Before You Saddle Up: A Little Reminder

For those who compete with horses on a regular basis, it is easy to forget the importance of some of the more “menial” horse-care tasks. One of those tasks is grooming. Although we can all relate to busy schedules, we can also use a little reminder to the importance of grooming our horses before we saddle up.

1. Prevent sores. Not only does a good brushing make our horses look pretty, it also removes dirt and debris that might cause irritation. The more comfortable your horse is during a ride, the more willing he will be for the next ride.
2. Increase circulation. Just as a massage gets our blood flowing to sore and tense muscles, grooming your horse helps his circulation as well. When we get busy we can be tempted to just quickly sweep over the back area of our horse and ignore his legs. Remember, when you brush down his legs you encourage blood flow to his extremities.
3. Quick health assessment. One of the best ways to catch sores, irritations and hot spots early is to regularly groom your horse. Being able to feel your horse with your hands allows you to get a good idea of his health. Many injuries that can be missed by quickly looking over your horse, will often be caught during grooming. This will give you the opportunity to treat a minor sore before it becomes a major injury.
4. Keep sound hooves. Can you imagine running a marathon with a rock in your shoe? Ouch! Taking care of our horse’s feet is imperative to his performance. Picking up your horse’s feet during grooming to quickly pick them out will also afford you the opportunity to check his shoes, as well as for things like thrush and other hoof irregularities. Plus, having your horse pick up his feet is a great training opportunity for learning to stand still and give to pressure.
5. Bond and relax. Remember, even athletes need to take a day off and relax. Grooming your horse before a ride, or maybe even in place of a ride, gives us a chance to give back. Horses are very social and often groom each other in the wild. When we groom our horses we have the ability to bond with them on a level they understand. Your relationship with your horse is just as important on the ground as it is under the saddle.