Do you groom after a ride?

I was taught to 'quarter' the horse before riding and strap him afterwards - because the dirt etc will rise to the surface of the coat when he's warm.

I give my horse a brush over and a check before I ride, then afterwards I dry him off (if necessary) then give him a 'massage' with a rubber curry, flick off the dust, hair etc with a body brush, then use a soft body brush to give him a really good brush. If he'll let me pick his feet up (he often won't lift his front feet) I pick his hooves out before and after riding.

I always do. It's a part of my horses' routine and they enjoy it. I feel that it lets them know "okay, we are done working, let's just relax". If they are sweaty, I will groom once and then again when they are dry. I've always been taught that a saddle mark looks sloppy and that it should never be left there.

I always brush where the saddle was to do my best to prevent dried saddle marks. I HATE when I can see saddle marks on a horse.

We just give them a quick brush (or hosing in the hot summer), check their hooves for rocks, give them their cup of feed, and let them get back to just being horses.

You can you Ivory dish soap on them because it will not dry out their coat. We use it on puppies (when i used to groom) as like a flea shampoo because the adult flea shampoo is too harsh to use on puppies.

Yes! I always groom after riding. If it's a particularly hot day, I'll shower them down with cool water to get the sweat off and help cool them down, then after they dry I'll curry and brush them to get the remainder of the saddle mark off. Sometimes I'll rub them down with liniment, too. And sometimes, if I'm feeling really picky, I'll condition and brush their manes and tails again. XD I think it's just healthier to groom them after working. The harder I work them, the harder I take care of them.

I have left without grooming on a couple occasions when I was in a hurry. I feel really bad if I do that, though.

I agree. It looks trashy when you see horses with dirty, sweaty saddle marks out in the pasture. Drives me crazy.

I think it is considered rude to the horse if not grooming them after a ride. It's like, disrespectful. They gave you a ride, they put up with you, they did all the hard work as far as muscles go. You will have a stronger bond with them if you do. My old freind said, "A horse will treat you, how you treat him."

I always brush him, then, I rub his heart girth on both sides where the girth was to get circulation and comfort and I do the same to the sides of his lips where the bit was. He loves this and starts to lick his lips. Other horses aren't too fond of it, but it does help. To me, not grooming them like that, is like not taking care of the horse....

But before saddling is always a must! Everyone knows mud or grass can itch, bother, or poke the horse with a blanket and saddle on.

Me?

Only always. Not always to the same extent, though.

In warmer weather, my horse always gets hosed down to remove any saddle/sweat marks and to get the mud off his belly and legs. Not usually a bubble-bath, just a plain water rinse. Then all the excess water is scraped off, and I walk him over to a grassy area to let him graze while he dries. He gets a final rub-down or brushing, then goes back to his stall.

In cooler weather, if I DO hose him off at all, I only do his legs and belly just to get the mud off. If he is hot and sweaty or if it's really cold, I put a wool or fleece cooler on him so he won't get too chilled while he cools off. Sometimes, if the weather is really really cold, I won't hose him and will let the mud dry, then brush it off with a stiff-bristle brush or the cactus cloth.

Most of the other people at my barn used to tease me about the amount of time I spend caring for my horse after a ride. Many of them just throw the horse back in its stall when they are done riding, saddle-shaped sweat marks and all. I prefer not to put my horse back in his stall until he is clean and comfortable.

ABSOLUTELY
Would you go out joging and go right into bed after your run?>


I couldn't imagine not brushing my horse after riding. Having the saddle and the saddle pad on top of your horse when you go riding, will always bring up dirt and dust, and whatever has been lying in their coat. one of the reasoning for grooming is also to check for injury. How can you assume nothing happened during your ride? how can you assume you horse didn't step on a nail in the sand ring, pathway, roadway, trail? how can you assume their is absolutely nothing there. Also, the legs? what about checking up those after a ride?

• improved health of the skin and coat
• decreases the chance of various health problems such as thrush, scratches, and other skin problems
• cleans the horse, so chafing does not occur under areas of tack
• gives the groom a chance to check the horse's health, such as looking for cuts, heat, swelling, lameness, a change in temperament (such as depression) which could indicate the horse is sick, and look to see if the horse has loose or missing horseshoes
• helps to form a relationship between horse and handler, which can carry over to other handling duties and riding

Do you not care about any of the above? Do you even care about showing some respect to the athlete you just rode?? I don't want to sound rude here, but someone who doesnt groom after a ride is plane lazy.