Beyond basic brushing, the horse’s head, mane, coat, tail, legs, and hooves are cleaned, trimmed, tidied, and brightened to enhance a horse’s natural good looks.
Head
Routine head maintenance, requires fuzz-free ears. Pinch the ears together and trim the hair edges with an electric trimmer. Apply a waterproof, sunscreen or zinc-oxide cream to protect un-pigmented muzzle from a painful sunburn. To give the horse a trimmed clean look, use an electric trimmer to trim the whiskers under the chin as well as the muzzle whiskers.
Mane
To care for the mane of a horse you need a trimmer, wide-toothed comb, dandy brush, and tar-based shampoo. Show standards in America require the horse’s mane to fall on the right side of the neck. Starting at the end of the mane, brush the hair until knots are smoothed and repeat a little higher up the mane until you reach the root of the hair brushing downward. Brush unruly hair by wetting the dandy brush with water and brushing the mane from bottom to root. Further, braiding the mane for up to a day or two will tuck loose hair on the right side of the horse. The length of the mane should be trimmed to avoid bridle interference. Remove biting insects at the roots with a wide toothed comb and separating the strands by hand. If upon inspection, a greasy dandruff crusts the mane, the horse could have seborrhea. In this case, wash the mane with a tar-based shampoo every 2-3 days for a month until it clears. Otherwise contact a Vet.
Coat
Stock up on a baby wipes, shop vacuum, pump-spray bottle, alcohol, towel, brush, loofah sponge or cactus cloth, vegetable oil, rice bran, biotin, currycomb, silicone spray, and commercial spot removers for a shiny, healthy, horse coat. Using the baby wipes or a shop vacuum on a dusty or muddy horse to loosen and lift mud or dust off the coat. If the horse has sweat marks try removing them with rubbing alcohol in a pump-spray bottle followed by rubbing the area with a towel and brush until dry. Try loosening dried sweat stains with a damp, loofah sponge or cactus cloth. Avoid stripping away a horses’ natural oils with frequent shampoo baths. Instead rinse the horse using only plain water. Add supplements to horse feed such as vegetable oil, rice bran, and biotin. Clean and massage a horse daily with a currycomb. Give a coat a quick shine with silicone spray but avoid the saddle area.
Tail
Stock up on sharp scissors, silicone spray, brush, or comb, torn bedsheets, vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and petroleum jelly or mineral oil for maintaining a beautiful, full horse tail. Not all horse tails are created equal. With thin tails use your hand to separate strands to achieve a thicker, fuller horse tail naturally. For, snarly tails braiding with long strips of torn bedsheet produces a cleaner tail and prevents breakage. Also, spritz silicone spray on the tail to untangle snarls before combing or brushing. Regular trimming with sharp scissors to remove an inch or less gives a fuller look. Light colored tails with manure stains should be spritzed with 50-50 water vinegar to remove stains. Itchy tails apply petroleum jelly or mineral oil to remove any signs of parasite infestation and prevent itching.
Legs
Use silicone spray to repel dirt from hair around the legs. Use purple shampoo made for brightening white hair on gray horses. Use currycomb and soapy water to remove urine splash on a gelding’s hind legs and petroleum jelly to protect scabs. Use an electric trimmer for fuzzy hairs.
Hooves
Use an electric trimmer to trim furry hair around the top of the hoof. Rub an onion on a clean horse hoof or apply baby oil then buff with a dry rag.
Bathing tips
Remove shampoo from a horse and use a fingered currycomb to work suds into the coat and lift off dirt. Use a damp, warm washcloth instead of a hose or a soapy sponge to bathe the horse head, rinsing periodically. Remove soap residue with a solution of one-half cup of vinegar in a bucket of water then rinse the horse in plain water. If frequent washing is stripping natural oils, rinse with water mixed with olive oil, wait 10 minutes, and rinse again.
References
“Beyond Brushing”, EQUUS Magazine, June 2003, pp 53-58
