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| Horse and Bridle: Proper Technique If done incorrectly, bridling a horse can be traumatic, for both horse and rider. Prepare the horse. Because you do not want to put the bridle on over the halter, remove the halter from your horse and refasten around its neck. Approach the horse with the bridle. Put the reins over the horses head or over your right shoulder. Hold the bridle with the bit in your left hand and the crown spread in your right hand. From the left, put your right arm up between the horse's ears. With your left hand, begin positioning the bit. Insert the bit. In order to get the horse to open its mouth, put your left thumb in the corner of the horse's mouth. If needed, apply pressure so the horse will open its mouth. Once the mouth is open, move the bit into the horse's mouth by gently lifting upward on the bridle with your right hand and guiding the bit in with your left. If the horse moves its head, move with it rather than trying to force the horse to stand still. Secure the bridle's crown over the horse's ears. One ear at a time, gently bend the ears forward and pull the bridle over them. Throughout the process, make sure to avoid the horse's eyes. This will spook them, adjust the forelock. Make sure the bridle is secured and adjusted. Loosely fasten the throat latch and check that the browband does not obscure the horse's eyes. Check that the bit rests comfortably at the corners of the horse's mouth. You are now ready for a comfortable horseback ride. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Grooming a Horse The skin on any animal is the largest organ on their body, and it also is the number one barrier against all infection, or any outside substance not belonging to the body. A horse's coat needs constant attention, and grooming can greatly improve its function. Specific tools are required for optimum care, curry comb, hard brush, body brush, finishing brush, mane comb, tail comb or brush, and face brush. Most people groom a horse before riding. A common reason is to prevent saddle sores from forming. The average person will spend less than 20 minutes caring for their horse, but should be spending over 20 minutes working only its body. Horses have an intricate layer of fur, which captures dirt, dandruff, and other contaminating substances, including fungus and bacteria. The first step in grooming is to take the curry comb and hard brush, using the curry first in large circles. The curry lifts great amounts of grim from the coat, but no where near all of it. The hard brush is used to move the grim over the surface of the coat. When you curry, only work over the large muscles, neck, barrel, shoulder, hind end, and please not over the bony parts of the horse. When using the hard brush, you can brush all areas used by the curry and the legs. The body brush is the next tool needed. It can be used in all places of the body. Body brushes are softer and have more bristles than hard brushes, so it is much easier for them to pick up more. Use the curry to scrape any grim from the brush. The finishing brush will be used at the end of your grooming. You will continue to make a mess with your next step, combing the mane. The mane comb is the perfect tool for this, and should be used just as a hair brush. You will find dirt and dandruff will fall onto the neck, which then can be swept away by the finishing brush. The finishing brushed should also be used on the legs, after you have used both the hard and body brush. The legs are more susceptible to fungus, infections, and wounds. They are one of the more fragile parts of a horse. Try to groom your horse's larger muscle with the hard brush, but avoid the tendon and bony areas. The body brush should be used to remove hair and dandruff from the tendons. Your finishing brush will pick up the last of the grim from the legs. The tail needs attention and stimulation as well, mainly for growth and health. A tailbrush can simply be a human hair brush with soft, padded bristles. Brush the tangles out, just as you would your hair. The face is a very sensitive place, so using a large brush intimidates a horse, and makes it unpleasant. Take your hands and use them as a curry comb. The horse should love this. Make sure to get behind, the backs and fronts of the ears. Then finish by using a little face brush. The soft bristles soothe the horse and pick up all the grim from my hand curry. It is a very important bonding time with your horse. For you are building up trust within them. Grooming enhances circulation in the horse's body, so it stimulates the cold muscles, acting as a slight warm up. This will prevent alot of soreness issues following work. If you spend the time grooming, and warm your horse up properly, your horse should be warmed up well. So , take the time. Bond with your horse, you are giving them one of the greatest gifts, by preventing so many problems with their health and the look of the horse. THE END |
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