As the winter is finally coming to an end and summer is at long last rearing its sunny head, we can actually start to think about making our horses look less like furry mud monsters and more like the sleek, elegant animal that they can (occasionally) act and look like!
First off – how do we get rid of the remaining winter coat... it just won’t go!
Rubber curry combs are fantastic for getting some of that loose hair put as you can use it in a circular motion all over the horse’s body. This will help loosen the hair and also start to lift some of that scurf that has been building up all winter
The Magic Brush is great for round two as it gets a bit deeper than the rubber curry comb. Use the Magic Brush on the body and legs brushing with the lay of the hair, you can use either a metal curry comb or another brush to clean the Magic Brush.
Next comes the dandy brush, this old school favourite is great for the longer hairs and legs to help remove grease and dirt from the skin. Use in the direction of the hair and don’t use on any sensitive areas such as their face or stomach.
We would recommend that next you attack the mane – this way any dirt or hair that comes out you can brush off with the body brush.
So, starting with the mane, use a mane brush, such as the Sheldon Grippe brush to brush out any dirt. If your horse has a long mane or it is knotty give it a quick spray with some Canter Mane and Tail to help loosen the knots. Once you’ve brushed it through thoroughly (not forgetting the forelock) with the mane brush, give it another quick going over with the Magic Brush, this will help it lie flat it give it a lovely finish.
Once you’ve tackled the mane you might as well give the tail a brush with your Sheldon Grippee brush before finishing off with the body brush. Start by completely dousing the horse’s tail in Canter Mane and Tail, then split into sections and brush each section at a time, working your way through the tail and using more Mane and Tail spray where needed! When you finish you should have a lovely soft, clean and knot free tail!
Lastly we need to get that dull coat gleaming again!
Finally to get that coat shining like it did last summer we need to give the horse one final sweep with the body brush. Body brushes are designed to remove the surface dust and grease and bring the natural oils to the surface which helps give your horses coat a natural shine. Start at the horses next and brush the whole body, using a metal or plastic curry comb to clean the brush as you go. Once you are satisfied with that use a face brush to get under the horses forelock and around his eyes and face.
Your horse should now look dazzlingly clean and more like the beautiful horse you remembered owning last summer!!
I hope you enjoyed our blog; let us know if you found it useful and if there is anything in particular you want us to blog about.
Next time we are going to talk about how to use a Smart Tails Thinner on your horse’s mane and tail to get a pulled look without the discomfort of pulling!