TCJpart60 Grooming

THE BRUSH-OFF: photography by John C Brown
                                           OTHERWISE KNOW AS 'SPARE BUTLER'.

Giving your horse a great groom not only makes him all shiny and clean, but gives you the opportunity to scrutinise every inch of his body checking for abnormalities, cuts & scrapes etc.  And as if that wasn't enough to convince you, spending time with your horse just working around him, without asking for anything in return is a great way to bond with him...

...and gives you great upper-body workout into the bargain...so what are you waiting for?

 

 

 

I groom Tom & Henry very frequently, even if I plan to ride or not, just spending time with them is what I love doing the most. Keeping them looking so gorgeous is my favourite job.

I brush them in the yard whilst they're eating hay at their haybars, they are relaxed and happy doing something they like, so they don't mind at all me moving swiftly around them, working from ear to tail with a variety of equipment.

I also brush them in their fields, I just wander up the them whilst they're grazing and slowly and quietly brush them all over.  They just carry on grazing and moving about as they usually do, with me following them around with the brush I keep deliberately in the field.

Just spending this special time with them is so rewarding, it's like I become a member of their herd, as I just move about with those large horses at liberty, from one spot of grazing to another.

I call this a hairbrush, and it's a perfect tool for gently removing dried mud.  great for tails and manes too and easy to weild because of it's handle like a hairbrush.

Gentle around the bony bits...

First I begin with a hairbrush: a handled piece of kit with rubber tipped bristles.  This is great for all-over the body, I am very gentle on their faces and don't go near their eyes with it, it's just too hard, instead I pick mud off with my fingers.  It's brilliant for manes and tails, much easier than a dandy or comb because it has a handle (combs  tear out too much hair - I don't use these at all).  I flick around the fetlocks to remove the mud, brushing through the hair as I work my way around their bodies.

oh, yeah!

  

Part of the grooming process, if the boys have an itch that needs scratching, I'll offer myself for a head rub.  I usually have to hold onto something because they're strong!!  They so enjoy it and so do I?




Finding their itchy spots is a great way to do a nice thing for your horse and he will reward you with what John & I call the 'tapier' face.  A head up, top lip twisted and extended with a look of pure pleasure.  It's priceless.

Then, the dandy brush.  I prefer a small one so it fits neatly in my hand, I frisk them allover with this, getting right under their fetlocks to remove all the mud.

Then I have a soft body brush, this I use to flick all scurf and dust from their bodies the dandy has brought to the surface.  I 'clean' it on my hand regularly to remove the dust from the bristles too.  I would use a metal curry, but my hand is handier!

Then I have a red finishing brush, I bought this for Tom.  He has a very fine coat and a sensitive skin, and the bristles on this special brush are so soft you could brush your face!.  I can brush them all over and they just shine.  Henry particularly loves this brush around his face, he pushes his head into my hand!

I  then use a brush in each hand, I call it 'dual-wielding'  to give them a brisk finishing off, then wipe their eyes and nose, sheath and under their tails with a variety of damp clean flannels.

 Pick their feet, but never put any topical application to their hoofs, Steve wouldn't approve!

Finished, the boys are sparkling and I am filthy and need a bath!

I enjoy every moment I spend with Tom & Henry, grooming them is so rewarding, I just love being with them, they are very funny and don't mid at all when I cuddle them xx

TCJpart59 Amusing Toys & Treats

HOW TO KEEP YOUR HORSE AMUSED:

There are lots of horse toys on the market, but what does your horse really like to play with?

Tom & Henry have never suffered prolonged box-rest thank goodness, so the toys they have are there purely for random amusement. 

The first 'toys' they had were sections of a tree for us to sit on in the yard whilst having a nice cuppa.  These quickly became a source of much amusement and activity, as the boys kicked them around their yard, and thus inventing: 'hoof-log'.  Also great for chewing and biting.

Make sure you know which tree yours comes from, remember some could be poisonous.

Then I bought them some 'footballs' because they obviously like using their feet to move things about.  These are strong plastic purple giant pill-shaped balls with a central cavity to fill with herbal horse-treats. You can see them in the corner of my yard. Of course the boys love anything that dishes out food, so naturally these became their favourite. I only fill them up a couple of times a year, remember their waistlines!

Spending time indoors can be rough on horses, and Tom & Henry are no exception to getting bored.  They only spend a few hours a night, in bad weather during the coldest winter months, from late evening to early morning in their stables.

But I do a few things my 2 like you might want to try with your own horse:

T&H have haybars in their stables, but during the winter I'll hang a small haynet outside their stables, alternating sides each night, so they can leisurely munch whilst looking outside, and of course they can see each other and have a chat.

Inside they also have Himalayan Rock Salt Lick hanging, Tom loves his.

Also outside we bought some rubber toys designed for large dogs, because Tom loves chewing things., and Henry joins in.  They are small tires, totally safe to chew, with some rubber rings, which they hold in their teeth, one horse at each end and play tug of war with!!!  I kid you not.  And we hung them outside their doors in cotton lead ropes, coiled around itself like we were taught to store them at Pony Club.  So they can reach them when their doors are shut, and also when they're just hanging around in their yard.

Food is always a great amuser.  I bought them some sugar-free Jimmy's Hanging Balls, and the boys love them!!  They don't stand licking and biting them until their gone either, they nibble then go, so a couple of balls, I always put them up 2 at a time, last at least a month.  Again, these aren't always available to them, so it's a nice surprise when they are.

They're either making a love heart or a model of the Isle of Wight!!?

These balls come in several flavours, I prefer the sugar free ones, horses aren't designed to eat refined sugar and neither should their teeth be subjected to a sugary assault.

Tom & Henry love their hanging treats, and spend ages licking them.

John bought them a yoga ball, hilarious, a giant silver inflatable ball, very strong.  I was certain they'd hate and avoid at all costs.....wrong!  the boys went straight up to it, Tom tried to get his teeth round it, and Henry put his foot on it.  Suffice it to say, it did not survive very long, it was deflated within a month, whether chewed or stamped on we will never know, but one day I will buy them another, because the amusement it gave them was priceless, they kicked that thing all round their fields from one to another.  I never found it the next day in the same field as the last.

Jumps:  John has built a tiny rustic cross country jump for their field. It stands on blocks with a shallow scoop where the log pole sits.  The boys kick the pole off the blocks, roll it on the blocks walk over the jump, chew the jump and generally love to play with it.

Try to add some fun into your field, just a simple heavy log will do.  Make sure it can't hurt them and of course make certain it's not poisonous because your horse will chew it I guarantee it.  If it's very heavy make certain they can't roll it this might cause injury - I prefer a log similar in weight and size to a show-jump pole, so when the move it about, it can do no harm.

Be inventive, your horse will love it, randomly add things and take them away for a while, this'll get them used to strange things appearing, and eventually they wont care about strange, hopefully this will help you out riding too.

TCJpart58 Jubilee Celebrations

BUNTING ANXIETY:

And how to deal with it.

Yes, it's Jubilee fever!!  The country has gotten patriotic without a single thought for those of us who have to ride past all the celebratory decorations!!

it's BUNTING ANXIETY!!

Not since England played in the last World Cup has the UK been adorned with this many Union Jacks (and not all the right way up - did you know there's a right way up?).  And I can tell you now, the horses wont like it at all. 

Of course my own village bunting won't be a spectacular as Oxford Street this morning (above), can you imagine riding your horse through the West End??!! Me either, I'd rather stay indoors with a nice cup of tea and some street party inspired cake - what could be more English country village than that?!!

 

    

 











Flags all flapping about in the wind, garden

gates that until now have been a safe place to ride past are now a minefield of movement and colour.

There are a few things you can do to prepare your horse for this madness, namely buy him some bunting of his own and get him used to it, like we have done in our yard.




This is Henry of course, eyeing up the new bunting, he's always the first to go near something.....


.....and we suspect actually Tom sends him in. Much like they did on StarTrek to see how the new monster worked!!

Then of course the next stage in any horse related encounter like this is the 'acceptance of the mouth'.  By this I mean, if they chew it, they think it's ok. 

When I got to the yard this morning Tuesday 5th June, this is what I found.  And this would be the work of Tom - he chews everything as a sign of his acceptance! so eaten, I guessed the boys were happy about the bunting finally. 





Tonight we will take it down, not just because the Jubilee will be over, but they need to get used to the fact that things change, I'll have to get them something else to eat!!

So, lets assume you're happily riding past a house you've been past for years without a second thought - be prepared - there may be monsters lurking, all in the name of Patriotism!! God Save the Queen.

Grace Tully's House: Tom & Henry would have a fit!!

Your horse has spotted something red, white and blue flapping about in the hedge, or like Grace's house above, the whole house could be alive with scary flag activity: he stops of course, because he's still a horse even though he doesn't mind the neighbours steam engine!! Sit still, relax, take a series of long deep breaths, don't make a fuss, wait if it's safe to do so, until your horse has decided for himself that everything is OK.

 

If he still doesn't like it after a few minutes, and begins shuffling about, get off, stay calm and quiet, and lead him past.  Get between him and the foe, and he should be happy that if the worst comes to the worst, you will get eaten before he does - thus giving him time to run away, but of course he wont need to.

If he still doesn't like it, there's no shame to turn around and go the other way, don't take any risks with yours or his safety, it's just not worth it.

Eat cake, drink tea...relax.....

Stay safe this weekend people!!!!