If you care for equine residents at your sanctuary but want a better grasp of the basics of grooming, this resource is for you! For those new to caring for equines or those considering taking in equine residents, this is also a great resource for you. Like proper nutrition and access to safe outdoor spaces, regular grooming is part of a well-rounded care routine. Some residents may need a little more than others and that is okay! In this basic resource, we will cover grooming step-by-step. It also includes a list of proper grooming tools and safety tips when grooming equine residents. Let’s get started!

The Benefits Of Grooming

Before we get into the specifics of grooming, let’s take a look at the benefits of regularly grooming equine residents.

• The obvious benefit is that grooming makes for a hygienic resident.
• Proper grooming can decrease the likelihood of rain scald and some other dermatologic conditions.
• The time you spend grooming allows you to observe them for signs of injury or illness.
• When done properly, grooming should be an enriching experience for most equines (barring those who are not ready for human contact).
• Proper hoof picking can decrease the risk of thrush.
• Grooming allows you to learn about the individual, giving you a solid baseline for behavior and bodily condition.
• Grooming increases blood flow to the skin which helps their coat and skin health.
• Grooming is an opportunity to bond with residents. This is a time when the two of you can hopefully connect positively, developing trust.
• Grooming can have benefits for caregivers too. This is a time when slowing down, slowing breathing, and taking your time are important. Let’s face it; caregiving is tough work and getting the opportunity to spend time engaging with a resident under your care can be rewarding and soothing. 

Tools Of The Trade

Before you start grooming residents, you need to have the proper tools first. You may think all you need is a brush of sorts and you are good to go. However, there are a number of types of brushes and other implements that all have specific uses. For the best experience for you and the resident, you will want to have these supplies on hand. 

• Brushes
  • Curry comba fleshy crest on the head of the domestic chicken and other domesticated birds/brush 
  • Hard brush/Dandy brush
  • Soft brush
  • Face brush
  • Mane and tail brush (if needed)
  • Massage brush
• Shedding blade (if needed)
• Sweat Scraper (if needed)
• Grooming mitt
• Sponge
• Cloth
• Bucket
• Hoof pick with brush
• Pulling comb
• Hoof oil
• Detangler/shampoos and conditioning products (if needed)

If you are able, it is best if grooming tools are assigned to individuals and only them to lower the risk of spreading illness and disease among residents. This may not be realistic for everyone. To reduce risks of disease spread, clean grooming tools between individuals. 

Safety Tips

Seek Out Training From Experts!
If you have never groomed a horse and you aren’t accustomed to working with them, please be sure to have an experienced caregiverSomeone who provides daily care, specifically for animal residents at an animal sanctuary, shelter, or rescue. show you how to properly groom residents. Ask to shadow them while they groom. Ask for tips regarding individual residents. Everyone has quirks and it is possible that there is a resident who is only comfortable with a certain caregiver or there is a specific way to approach them that differs from other equine residents. Without a solid understanding of horse behavior, body language, and proper grooming techniques, you could easily become seriously injured.

It is important to practice safe techniques while grooming equine residents. Part of this involves knowing the individual you are grooming. This isn’t always possible when they first arrive. You may not have much history with them or they may have experienced neglect or abuse which can affect how they feel and what they perceive as a potential threat. Always observe the equine resident and their behavior before preparing to groom. Not only will this allow you a good opportunity to observe them for differences in appearance, posture, behavior, and gaitA specific way of moving and the rhythmic patterns of hooves and legs. Gaits are natural (walking, trotting, galloping) or acquired meaning humans have had a hand in changing their gaits for "sport"., but it also lets you get a read on their mental/emotional state. Are they relaxed and drowsy? Are they pacing or vocalizing? The answers to these questions will affect how to best approach them or even if this is a good day to groom them.

When you aren’t dealing with a care situation that requires immediate attention, it is good to give residents the space to choose if they want to participate. Now we all probably know a resident who is never interested in participating. If this is an issue, we recommend using positive reinforcement to make the experience one they look forward to. You may also want to check out our resource on how using lavender during grooming may make for a more relaxed, content horse resident.

Many caregivers use a halter and lead rope with their residents, tying the rope securely, using a quick-release tie. The quick tie release allows an equine resident who is panicking and pulling away to flee. It also allows the caregiver to easily release the knot with little effort. Sometimes two caregivers participate in the grooming, with one holding the lead rope and standing with the horse. Now let’s look at some other valuable safety tips to ensure happy and healthy staff and residents!

Do Not Leave Residents Tied Off While Unattended!
Residents who are haltered and tied off (where the lead rope is secured to a stationary object to restrict where the individual can go) face serious risks if left unattended. If an individual who is restrained in this way were to struggle, they could cause the halter to shift position. A rope halter could slip over their nose, and further struggling could pull the halter tight. A tied-off resident may also attempt to drop to their knees, which, depending on the height at which the rope is tied and how long the rope is, could put their neck in a dangerous position. For these reasons, it’s important to always have someone closely supervising while residents are restrained in this way.

• Have you worked with horses before? Get an experienced caregiver to guide you through the grooming process.
• Get to know them first! Who are they? What is their history? What is their personality like? Spend time with them before you ever start grooming. Ensure these are positive experiences using patience and positive reinforcement. This will help them feel more secure. 
• Use fluid, slow, calm movements. Don’t move quickly or unexpectedly.
• Wear good shoes with toe protection, ideally hard-toed. If you care for equines long enough there is a good chance of getting your foot stepped on at some point.
• Make sure the area is clear of obstacles you might trip on or on which a resident may injure themselves.
• Use the same grooming order every time and be sure all care staff and volunteers know the order. This helps the individual become familiar with the experience.
• Have another caregiver or experienced volunteer with you who can assist.
• Have their companion in sight if this relieves any uneasiness.
• In some cases, it may be okay to groom an individual when their buddy is with them as long as they are of a calm temperament and don’t interfere.
• However, don’t attempt to groom a resident in a group of other residents. It significantly increases the risk of being injured as you cannot tell where everyone else is at all times.
• NEVER go underneath an equine resident to get to their other side.
• Let them know where you are at all times by using a gentle voice and moving your hand along them as you are moving positions.
• Stay out of the kick zone! Don’t walk behind a horse if possible, if you must, move your hand along their body as you move around to their other side, sticking close to their body (this will lessen the impact of a kick).
• When picking up hooves, bend your knees, and lean down, facing the rear of the resident. This allows you to move quickly and get out of the way easier.
• Don’t place your head too close to their hooves!
• Assign specific grooming tools for each resident equine to reduce the spread of disease.
• Clean tools after use to prevent recurring infections and reduce bacteria build-up.

Okay, now that we have covered safety tips, we will guide you through a grooming session. As mentioned before, start grooming in the same spot and work your way through the grooming session in a consistent manner. This way both of you know what to expect! Let’s get started!

Lavender May Help Calm Nervous Horse Residents
Multiple studies found using a diffuser of diluted (20% lavender to 80% water) lavender oil to calm horse residents during stressful situations is a promising aid. It is also fairly inexpensive (well, it is somewhat expensive, but a little goes a very long way!), and easy to procure, dilute, and administer. There are a variety of situations where caregivers may find the use of lavender helpful in preventing or reducing stress in horse residents. If you have a nervous resident, introduce them to diffuse lavender oil sometime before trying it out during grooming. If the resident doesn’t care for it, you can remove it quickly.

Step-By-Step Equine Grooming

While the following instructions are written generally for equines, you likely already know that donkeys and horses are different and often require different care while mules hang out somewhere in the middle. Unlike most horses, donkeys don’t have long-haired tails so you probably won’t have to spend as much time grooming their tails and may not even need the same tools. These differences usually become pretty obvious when you are grooming an individual. Act accordingly. The following steps don’t have to be done in exactly this order. If you need to adjust when you pick hooves or clean their face, that’s okay so long as it works for you and the resident. It is important to remain consistent with whatever order you do. Grooming should be done daily though you may not need to do as thorough a grooming depending on their level of cleanliness. However, at the very least, hooves should be checked and picked every day. Hoof health is vital to an equine resident’s overall health and well-being. Early detection of injuries and diseases can save lives.

There are times when a resident may require a full-on shampoo and conditioning bath. This is not typically needed often unless they roll in something, are especially sweaty and dusty, or they need help shedding their winter coat. The steps below don’t cover a wet bath in detail. We will cover this in a future resource.

Step One: Curry Comb

Step 1: Starting at one side near the resident’s face, use a curry comb to break up mud, dirt, and dander from their body. This is the only step where you can use circular strokes. Otherwise, brush with the natural growth pattern of their coat as this is more comfortable. If the resident isn’t caked in dry mud you can generally use a rubber curry comb for the initial step. However, if they have a lot of muck dried into their coat, a metal one can be more effective. Note: If you have a resident with sensitive skin, use the rubber curry comb. The metal one will not be so gentle and this could cause the resident discomfort. If they are sweaty and have a lot of excess hair, a sweat scraper can help with this.

*Don’t use rough scrubbing motions to clean their legs. This can lead to greasy heel or other dermatologic conditions. 

Step Two: Medium/Stiff Brush

Step 2: Once you have broken up the dirt and brought it to the surface of their coat, take a stiff/medium stiff brush, also known as a dandy brush, to brush the dirt away. Brush down and away from the body, essentially flicking the dirt collected off at the end of each stoke.

Step Three: Softer Brush

Step 3: As you move around the horse, run your hand down each leg to feel for any swollen or hot joints or injuries. If they have dirty legs that can’t be easily groomed with a softer brush and a more delicate touch, wash them with water and rinse away the grime. You can run this brush over their body too.

Step Four: Gentle Face Brush

Step 4: Take a small, soft brush and brush down their head, face, and legs, if needed. Be gentle as you groom their head and face. Let them smell and inspect the brush if they indicate they are uncomfortable. Speak gently to them as you brush down areas around the face and ears.

Step Five: Damp Sponge Or Cloth

Step 5: Take a damp sponge or cloth and gently clean any gunk from their nostrils, mouth, and eyes.

Step Six: Mane And Tail Brush

Step 6: Check their mane and tail. Depending on the state of their mane and tail, you may want to use your fingers to tease out any major knots before using a mane and tail brush or comb. If they have a particularly knotted mane or tail, apply some detangler before you finish grooming their face and body. This will allow it time to soak in and be ready for you when you get to that point in the grooming session.

Step Seven: Hoof Pick And Brush

Step 7: Once the resident has a clean body, face, and mane/tail you can get started with cleaning and picking their hooves. This is an incredibly important aspect of grooming as any diseases or injuries to the hoof need to be caught and treated as soon as possible to prevent further issues. You can learn more about hoof anatomy here! Let’s break this step down into parts.

The proper way to hold a hoof pick is with the pick part facing down and away from your body. This allows you to pick their hoof from heel to toe, the correct technique.

1. Observe and assess general hoof health. Before getting started, take a look at their hoof and see if there are any signs of cracking, signs of white line disease, or laminitis (are they trying not to put their full weight on any of their hooves), and other signs that something might be amiss.
2. Starting from their shoulder, run your hand slowly down their leg, feeling for swelling, heat, nodules, or other such anomalies. As you move lower, either squat with your feet solidly on the ground or bend your knees and lean down as you assess their leg and exterior hoof health. 
3. Pick up their hoof. Many equines may be fine with having their hoof picked up and all it requires is a gentle pat on their lower leg and/or a verbal prompting (“hoof, please”). If someone doesn’t want to lift their hoof for you, do not force them. Sometimes it can help if you lean into their shoulder a bit as you lift as this redistributes their weight onto their other hooves. Never use force. This may be new to them or they may have had a bad experience. Or they just may not feel like it today! If this is the case, just do what you can. If they allow it, run your hand down their leg, starting at their shoulder, and touch each hoof to get them accustomed to the practice. Then work with them using positive reinforcement learning so they associate getting their hooves cleaned with a positive experience. If you have concerns they are having an issue with one or more of their hooves but they won’t pick up their hoof for you to examine, get help from fellow care staff and call your veterinarian. 
4. Assuming all is well and the individual lifts their hoof for you, hold their hoof up with the hand nearest the hoof and look for any signs of foreign objects, bruising, abscess, or another injury. Apply light pressure to the frog and sole of the hoof which should be pretty solid. 
5. Pick the hoof clear of debris using a heel-to-toe picking motion. Be gentle and don’t pick the frog as you may cause damage to this area. If the resident is shod then be sure to check if it is loose. Depending on the individual’s needs, you can put hoof oil on their hooves. Ask your vet if they recommend this for any of your equine residents.

Step Eight: Soft Cloth

Step 8: Take a soft cloth and rub this all over the resident’s body to remove any loose hair, dirt, and dander.

Step Nine: Assess And Get Specific

Step 9: Assess and groom any additional areas that may need attention Pay special attention to the following areas that often get missed when grooming:

• Inside the ears
• Under the chin and jaw
• Under the belly
• Tailbone and under the tail
• Front of the cannon bone
• Behind the pastern
• Mane and tail
• Sheath (geldings, stallions) This generally needs to be done every 6 months.
• Between the teats (mares)

And that’s it! Easy right? Well, maybe not easy but it is something caregivers can learn with ease under the supervision of a veterinarian, farrierSomeone who provides hoof trimming and care, especially for horses or cows, or experienced care staff. We hope you have found this resource a helpful guide as you learn the skills necessary to provide equine residents with the best care possible. Check back for more resources on equines and their care needs!

SOURCES

Horse Anatomy: The Hoof | Open Sanctuary Project

To Shoe Or Not To Shoe: Exploring Options For Horse Residents | Open Sanctuary Project

Donkey Foot Care | The Donkey Sanctuary

Grooming Horses Safely | National Agriculture Safety Database (Non-Compassionate Source)

Horse Grooming Basics | American Quarter Horse Association (Non-Compassionate Source)

Stress Intensity In Young Hucul Horses During Grooming And Training | Science For Sustainability (Non-Compassionate Source)

Grooming Horses Safely | Rutgers Cooperative Extension (Non-Compassionate Source)

Picking Out A Horse’s Hoof | University Of Bristol (Non-Compassionate Source)

Non-Compassionate Source?
If a source includes the (Non-Compassionate Source) tag, it means that we do not endorse that particular source’s views about animals, even if some of their insights are valuable from a care perspective. See a more detailed explanation here.