Tips for horse grooming in winter!

 

 

 

The purpose of grooming your horse in the winter. 

 

That shiny bloom of a horse’s coat comes from skin! A horse’s natural oil, called sebum, is produced in the skin and creates that mirror-like reflection.  

 

In the winter, sebum is responsible for covering the coat to make your horse’s hair waterproof from the weather. Helping him stay oily in the winter is more challenging. We need to overcome dry winter air, a long fur coat, sweat, and mud.  

 

By keeping his skin and coat at the top of the priority list, you will have a happy and grit-free horse to tack up! Even the clipped horse needs some help staying naturally weather-resistant in addition to blankets. 

 

Daily grooming keeps his sebum flowing and allows you to physically check for any new skin issues that may pop up. 

 

Horse grooming tools and techniques that can help you in cold weather.

 

Unclipped horses often benefit from slightly stiffer and deeper grooming tools. Curry combs with longer teeth and deeper bodies help reach the skin and lift out dander and dirt. Dandy brushes with extra-thick, stiff, or long bristles reach down further.  

 

Your horse will also benefit from using your tools against the direction of his hair growth. By allowing your brushes to fluff things up, more grit is released and more oils are distributed. 

 

Clipped horses sometimes become ticklish or sensitive with a shorter coat. Try using softer brushes and less pressure with your existing grooming tools. Microfiber cloths, instead of a soft brush, can take off the last layers of dust. 

 

Both fuzzy horses and clipped horses can benefit from a vacuum. Vacuums are fantastic, and are the best tool for horse grooming in winter.

 

Cactus cloths easily lift sweat marks with some rubbing, and a simple pair of trimmers can tidy up stray hair that may interfere with tack. You may also want to tidy up the lower legs to help boots and wraps fit better. 

 

Dealing with mud.

 

Mud causes a few issues. Grit and dirt deep in your horse’s hair, wetness that may chill your horse, and even being the perfect storm of bacteria, dirt, and your horse’s leg hair. Skin infections are often the result of such a storm.  

 

Using waterproof sheets, tough fly boots, and bell boots can create an almost-impenetrable fortress against mud. There’s always some mud that breaks through. Using barriers will save you time and effort and can protect your horse’s skin. 

 

For horses that insist on coming back in with muddy legs, clipping them reduces the surface area for mud to attach. You don’t have to use a #10 blade as you would body clipping. Use comb attachments! Or use your blades in the direction of hair growth to rake away the bulk. 

 

When it comes time to groom the mud away, wait until it dries. There’s no use getting your brushes dirty and smearing mud around. Dried mud is simple to chip away with your hands or shedding blade. Then you can brush normally. 

 

If the weather is pleasant, you might be able to rinse mud away on the lower legs. Towel dry and keep your horse out of the wind as you finish grooming. 

 

Winter grooming ideas for sweat.

 

Horse grooming in winter revolves around sweat! Sweating is natural and serves to cool your horse during exercise.

 

During the winter months, this can create skin issues. Sweat is your horse’s skin getting wet from the inside, in comparison to his skin getting wet from snow or rain. Sweat can contribute to the perfect storm of dust, moisture, and bacteria that end with a skin infection. 

 

Too much hair and sweat can also increase your horse’s body temperature when he’s working. After exercise, his wet skin can drop it too quickly.  

 

Use coolers to break the wind and cold air, dry the sweat, and help your horse’s temp normalize safely. Then it’s time to groom again!  

 

More tips!

 

Keep yourself warm, too! Fingers can stay warmer under gloves if you wear a pair of disposable nitrile gloves as a base layer. Stick to wearing wools instead of cotton fabrics. Find coveralls and boots with Thinsulate.

 

Groom your horse in his stall if the grooming area is drafty or cold. You will both stay warmer!

 

Use coolers as you are grooming, warming up, cooling off, and drying. Coolers typically apply to the clipped horse, but the furry horse benefits from coolers while cooling off and drying. Fleece coolers are simple to launder, but wool coolers wick away more moisture and are less likely to flap around in the wind. 

 

Check your horse’s environment for mud-free options! Consider adding mats to feeding areas outside, packing some stone dust into paddocks, and piling up sand and shavings for a tempting place to roll.