Mud-Busting This Winter!
Mud-Busting This Winter!
Tips and Tricks from Smart Grooming
We all know the feeling – you’ve gone to get your horse from the paddock but it seems to have been replaced with a mud gremlin. What happened to that lovely clean horse you turned out a few hours ago?
Never fear - we’ve got all the tips and tricks at Smart Grooming to turn that muddy beastie into a competition ready superstar!
- Shift that mud!
To bath or not to bath? The most thorough way of cleaning your horse from top to toe is a bath, but this just isn’t practical every day. Not only do some of us have difficulty accessing hot water at the yard, but daily baths won’t be great for your horse’s skin either. So where to start when you’re looking at a horse covered in thick, caked on mud? We recommend starting with a tool specifically designed for the job. For us that’s always going to be the Smart Grooming Super Groomer - you'll be amazed how quickly the mud falls away and you’re able to move on to the next grooming stage.
- Deal with the dust!
Winter means rugs, which can lead to a build up of scurf, especially over the hind quarters. This is just one of the reasons why we love the snuggy hoods base body under-rug – the lining can leave horses lovely and shiny! A good brush with a flick brush, followed by a body brush is just the thing to get into the base of coats. For a competition ready finish we recommend hot clothing. If you’ve no hot water at the yard simply bring a flask with you – just a small amount of hot water and a microfibre cloth or mitt will have your horse gleaming in no time. Have a look at our super shine grooming kit for dazzling coats this winter.
- Prevention is better than cure!
If you’ve got an event you need your horse to be clean for, but still need to turn him out, there are things you can do to stop the mud from building up. Before you turn him out, we recommend using Gloss N Go on the areas most likely to get muddy – apply generously to the legs, neck, face and tail and despite your horse’s best efforts the mud won’t stick the same. It will also come off much easier, saving you time on competition mornings!
The best way to keep the mud off necks and faces is of course with Snuggy Hoods! We love the Snuggy hoods range here at Smart Grooming – they are an absolute must have for keeping mud at bay in the winter. Combined with the turnout hood you can save yourself huge amounts of time, especially if your horse loves a good wallow in the muddiest part of the field!
More horse grooming tips and tricks at the Smart Grooming website or follow us on Instagram or tiktok