Assess Your Horse's Health While Grooming: Some Quick Tips
Interacting with your horse is one of the joys of having one, and for many of us, a daily grooming session is of benefit to humans and horses.
At Cottage Farm Therapy and Wellness, we know you can quickly assess your horse's overall health as you perform a daily grooming.Â
Here are a few key tips to keep in mind:
Grooming is an excellent time to bond with your horse. Many horses love a good brushing, so take this time to talk with your horse and spend some quality time together.
Horses groom each other—who hasn't had a horse nibble on your leg during a hearty withers scratch? And, it's a way to establish and show two-way trust with your equine partner.
THE BENEFITS OF DAILY GROOMING:
Promotes circulation.
Massages muscles.
Sloughs off dead skin cells.
Stimulates the production of beneficial oils.
Daily curry combing can almost completely control some skin conditions, such as cannon bone seborrhea (that thick, grungy skin that can form on the front of the hind legs.)
Grooming also benefits your horse’s mental health, and for that matter, the human who's doing the grooming.
Once your horse is in cross ties, do a quick visual check of their overall skin and hair coat. Make it a regular routine to check for lumps and bumps, rashes, scratches, or swellings.
Run your hands over head, neck, back, haunches and belly to feel for any lumps or wounds. You should also check hooves, eyes, and ears.
A curry comb is the initial tool that loosens dirt, dead skin and debris. My absolute favorite multi-purpose brush is Curry on a Stik. Endorsed by Dr. John Langlois, a renowned equine specialist at the Chi Institute of of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine. He is a advocate of its ability to help energy (Qi) and blood (Xue.)
BENEFITS OF CURRY ON A STIK:
Loosen hair.
Release natural coat oils.
Increase circulation.
Massage the skin, muscle, and fascia.
Perform acupressure and massage stimulation.
Remove painful stagnation.
Open micro-vasculature.
It is particularly useful for reaching sensitive areas, and the ergonomically designed handle gives the user more reach. It's a dual-sided tool, with coarse, cone-shaped teeth on one side and flexible fine teeth on the other for use on sensitive areas.
I carry one with me to work and it has been very useful for horses that have become protective of their bodies through pain and discomfort.
Using the softer bristle side, I introduce the Curry on a Stik to the area that the animal is protecting. In many cases after a couple of minutes working on the area I can
approach the area using traditional massage techniques.
In times when it is not possible to ride your horse, you can still do a workout of sorts by grooming and stretching them in the barn.
Order yours today and make your horse, dog, cat, feel its best.
If you want to experience any massage or therapy services, we offer services for both two-legged and four-legged friends.
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