Well here we are at day number 20 in my 30-day blogging challenge! This is 20 days down, 10 more to go! Only 10 days left! Holy cow, I have written posts for 20 days in a row! We are getting down to the nitty gritty now! I wanted to offer a little more to you about myself, and thanks to the incredible blog She Moved To Texas, I found her 30-day blogging challenge and decided to emulate what she had done. And today is a new day, so a new topic. Not only am I going to share with you my grooming routine for a busy night, but also what I feel is essential in my grooming tote(s). Some of the things I have in my grooming tote I am sure you do too. And some others might surprise you a little bit.
30 Day Blogging Challenge Day 20-My Grooming Routine
On a daily basis I groom my horses. Right now it is the middle of winter, so I have an abbreviated grooming routine because it’s cold. But, just because it’s cold, doesn’t mean my horses don’t need to be groomed. I just don’t get to spend an hour or two in the barn every night, because I’m freezing.
Usually I get home around 6:30, and by this time my husband has put my horses into their stalls. It is always dark by the time I get home, which is why I added some Christmas lights to the interior of my barn. This is a very inexpensive way to light up my barn which allows me the blissful moments with my horses after a long day at work. Of any of the projects I have done, adding the lights is probably my favorite, because I can still spend time with my horses, regardless of how dark it is outside.
Wintertime Grooming Routine
I start by giving them a few flakes of hay and their grain. And once they are both happily snacking away on their dinner, I grab my grooming tote, and head to one of their stalls. I never start with the same horse. One night Frisby will be first, and the next it is Ethan’s turn.
Feet First
First I pick out the hooves. This way I can check their feet and legs for any new injuries that may have happened during the day, and treat the injury if needed.
Brushing
I like to start with my Hands on Grooming Gloves first. These are great for long hair, and make fast work of getting mud, and ground in dirt off their bodies. And they are gentle enough to use on their faces and legs too. Then I grab my hard brush because this helps to get through the heavier winter coat. I also have a curry comb, to knock the dust and dirt out of the brush while I am brushing the horse. It helps to have the excess dirt off of my brush, instead of just moving it around my horse’s coat.
I also will run the hard brush over the mane and tail. I am always trying to get Frisby’s mane and tail to grow, so I don’t like to use a hairbrush on these areas to often. The hard brush works well, and the one I have doesn’t seem to pull out those precious hairs I am trying to keep in place. And then one time a week, I apply M-T-G to their manes and tails. I just learned about this product about a month ago. And it is said to improve mane and tails, and help to encourage them to grow faster. I wasn’t too sure about that, until I used it. This is the best product I have found that actually does what everyone says it does! It DOES make their manes and tails grow faster! This stuff is incredible, and I will continue to use it for as long as I have horses. I have never bought a product that works like this before, and it really does work.
After I have brushed with the hard brush, then I grab a soft flick style brush and my curry comb, and brush their faces, between their legs, and run the brush over the remainder of their bodies. They don’t get slick, like they do in the summer, but they definitely are cleaner, and look good.
Tucking Them in for the Night
Once the horse is all clean and pretty, I put their heavy blankets on for the night. I like putting their blankets on at night, because number one it makes me feel better, like they will be tucked in for the night, and warm. The blankets also help to keep them clean, especially when I didn’t have time to clean their stall.
Both horses get this treatment every night through the week, and a more complete grooming on the weekends, when I can actually spend some more time with them, and it isn’t 10 degrees outside. And then every morning, their blankets come off (unless it’s snowing) when they get their breakfast.
And as promised, these are my favorite grooming tote essentials that I have for both of my horses;
Rubber Curry Comb with a Material Back
I love my curry comb. I found it at the Big R, which is like a Tractor Supply store. This is the only place I have been able to find the rubber curry with a real fabric hand strap. I like this better because it conforms to my hand as I am using it to whisk the hair from the brush that I am using on my horse at the time. I find the more often I knock the dust out of the brush, the cleaner my horse gets! And as both of my horses LOVE to roll and get dirty. I will rarely use the curry on my horses, typically only in the wintertime when their coats are longer. But I mainly use the curry to remove the dirt and dust from the brush I am using on my horse.
Hands On Grooming Gloves
These are what I use to curry my horses with. These are gloves for you that have little massaging nubs on the fingers and palms. You just run your gloved hands over your horse, and you have a curried horse! These are fantastic! I have seen other grooming gloves, but I have not tried them, so I don’t know if they work as well. But these are incredible! Currying is a really good place to start with your grooming, and I am an advocate to curry your horse every day. Even if I don’t get to a full grooming every day, I do make sure to curry my horses.
The curry part of grooming circulates your horse’s natural oils, and helps to really make him shine! If you want to make fast work of currying your horse’s entire body, do yourself a favor and add these little gems to your grooming tote, you horse will be pleased.
Hoof Pick
This is a necessity, and you should have at least a couple of hoof picks, in case you lose one. I prefer the hoof pick that has a brush opposite of the hoof pick. I have found it very useful in snowy and muddy conditions. It also has a larger handle than the typical metal hoof picks. Everyone’s preferences will differ, but these are my favorite types of hoof picks to have.
Dandy Brush (Hard Brush)
A dandy brush is a hard bristled brush. This is what I use after I have curried my horse. I like a longer bristled dandy brush which allows you to flick the dust and dirt away from your horse. So with Dandy brush in one hand and rubber curry in the other, I move from head to tail on both sides and flick away all of the dust. And after every two or three passes with the dandy brush, I run the bristles of the brush over my curry comb to get loose hairs and debris out of the brush.
Body Brush (Soft Brush)
I love this part of the grooming process. Because this is when you will really see your hard work pay off! With the body brush, starting at the head, and working your way down the body to the tail. You can really get a lot of shine with this brush. And this is where the elbow grease really comes into play. The body brush has short bristles that are usually made of horse hair, and you use short strokes to really flatten the hair down. This will gather up the oils in the hair, and bring them to the surface.
Again, I always have my rubber curry and knock off any of the dirt that collects into the brush because I don’t want to get my shiny masterpiece dirty again! (We will save that for later, when I turn my horse out and he decides to roll away all of my hard work!)
Sheepskin Mitt
Instead of using a rag to make my horses shine, I prefer to use a sheepskin mitt. I actually made the one I have, because I didn’t want to spend a lot of money, and it was something I knew I could make myself. So I did, and I am so glad I did! The sheepskin is incredible for bringing out a shine in the coat. I do this after I have done my major grooming, and always finish off with this rub down. I also have one that I have made just for my show grooming tote too, keeping that one extra ready for final touch ups before going into a class.
Baby Wipes
I will usually pick these up at Walmart, and buy the store brand version. These work great for wiping out nostrils, and also wiping around the eyes (the dreaded eye boogers) and even wiping down my horses face as well as under his tail.
I love the ease of using these, and then I just throw them away. I don’t need to have an endless pile of rags that I will have to bring in and wash. Having the baby wipes in my tack room, and grooming box makes my life a little simpler, and my horses look great.
Dryer Sheets
This one is a head stumper for my husband. He doesn’t understand what on earth I need dryer sheets for in my grooming box, and then I explain it to him. At certain times of the year, right now actually, my horses’ tails get so full of static regardless of brushing, so I just run a dryer sheet over their tails, and bam, static cling is gone!
How about you? What are your favorite grooming items? Share them with me in the comment section below!
