| By Heidi
Potter, PATH Int'l Equine Welfare
Committee
It’s time to groom and head
off for your ride. It is often common
practice to rush through this in order
to get to the fun part-the riding!
However, as we work around our horse
it is important to remember that he
is not in a hurry. He lives in the
moment and isn’t thinking about
what’s to come. If you are doing
your job well, he is most likely enjoying
the massaging and caressing that he
is receiving. Along with enjoying
each other’s company, grooming
serves as a great opportunity to check
out the overall health and condition
of your horse.
Here are some tips to help ensure
that the grooming process is enjoyable
and productive.
1. When grooming the face be mindful
of brushing dirt and hair in a direction
away from the eyes. Cupping your hand
over the eye while brushing above
and around it works well.
2. Using one of the soft, flexible
curry combs will allow you to curry
the boney places, like the lower legs
and face. The hard rubber curry combs
can be too rough on these areas.
3. Be aware of the horse’s
reaction to how much pressure you
are using on his body. If he is acting
relaxed while you groom him it is
safe to assume that your pressure
is fine. If he is flinching or moving
away from your touch it could be a
sign that you may be going in too
hard. Soften your pressure and see
if that changes his reaction. Horses
have different levels of skin sensitivity
and tolerance to pressure. You may
notice that this can even be breed-specific.
It’s important to develop an
understanding for each horse’s
level of sensitivity and share that
with all who groom him.
4. Use a conditioner and/or go slowly
when grooming the mane and tail. Take
the time to untangle knots by hand
before using the comb or brush. They
really do feel it when you pull their
hair out.
5. Look for the “sweet spot”.
The horse will clearly tell you when
you have hit it. They will often raise
and twist their head, make faces and
even move into the pressure. It’s
nice to spend a little extra time
in those areas.
6. Be mindful when cleaning hooves.
These creatures of flight are ever
so trusting to allow us to tie them
up and then lift their hoof. Let’s
respect the trust they are offering
us and not rudely drop their hoof
to the ground when we are done. Set
it down gently and give them a pat
to say “thanks”.
7. Be concerned if your horse flinches
quickly and/or collapses his body
away from pressure while you are grooming.
For example, if you are currying his
back and it drops away from your touch.
He could be telling you that his back
is sore. There could be a variety
of causes for such a reaction. Just
know that you need to stop, investigate
and possibly enlist the help of a
veterinarian before deciding whether
it is okay to ride or not. One of
the leading causes for back pain and
behavior issues is ill-fitting tack.
I strongly recommend having an assessment
of tack fit for all of your horses
by a knowledgeable saddle fitter.
Horses become more relaxed when they
know what to expect. Therefore, it
is important to teach every student
and horse handler how to work mindfully
and in a consistent manner with each
horse. In this way we can help to
gain and keep the trust of our equine
friends.
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