How To Choose Horse Grooming Products

From adding on to the royalty of a kingdom to winning races for their jockeys, horses have been domesticated by humans for million of years now. Horses are known for their speed, loyalty and their smooth and shiny coat. It is very essential for a horse owner to take care of this unwavering creature and provide it with proper, time-to-time grooming sessions. Grooming is very essential in order to keep your horse’s skin clean and improve the appearance of the coat. Regular grooming sessions would not only help in stimulating proper blood supply to the horse’s skin and muscles, but also help in making the hoofed animal stay immune to any sort of skin infections and diseases. There is a range of grooming items available in the market. Therefore, it becomes necessary to choose the products carefully and handpick them to assure a healthy life for your horse. This article provides you with tips on choosing horse grooming products.

Tips For Choosing Horse Grooming Products

The first and foremost step in choosing and making horse grooming product is to arrange for or purchase a grooming box or a kit. Sturdy box is the first thing you would require for your horse grooming kit. You can even use the plastic carry boxes with compartments that are used to carry household cleaning products. If you are game for exploiting your mechanical skills, making your own grooming kit of wood would be the best bet. Don’t forget to attach handles and carve in different compartments for the box.
You would need different brushes to groom your horse’s coat. There are brushes available in different colors and sizes to suit the care takers hands. Each horse grooming kit needs to have at least one hard bristled dandy brush, a medium bristle brush and a soft brush.
A curry comb is also an essential part of a horse grooming kit. The curry comb comes in metal, plastic and rubber. Make sure not to use the metal curry comb on your horse. However, you can have it in your kit and use it to scrape the hair off the other combs and brushes. The best curry comb that can be used are the round rubber ones. Plastic curry combs are also user-friendly, but the possibility of the bristles breaking off while grooming your horse cannot be ruled out.
A horse’s grooming kit must have a variety of combs, serving different purposes. A thick, wide-toothed comb should be included to use on your horse’s long mane and tail hair. A comb with closely placed teeth is also a must in the grooming kit. These combs are generally made out of plastic. A pulling comb is also a requirement when it comes to grooming a horse. These small metal combs are used to pull out a horse’s mane. They can also be used for combing a short mane and for braiding a horse’s mane.
Bathing supplies also form an important part of a horse grooming kit, especially if the horse regularly features in horse show or during hot weather. A clean sponge, horse shampoo, a plastic sweat scraper with rubber piece on it, embrocation like vetrolin and a wash bucket are essential bathing supplies. A sponge bath of water and vetrolin not only soothes the muscles of the horse, but also helps them beat the heat.
Make sure you include ‘hoof picks’ in the grooming kit, as these would help take care of the most essential body part of your horse, the feet. You will have to clean your horse’s feet regularly using a hoof pick. It is best to carry two hoof picks. While the metallic hoof pick would help in cleaning dirt and stones, one with a stiff brush would help you remove mud from both the outside and the inside of the feet, keeping them clean and without any risk of infections.
You should also have a clean set of towels in the grooming kit for your horse. Clean towels have many uses attached to them. They can be used for providing first aid, to give final touches to the grooming session, to wipe rider’s boots and so on. Make sure that the towels are cleaned and washed regularly to eradicate all infectious germs.
Do not forget to include a few first aid products while selecting the grooming products for your four-legged friend. First aid creams and sprays are a must for a horse owner. If your horse spends a lot of time outside, then it is advisable to use the spray over the cream. The first aid products should also include clean bandages, wound cleaners, gauze pads and masking tape. You can consult a vet to get recommended on other necessary first aid products that you can include for the safety of your horse.

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