10 Horse Grooming Hacks – Horse Illustrated

Maintain your horse’s coat wholesome and comfortable year-round with these 10 horse grooming ideas and hacks from two skilled grooms.

Whenever you checklist what’s in your grooming field, have you ever ever talked about a hair dryer, laundry detergent, or dryer sheets alongside your favourite brushes?

Drawing on our private experiences as grooms for present leaping Olympic medalists Anne Kursinski and Kent Farrington, Lindsey Trockenbrot and I compiled this checklist of grooming hacks. Whereas they could appear obscure, they are going to assist you promote your horse’s coat well being.

1. Sizzling Toweling

Sizzling toweling is a good way to wash your horse with out the wash rack—particularly in winter when the mud goes deep and the climate is just too chilly for a tub. All you want is a bucket of sizzling water, two towels, and a bottle of your favourite coat conditioner or coconut oil.

Soak the primary towel utterly and wring it out effectively. Rub the rag over the horse’s physique such as you would with a curry comb, going gently towards their coat to get beneath the hair.

When you’ve gone over your horse as soon as, soak and wring out your second towel. This time, spray your coat conditioner of selection straight on the towel. Now go over the horse once more, spraying further conditioner on the towel as wanted. Be conscious that you’re not making use of coat conditioner to the saddle and girth areas in case you’re planning to trip that day.

To carry out that further shine after sizzling toweling, go over your horse with a tough brush, adopted by a tender brush.

2. Hair Dryer

When the climate is just too cool for a shower, taking a hair dryer to your horse’s woolly winter coat (desensitizing him first, in fact) will dry out his sweat marks very quickly. Any family hair dryer will do the trick for this hack.

As soon as the hair is dry, simply curry and brush it out. There’s no want to attend hours in your horse to dry when you possibly can hair dry him!

3. Waterproof Ointment

In case your horse has tender hooves, you reside in an space the place the humidity is excessive, or your horse will get frequent baths and/or his legs washed, this hack is for you.

To assist forestall your horse’s hooves from absorbing water whereas being rinsed or bathed, apply Corona ointment or Vaseline to the partitions of his hooves earlier than you bathe him. This seals the hooves so the water will bead proper off of them.

4. Dryer Sheets

When the air is especially dry, does your horse’s staticky hair—and tail specifically—drive you loopy? Strive taking a dryer sheet and rubbing it throughout his mane, tail, and physique. This can assist reduce the static very quickly—and it additionally helps maintain bugs away!

5. Apple Cider Vinegar

When the solar and bugs are out within the warmth of the summer time, rinsing your horse in apple cider vinegar will develop into one in every of your favourite methods within the barn. Apple cider vinegar is likely one of the most useful methods to assist cool a horse down and maintain the bugs away.

Add sufficient ACV to cowl the underside of a bucket, then fill the bucket with water. Use a sponge or rag to generously douse your horse within the combination. Don’t fear about rinsing him off—simply sweat scrape and also you’re carried out.

Whereas your horse could odor a bit like a salad, he’ll thanks for serving to them maintain the bugs away and serving to him cool off!

6. Laundry Detergent

For those who’ve tried each product below the solar to rid your horse’s white tail of stains or are attempting to brighten white legs, attempt utilizing detergent. Sure, as within the one you employ to clean your laundry!

Dilute the laundry detergent simply as you’d with common shampoo (only a glug in a full bucket of water), scrub, rinse, and voila, your horse might be blindingly white.

7. Mouthwash

Have you ever seen your horse rubbing his rear on his stall, feeder, or water buckets? Mouthwash is likely to be the answer you might be in search of.

Dilute Listerine mouthwash 1 half mouthwash to 4 elements water in a sprig bottle. Spray liberally and work into the roots of your horse’s mane or tail.

You’ll be able to spray this answer day by day or as wanted. This hack mustn’t exchange washing your horse’s tail, however is a useful addition to your grooming routine.

8. Socks

Placing socks in your horse whereas using him in sand arenas, alongside currying and retaining his legs clipped under the fetlock, could assist reduce fungus on the again of his pasterns.

There are socks particularly made for horses, however a pair of human crew socks will even do the trick. Merely lower the foot of the sock off, leaving the tall half intact, and pull the sock over your horse’s hoof in order that it covers their pastern and fetlock.

Tip: Strive placing a gallon-sized Ziploc bag over your horse’s hoof to make placing the sock on simpler.

To assist maintain the sock in place whereas using, use a pair of hind boots. Socks are additionally a good way to maintain your horse’s white legs clear in a single day at a horse present.

9. Vacuuming

To not be mistaken for a family vacuum, this vacuum is designed for horses. Whereas these models will price you a reasonably penny, you’ll discover them to be price each cent.

Vacuums permit you to get your horse trying his greatest with out the trouble of a shower. From cleansing sand, mud, and even feathers, vacuums have an incredible affect in your horse’s coat well being. They’re significantly helpful for eradicating sand and mud, which can assist maintain fungus from growing in your horse in humid climates.

For optimum outcomes, curry your horse completely beforehand to loosen the grime on their coat. Make sure you desensitize your horse earlier than vacuuming.

10. Olive, Coconut, and Child Oil

Whereas almost everybody has a bottle of olive oil of their pantry, not many equestrians have olive oil stashed of their tack field. One of many largest advantages of olive oil is that it could actually assist maintain your horse’s hooves conditioned. Merely making use of it to your horse’s hooves with a brush or rag will assist situation the hoof wall and procure a polish-like shine.

Subsequent time you’re trying so as to add shine to your horse’s coat at a present or at house, attempt combining coconut oil with water in a small bucket or a sprig bottle. Whereas being conscious of areas the place your tack will sit, spray or use a moist towel to use the coconut oil to the horse’s coat. After making use of the oil, use a tender brush to go over your horse’s coat and improve the shine.

Moreover, child oil or witch hazel can be utilized to assuage not too long ago clipped areas on horses, particularly round extra delicate areas, such because the muzzle, face and legs. Wipe your horse down with a moist rag and oil, specializing in these delicate areas.

Whereas these hacks won’t ever exchange the advantages of conventional grooming, they’re wonderful additions to your horse’s grooming routine that may assist promote a contented and wholesome coat.

These 10 grooming hacks and ideas appeared within the Might 2023 situation of Horse Illustrated journal. Click on right here to subscribe!