Horse grooming

Horse Care in the narrower sense of the fur and hoof care of horses, which takes place before and after work and usually bringing out a horse for a tournament. In a broader sense these terms is also the housing, feeding and caring for the movement of animals. Horse care in a wider sense is the subject of the vocation Pferdewirt focusing horses attitude and service. There is also the job of zookeeper. In major tournaments riders and drivers be accompanied by professional grooms, who confiscate their concern for the animals and provide the horses and equipment for launch.

Horses groom each other 's fur by mutually crawl the mane and scratching in inaccessible places. The social grooming is very important for horses and has a relaxing effect. Also, the rolling body's own natural skin care.

Horse during rolling

Articles for cleaning purposes

Curry

Tail care

Washing

  • Scrape 4.1 hooves
  • Grease 4.2 hooves

Reasons for Horse Care

Horses, ponies, mules, donkeys and other equines need human care for good health and a long life if they are held by men. A horse kept indoors should, if possible daily before, cleaned and cared for according to the work. The daily care contributes to the well being of the horse. When combing and brushing the muscles are massaged and thus loosened. A horse with daily grazing requires less grooming.

One of the main reasons for the daily care include:

  • Improving the health of skin and coat
  • Lower likelihood of various health problems such as thrush, cracked heels, summer eczema and infected wounds.
  • Prevention and removal of chafing in the saddle and girth area
  • Review of the health of the horse: Injuries, scabby or warm spots, swelling, lameness, loose or missing horseshoes or a change in behavior ( dullness, restlessness ) and various other signs of disease can be noticed
  • Promote the relationship between horse and human, building trust and basic education of foals
  • To bring out a horse for a tournament, competition or a move.

Articles for cleaning purposes

One harrows of iron, rubber or plastic is used to loosen the dirt so that it can then be brushed away with the body brush.

The mane brush is a hard scrubbing brush and serves the mane and tail care.

Sponges used to clean eyes, nostrils and genitals. With the sweat diameter of the weld will be deducted after work.

With Fly Spray vinegar or annoying insects can be held at least temporarily in the summer.

Grooming

The coat is maintained with curry comb and body brush. Not only the dirt removed, but also the muscles massaged and improves circulation.

Washing

In the summer wet sweaty horses can be hosed down and then stripped off with a sweat scraper. After riding the sweaty saddle position can be abgeschwammt with a sponge and a bucket of water. The legs can be cooled with the hose, or the hooves are placed in a bucket of water. The cold water promotes blood circulation and helps to cool the horse. In summer it is also possible to clean a horse schlammverkrustetes with the hose.

Shear

In the winter, horses grow a thick skin, which keeps them warm. Many horses are shorn in winter, so they do not sweat so quickly at work. A wet Sweat horse with a thick coat takes a long time ( one -half to one hour ) for drying. During this time, there is a danger that cold the horse. So you have it at this time either move (dry riding), warm (horse solarium) or stock up on a rug. However, this must be removed after drying because Coolers are not suitable to be worn in the barn or in the pasture. There are also pasture ceilings with semi-permeable membrane, under which the horse can abschwitzen; however, these are relatively expensive.

To avoid these problems, you can shave the horse. Then there is sweating less or not at all and dries faster. However clipped horses must be protected with blankets against the cold and rain and can, upon Schur, at work until after the breaking in when they are already warm, covered.

Also, stress, old age, illness or injury can make a horse blanket necessary.

Hooves

Hoof is particularly important for the horse. Lack of hoof care can lead to various problems. Hooves have to be cut after four to ten weeks, otherwise they grow too long and the tendons are overloaded. For the health of the hoof is a healthy food and a clean box of high importance. Too much ammonia through urine in the litter, dirt and water often lead to thrush.

Scrape hooves

A hoof pick is used for clearing out the hooves. Earth, stones and dung are removed from the hoof sole. The removal of manure and mud helps to prevent thrush, which can result in severe cases, lameness. Stones in the hoof can lead to Hufgeschwüren or abscesses also cause lameness. With the hoof pick can be removed in the winter also been tollter snow that prevents the horse while running. The purified hoof can be examined for puncture wounds, such as occurred nails that can cause severe lameness.

Grease hooves

Horses that have no pasture and are usually ridden on clay courts, frequently have to dry hooves, which are brittle. Hoof serves to keep after washing the hooves, the moisture in the hoof. Thus, the hoof becomes more elastic, which in turn prevents hoof cracks. There are black and colorless Hoof, which is usually applied according to the natural Hoof. In the hoof thrush can also be protected with the help of Tar against moisture.

Mane

Japanese race horse with mane spoiled

Interwoven mane

Shear mane

Fjord horse with erect mane

The mane is used for weather protection and to scare away insects. The Mane brush or comb breitzinkiger serve to unravel the mane. The mane can be left as it grows naturally. Especially with ponies, Beading or Arabs is common. However, for plaiting the mane for the tournament, it is more convenient if the mane is warped, that is, when are torn to long hair. The pulling of mane hair is painless for the horse. In some horses, the mane is not only warped, so shortened and thinned, but so shorn that the mane is. Fjord horses often have an erect mane.

Tail

Interwoven tail

Polo Pony with mounted tail

Cropped tail

The tail is the horse to scare away insects and to keep the rump dry and warm. The tail is picked strand by strand by hand, barnacles and straw are removed thereby. It can also be brushed, but this hair is usually pulled out with. The tearing of tail hair is painful for the horse. The tail is usually shortened so that it ends up a few inches above the fetlock joint, so that the horse will not be stepped on. For the tournament, the tail is clipped sideways optical reasons, so that it looks less shaggy. Instead, it can also be woven. Previously, the tail were cropped so that it does not catch in harness, today it is woven especially for draft horses often. In polo horses of the tail is included, so that it does not wrap around the polo mallet.

Dental hygiene

In some horses once the teeth have to be ground smooth in the year. The wild horse is eating all day structurally rich food that wears the teeth evenly. The domesticated horse gets fed concentrated feed. It uses its teeth from less, and sometimes less evenly. Mechanical damage to the teeth that cause pain when chewing the horse sharp projections. In this case, it may be the roughage no longer good ground, and even lose weight as a result. Then, the teeth must be ground down accordingly.

Show

For the presentation on shows horses are usually prepared consuming. Among other things, the eye area is often rubbed with oil so that the eyes look more expressive, the awns on the underside of the head ( " goatee ") and the hevorschauen hair from the ears cut and shaved the Köten depending on the breed. However, whiskers and eyelashes can not be reduced.

Swell

  • Julie German, Les soins aux chevaux, Artemis Editions, 2007, ISBN 978-2-84416-641-8
  • Raymond Riance, Nattage, toilettage, Pansage ..., Editions Belin, 2004, ISBN 978-2-70113-884-8
  • Susan E. Harris (1991 ) Grooming To Win: ISBN 0-87605-892-6 .., ISBN 978-0-87605-892 - 3
  • Cherry Hill, (1997) Horse Handling & Grooming. Storey Publishing Pub, ISBN 0-88266-956-7
  • Horses
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