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With present season proper across the nook, it’s time for a head-to-hoof makeover on your equine associate. Even in case you simply plan to hit the paths, you’ll get pleasure from dismissing the final of the winter hair and making your horse look neat and tidy for all these summer time selfies. For professional recommendation on grooming, we turned to Emma Ford, Andis Grooming Educator and knowledgeable who has groomed on the world’s prime eventing, present leaping and dressage competitions.
A local of North Devon, England, Emma Ford has been grooming in the USA for twenty years and is at the moment knowledgeable groom for Olympic gold medalist Phillip Dutton. Ford can also be the co-author (together with Cat Hill) of World-Class Grooming for Horses.
The Mane Occasion
If it’s essential to pull the mane, Ford recommends this be your first order of enterprise and undoubtedly earlier than washing the horse. “Doing a makeover in a day, I might cope with the mane first earlier than bathing,” she says. “You don’t have to attend for it to dry, and it’s simpler to drag a unclean mane than a clear one.”
Ford additionally advises in opposition to wetting or utilizing conditioner on the mane till you get it to the size you need. In the event you pull a moist mane, it can find yourself too quick as a result of the hair stretches when moist. “Mane size is totally particular person, relying on what you’re doing together with your horse,” says Ford.
As with tails, that is discipline-oriented, or in case you’re not exhibiting, you possibly can shorten to your private choice. When pulling the mane to make it shorter, she finds 4 fingers—held horizontally in opposition to the crest of the neck—is an effective manageable size in case you’re going to be braiding the mane.
For horses with very skinny manes, you don’t want to drag. In these instances, Ford will use a clipper blade to razor the mane, which yields a completed look with out pulling.
Squeaky Clear
Relying on the place you reside, your horse might already be sleek-coated, or he might need assistance eliminating lingering winter hair. Both manner, a deep-cleaning bathtub is so as when you’ve handled the mane.
However first, begin with an intensive currying.
“In case your horse nonetheless has a protracted coat, you’ll really want to dig in with the curry, not simply go over the floor,” says Ford. “As you curry, really feel for something that is likely to be missed by statement, equivalent to bumps or ticks. Test the ‘nooks and crannies,’ just like the backs of elbows, fetlocks and thru the mane.”
When you’ve eliminated mud, free hair and any dried mud, it’s bathtub time. Moist the coat and pores and skin totally and use a mitt or curry comb to rub within the shampoo. Apply it on to the mane and tail, utilizing your fingers to work up a great lather. Pay particular consideration to the dock of the tail, ensuring to carry up the dust which may be caked there.
“I like a shampoo with pure substances to keep away from drying out the coat with chemical compounds, which may result in dry, delicate pores and skin and pores and skin points over the long run,” says Ford.
Some folks use a bucket to scrub the tail, however Ford finds a hose does a superb job. After scrubbing from head to tail, rinse your complete horse till the water runs clear. You’ll know you’re completed if you see zero suds.
Moisturize and Situation
Now that you’ve a clear, moist horse, run a scraper over the physique to take away extra water, after which apply a pure coat moisturizer. Relying on how wholesome the coat seems, you might want a rinse-out system or a leave-in moisturizer, particularly if the coat appears boring or dry.
With out worrying about tangles, apply a great conditioner to each mane and tail, leaving it on lengthy sufficient to actually soak in. Ford finds you might want to make use of greater than the label says to get it labored in deeply.
After rinsing, comb the mane over so it lies on the right facet. In the event you aren’t exhibiting, simply let it lie on the facet to which it naturally tends to fall.
“If the horse has a wild mane and also you’re trying to prepare it, you possibly can band it down for a couple of hours to maintain all of it on the right facet whereas it’s drying,” says Ford.
“If a horse has a dry tail, I’ll apply conditioner, then wrap the tail in plastic wrap or a plastic bag held in place with a tail bandage so it can actually warmth up and situation for about half-hour,” she provides.
Ending Off the Tail
Earlier than rinsing out the conditioner, use your fingers to work out tangles, as this prevents breakage. In the event you uncover a “dreadlock” within the tail, you’ll have to use extra conditioner, however be affected person so that you don’t pull out hair.
“I exploit fingers solely till the tail is totally conditioned and detangled,” says Ford. “As soon as it’s dry, I don’t have an issue with utilizing a comb or brush on the tail, as long as you utilize the suitable approach, which is backside to prime.”
There are three fundamental tail decisions:
◆ Depart it pure
◆ “Bang” it (blunt reduce throughout the underside)
◆ Clip or pull the highest
Remember to keep discipline-oriented when ending off the tail. For instance, hunters will braid the tail, so it must be left pure. Eventers and a few dressage riders will pull or clip the highest of the tail for a neat look that accentuates the hindquarters.
Face and Head
After your horse is completely dry, use clippers or scissors to neaten up the looks of his head and face.
Ford recommends clipping the bridle path behind the ears solely so long as the width of the bridle that can relaxation there, and not than two fingers huge. In case your horse has a skinny forelock, you might wish to think about placing among the mane in with the forelock and solely slicing a really small bridle path.
“With regards to trimming ears, you actually have to consider what your horse is doing,” says Ford. “If he’s residing outside 24/7, he wants some pure protection [against bugs]. I’m not a proponent of completely cleansing out ears with the clippers, however simply tidying them up by trimming so there’s a pointy, tidy edge with no wispy bits popping out.”
Lastly, trim beneath the jaw line within the route of hair progress to take off any lengthy “goat hairs” poking down.
Fetlocks
It’s routine to neatly trim the fetlock “feathers” in case you’re exhibiting, but when your horse spends little to no time in a stall, you must most likely go simple with the trimming.
“Feathers are a pure strategy to maintain water off the again of the pastern, so that you don’t wish to completely take away them in case your horse lives outside,” says Ford. “One strategy to keep away from some pores and skin issues is to depart the feathers, as this lets water [and rain] drip off, moderately than accumulate on the pastern.”
Ford makes use of two easy strategies to trim fetlocks.
◆ In case your horse is sweet with clippers, use a No. 10 blade and clip down the again of the leg, following the form of the fetlock and pastern to take away any lengthy hairs. This fashion, you’re tidying up however not clipping the hair shut.
◆ In case your horse isn’t keen on clippers, take a wide-tooth comb and brush it up via the feathers. Utilizing scissors, simply snip alongside the tooth of the comb and solely reduce the hairs that poke out.
Coronary Band and Hooves
After all, there’s no season the place you shouldn’t be sustaining a daily schedule together with your farrier, so even when your horse’s physique seems wild and woolly if you begin his makeover, his hooves must be in fine condition.
That stated, you can also make them look additional tidy by trimming up any lengthy hairs extending from the coronary (coronet) band down excessive of the hooves. This may be completed with scissors or clippers.
◆ With a gentle hand, use scissors to trim simply across the coronary band.
◆ Or, utilizing clippers with a No. 10 blade, maintain them above the hoof and use a light-weight “scooping” movement upward to clip any hairs extending under the coronary band excessive of the hoof.
Hold It Up
As soon as your horse is all spiffed up and present-able, you possibly can keep his makeover with a day by day routine—the important thing phrase being day by day.
“The primary factor is that day by day grooming and currying is essential to carry up dust,” says Emma Ford. “If it’s essential to hose off your horse as a result of it’s scorching, that’s superb, however don’t shampoo day by day. Nevertheless, I do consider in shampooing tails as wanted. You also needs to situation and moisturize tails weekly with the product you used earlier, as a result of dry, brittle hair will break, particularly when flies are at their peak and horses are utilizing their tails to swat at them.”
Emma Ford recommends finger-grooming tails day by day, and finds in case you do that, then you definitely’ll solely want a detangler product every now and then.
“To make sure the mane stays on the right facet, comb it over when moist. In the event you’re simply groom-ing (not hosing off the horse), you should utilize some type of hair product, equivalent to beeswax or mousse, to assist prepare it over,” says Ford, who sticks to a easy rule when selecting merchandise: “In the event you wouldn’t apply it to your self, don’t apply it to your horse.”
To take care of the neat-and-tidy look, you’ll wish to trim the bridle path, edges of ears, etcetera, each two to 4 weeks. Trimming fetlocks and banging of tails is private choice, and that can dictate how usually it’s essential to deal with these areas.
This text with grooming suggestions from Emma Ford appeared within the Could 2020 concern of Horse Illustrated journal. Click on right here to subscribe!
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