How often do you groom your horse?
If you are one of those riders who groom their horses once a month or twice a month then boy you are in trouble. The esteemed British Horse Society advises horse riders to groom their four-legged friends every day. They believe that putting some elbow grease in cleaning your horses is highly beneficial for the animal’s well-being.
Why Should You Groom Your Horses Frequently?
Think about it. Your horse spends most of its time on the fields, grazing grasses, and walking muddy trails. Plus, the strenuous exercises that you do with the horses and the long hours of riding all lead to a sweaty and dirty creature.
Hence, the more you leave off cleaning the horse up, the more likely is it that it will fall sick.
Here are a few benefits of consistently grooming horses:
- The horse’s coat appears glossy and shiny after a good grooming session.
- Brushing and combing the body helps to boost the horse’s blood circulation.
- Minimises the sores and rashes the animals get from stuffy tacks and uncomfortable saddles.
- Grooming may help you to identify bruises or swelling in their initial stages. Hence, giving you a chance to address the problem before it goes out of hand.
- It allows you to rub off all the grime and muck off the horse’s backs before the accumulation leads to skin problems (allergies or mud rash)
- Reduces the chances of the coat becoming a breeding ground for parasites like ticks and lice.
The best part is that these grooming sessions give you an opportunity to bond with your horses without intrusions from the outside world. Moreover, it has been seen that foals get easily desensitised to humans when they come in regular contact with them via grooming.
How long should you groom your horse?
We have already empathised that it is a good practice to groom your horse every day. This is especially necessary after training sessions or exercises. This is because that is when the horse is exposed to the outside elements. Additionally, the grime is easier to remove when it is fresh.
There are no strict rules on how long the grooming session should last. However, it is unlikely that you will get done in fifteen minutes. Therefore, it is better to put some effort into it and take time to thoroughly clean every area of your horse.
As a whole, grooming looks like a great way to maintain your equine’s health. Also, it ensures that your horse’s coat condition is always top notch. Thus, if you want your horse’s coat to reflect how healthy and happy it is, then you need to designate a time to clean up daily.
Need a Hand?
Gallop over to Little Fields Farm to get the right support for all your grooming queries. Apart from guiding you through the process, they will also provide you with the best grooming equipment available in the market. They have got everything you need from mitts, brushes to trimmers and clippers.
What are you waiting for?
Go Groom Away!
