Well — Groomed Behavior

Grooming is a very important part of getting a horse ready to ride, as well as putting him away for the day. Grooming accomplishes three important things:

1.    It’s a great chance to look over your horse to see if he has any cuts, scrapes or swellings.
2.   Grooming prevents the saddle, bridle or other tack from catching on something rough, like mud, on the horse’s skin and giving him a painful sore.
3.   Grooming can make a horse’s coat healthier, as it “wakes up” the skin and encourages good blood flow.

However, grooming can be hard or even a little risky if the horse does not behave right! Parents of young children should either be on-hand themselves or make sure someone knowledgeable is to insist that the horse stands still for grooming. Older, more experienced riders should make sure to take charge and stop bad behavior. Bad grooming habits for horses include pawing at the ground, bumping into you, flattening his ears, nipping at you, kicking out, or moving away from you. Obviously, biting and kicking are dangerous, but allowing any sort of rudeness tells the horse he’s not expected to behave–and that’s not the right message! Plus, trying to work around a horse that is fidgeting is very difficult.

So what can you do? First, make sure you are familiar with how to move safely around a horse (see the “Moving around a horse” video below).

Also, make sure you know how to groom your horse properly, without pushing too hard and hurting him; sometimes horses avoid you because you’re making them uncomfortable. Once you are confident around a horse, you have to start trusting that you know what your horse should do. This way, when he does something different, you can correct him quickly and calmly.

For example, if your horse likes to step toward you when you’re grooming him, you can firmly tap him on his shoulder and ask him to step away from you. If he ignores you, you can tap harder; if he still doesn’t listen, you can use a dressage whip to emphasis your point. Similarly, if he likes to scoot away from you, you can ask someone to stand opposite you and correct your horse as soon as he moves with a tap on his shoulder.

For a horse that paws, you can correct him by saying, loudly and firmly, “No!” If he continues, you can tap him lightly with a dressage whip on the leg  that he is using to paw at the ground while telling him, “No!”

Horses that kick almost always flatten their ears beforehand. Pay attention to this warning! However, horses often bite without warning you first. Beginners should not work with horses that bite or kick, as it can be very dangerous. Watch out for a horse flattening his ears back against his head, or if a horse turns his head sharply and suddenly toward you, as he may be thinking about nipping at you. Move quickly out of the way if this happens, and talk with your coach or trainer about what to do.

By insisting that your horse respect you while you are grooming him, and in turn respecting him when he behaves, you can avoid frustrating or even dangerous problems, and encourage your horse to be a gentleman all the time!