for body and leg clipping
- 40 for surgical use only, DO NOT USE FOR BODY CLIPPING
How to mane pull?
1. Take an inch wide section of hair in your left hand and hold it towards the end
2. With the pulling comb in your right hand, rat (or tease) the hair towards your horse's neck, leaving the longer strands in the fingers of your left hand
3. Take those remaining hairs, wrap them around the comb a couple times and pull straight down to remove them at the roots
What are Exercise Boots?
- Provide support and protection to legs during exercise
- Watch for boots slipping down leg
- Different types
What is Mane Pulling?
- Removing individual hairs of the mane from the root -> thinning and shortening the mane
- Provides a professional appearance
- Maintains a manageable thickness and length for showing and braiding
What are the factors to consider when grooming?
- Does the horse live outside vs. in a stall?
- Weather conditions: hot/sweat, rain/wet/mud, cold/dry
- Showing or lessons vs. retired
- Horse's history (anything of concern to keep an eye on)
What are some tips for clipping?
- Bathe horse prior to clipping
- Use same size clippers for entire horse
- Take breaks periodically to let clippers cool off and give the horse a break
- Clean blades with wash and lubricate with blade oil routinely
- Clean clippers/remove hair often
What are the 4 different types of clips and what they look like?
- Trace Clip (half of neck, shoulder, chest, lower belly and hip)
- Blanket Clip (face, neck, chest, part of shoulder, and hip)
- Hunter Clip (whole body except where the bridle and saddle sits and the legs)
- Full Body Clip ("full body")
What is the horse's skin?
- The largest organ (Encloses the body, protects against injury and harmful organisms, sensory organ)
- Dermis (Smooth pliable outer layer, hair grows here)
- Epidermis (Hair follicles, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, blood vessels)
- Skin health depends on nutrition, exercise, good circulation, and grooming
- Good grooming brings out the natural oils in the skin called sebum
What are the 6 different skin conditions and their description/treatments?
- Ringworm (parasite) - white round/circular dry patches
- Scratches (bacterial infection) aka mud fever - scabs where the horse's feathers are, usually caused by trapped bacteria in the feathers and moisture
- Thrush (bacterial infection in the hoof) - usually smells, can treat with thrush buster and white lightening
- Hives - can be treated with Dex (ask vet before using), Zyrtec (Cetirizine), Equishield shampoo bath/spray
- Rain Rot (bacterial infection) - can be treated with topical and systemic antibiotics
- Insect Bite Hypersensitivity - Itchy, hair loss