Horse Day Spa - Grooming

Who doesn’t like a back rub? Horses love to be groomed. I have seen many horses that cannot stand to handled sit still relaxed with their eyes almost closed while being groomed. In most cases, just like everything else, horses have to be taught that grooming doesn’t hurt and that is ok to touch them in very ticklish places for grooming.

Why groom your horse you say?

The old time cowboys simply got on their horses and rode off to herd the cows. Who had time for grooming working from sunrise into the night, sometimes all night? But the fact is the cowboys on the trail did groom their favorites and that time spent bonded the horse with them so they could ride all day and they both knew there was food and water at the end of the day. Of course not all the horses got that treatment, only the favorites. But they all got their feet trimmed and many even wore shoes on the trail. Grooming comes in all shapes and sizes. It can be the simple act of brushing mud and weeds out of the horses coat. Or it can be a full blown brushing, combing mane and tail, trimming and concluding with braids and a warm bath with shampoo and conditioner. The point is grooming not only helps the horse look good, it also is a major factor in teaching children of all ages how to handle a horse, how to bond with a horse and can actually help one fall in love ( with the horse of course).

Grooming allows a person to sense what the horse likes, it gives one a familiarity with all parts of the horse and it helps the groomer find problems the horse needs attention paid to. One grooms not only with brushes and combs but with the hands and with hoof instruments as well. Running ones hands all over the horse’s body after brushing the dirt and hair off allows the small bumps and lesions to be found. Thus we can learn more about how to care for the horse and to care about it as well. Grooming also entails cleaning the hooves with a pick and examining the feet.

A good grooming also let’s us see the nutritional state of the horse from the outside. A nice shiney smooth coat looks luxurious sfter a good grooming. And good nutrition plays a very important role in the look.

We use Equivite® as a nutritional supplement for all our horses to be sure the look good, perform well and feel well.