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Alfredo Guzman
Alfredo Guzman - Chile
To get your horse look`n good for the upcoming show season, start with a good feed & exercise program. My feed program includes high quality hay (preferably Timothy/Alfalfa, concentrates (COB, Extruded or Complete Pellets), vitamins (Vita-Stress, Farriers Formula, or Hoffmans) and a 1/2 cup of ground flax daily. There is a huge variety of diets for horses, some need more weight and energy and some need less. Adjust your horses diet to suit his individual needs and your own preferences.
It`s March, and here in the Lower Mainland of BC the horses are shedding their winter coats. To help hurry the shedding process with my horses, (even the ones shedding `short` coats) I will leave the evening lights on longer and put a blanket or an extra blanket on them. It`s is both the longer day light and the warmth that will help the shedding out process. Even during our warm and sunny days, where the temp reaches 12 C, the horses have their blankets on outside. They are not sweating under the blankets, just toasty warm. Just as we wear layers of clothing, I will layer the clothing on the horses. First, a nylon sheet which helps to prevent rub marks because they are so slippery, then a medium to heavy weight (depending on the temperature) stable blanket. If it is raining out or really cold, I will add a water proof sheet over top of the other two. Only in very cold weather, I will add a slinky or a hood, over the head and neck.
After exercising, when the horses body is warm and the skin pores are wide open, I will do a lot of hair removal grooming with a rubber curry. I have also found that creating some more heat in the horses body by adding corn, oats and barley (COB) to their diet, can hasten the shedding process. Sometimes I use a shedding blade on horses with very thick coats and tough skin. Shedding blades can really irritate some horses, so be compassionate.
How often do you just pass a brush over the horses body once, to remove the caked on mud, and then proceed to saddle? The basic grooming process is usually ignored by most of us. It takes good ole` elbow
grease to produce a healthy shiny coat. After a bit of practice, you can get this routine done in 10-15 minutes. The results are well worth the time! Here is the total daily grooming routine recommended by
Equine Canada (and me)
Pick out your horse`s hooves. Then start with a Rubber Curry in one hand and a Dandy brush in the other. Using the rubber curry first, up at the poll of your horse, use circling motions to loosen caked on
dirt, remove hair, bring dandruff to the surface and simulate circulation. After 3-4 circling strokes, bang the Rubber Curry on to the BACK of the Dandy brush, to rid the curry of hair clumps and dirt.
Continue this currying process over the entire horses body, except for the face and legs. On the right side of the horses body, curry with your right hand .. on the left side of the horse`s body,curry with your left hand.
Next change to the Dandy brush in your grooming hand and hold the curry in the other hand. Start at the horse`s poll again, and using a flicking motion, remove the loosened dirt and dandruff from the horse`s
coat. Flick deep into the coat, to massage the skin which will help it to secrete natural oils. Flick, flick, flick and then run the brush over the curry, to remove dirt and hair from the Dandy brush. Continue
this currying process over the entire horses body, except for the face and legs.
For the final step, use the short, soft bristled Body Brush. Untie your horse and gently brush his face & forelock with the soft Body Brush. Tie your horse back up and then use the Body brush and your fingers to untangle the mane. Now that the mane dust is on the horse`s neck, you can remove it with long, smooth strokes of the Body brush. Continue the smooth strokes of the body brush over the entire horse, including down the legs and on sensitive areas. The smooth strokes of the body brush will remove the fine dust left behind from the Dandy and will spread the coat oils, producing the glossy shine. Use the body brush and your fingers to untangle the tail hairs. Using anything but a soft brush on the mane and tail, will break and rip out the hairs.
For a final touch, take three flannel or terry cloth rags labeled FACE- DOCK- BODY with felt pen, and 1) clean out the eye goobers and nostrils, 2) under the tail and dock area and 3) use a larger piece of flannel to polish the entire horse`s coat. I keep the horse`s bridle path and whiskers clipped to add to the over all image. I will also bath the horse as often as needed (weather permitting) to keep them clean and smelling fresh.
To get your horse look`n good for the upcoming show season, start with a good feed & exercise program. My feed program includes high quality hay (preferably Timothy/Alfalfa, concentrates (COB, Extruded or Complete Pellets), vitamins (Vita-Stress, Farriers Formula, or Hoffmans) and a 1/2 cup of ground flax daily. There is a huge variety of diets for horses, some need more weight and energy and some need less. Adjust your horses diet to suit his individual needs and your own preferences.
It`s March, and here in the Lower Mainland of BC the horses are shedding their winter coats. To help hurry the shedding process with my horses, (even the ones shedding `short` coats) I will leave the evening lights on longer and put a blanket or an extra blanket on them. It`s is both the longer day light and the warmth that will help the shedding out process. Even during our warm and sunny days, where the temp reaches 12 C, the horses have their blankets on outside. They are not sweating under the blankets, just toasty warm. Just as we wear layers of clothing, I will layer the clothing on the horses. First, a nylon sheet which helps to prevent rub marks because they are so slippery, then a medium to heavy weight (depending on the temperature) stable blanket. If it is raining out or really cold, I will add a water proof sheet over top of the other two. Only in very cold weather, I will add a slinky or a hood, over the head and neck.
After exercising, when the horses body is warm and the skin pores are wide open, I will do a lot of hair removal grooming with a rubber curry. I have also found that creating some more heat in the horses body by adding corn, oats and barley (COB) to their diet, can hasten the shedding process. Sometimes I use a shedding blade on horses with very thick coats and tough skin. Shedding blades can really irritate some horses, so be compassionate.
How often do you just pass a brush over the horses body once, to remove the caked on mud, and then proceed to saddle? The basic grooming process is usually ignored by most of us. It takes good ole` elbow
grease to produce a healthy shiny coat. After a bit of practice, you can get this routine done in 10-15 minutes. The results are well worth the time! Here is the total daily grooming routine recommended by
Equine Canada (and me)
Pick out your horse`s hooves. Then start with a Rubber Curry in one hand and a Dandy brush in the other. Using the rubber curry first, up at the poll of your horse, use circling motions to loosen caked on
dirt, remove hair, bring dandruff to the surface and simulate circulation. After 3-4 circling strokes, bang the Rubber Curry on to the BACK of the Dandy brush, to rid the curry of hair clumps and dirt.
Continue this currying process over the entire horses body, except for the face and legs. On the right side of the horses body, curry with your right hand .. on the left side of the horse`s body,curry with your left hand.
Next change to the Dandy brush in your grooming hand and hold the curry in the other hand. Start at the horse`s poll again, and using a flicking motion, remove the loosened dirt and dandruff from the horse`s
coat. Flick deep into the coat, to massage the skin which will help it to secrete natural oils. Flick, flick, flick and then run the brush over the curry, to remove dirt and hair from the Dandy brush. Continue
this currying process over the entire horses body, except for the face and legs.
For the final step, use the short, soft bristled Body Brush. Untie your horse and gently brush his face & forelock with the soft Body Brush. Tie your horse back up and then use the Body brush and your fingers to untangle the mane. Now that the mane dust is on the horse`s neck, you can remove it with long, smooth strokes of the Body brush. Continue the smooth strokes of the body brush over the entire horse, including down the legs and on sensitive areas. The smooth strokes of the body brush will remove the fine dust left behind from the Dandy and will spread the coat oils, producing the glossy shine. Use the body brush and your fingers to untangle the tail hairs. Using anything but a soft brush on the mane and tail, will break and rip out the hairs.
For a final touch, take three flannel or terry cloth rags labeled FACE- DOCK- BODY with felt pen, and 1) clean out the eye goobers and nostrils, 2) under the tail and dock area and 3) use a larger piece of flannel to polish the entire horse`s coat. I keep the horse`s bridle path and whiskers clipped to add to the over all image. I will also bath the horse as often as needed (weather permitting) to keep them clean and smelling fresh.
