Winter Grooming Guide

Sponsored Event Rider Genevieve Faith shares her Winter Grooming Secrets

It’s that time of year again when boiling water can freeze midair and you’re unable to bathe your horse for what seems like eternity. I promise though, it’s only a few short months! If I’ve learned one thing from enduring the harsh Minnesota winters with horses, it’s that taking your time when grooming and cooling out is worth the cold fingers and toes.

Here are some helpful hints to keep the winter blues away and keep your horse’s coat shiny and healthy:

Clipping: If you know how to clip your horse or can afford to pay someone to clip, I truly believe this helps with not only pre-ride but also post-ride grooming. Even a simple trace clip can help the horses cool out quicker which shortens your time at the barn. This also helps you see any new cuts or any inflammation on your horse that you may not have seen before with their long hair. You can then feel their legs and pasterns for scabs or scratches much easier than if you are running your fingers through long hairs. You’ll also be able to feel heat if there is any inflammation anywhere. If you decide not to clip their legs, I suggest trimming up their fetlocks/pasterns to make it easier to feel anything new.

Blanketing: The next best thing if you can’t clip your horse. Blankets create a barrier between the hair and dirt/mud that a horse may encounter. Mud can cake easily onto long hairs whereas it falls easier off a horse with shorter hair. With a clipped horse, blanketing becomes a necessity, but as mentioned it does give an advantage versus an unclipped horse. See below for my blanketing schedule for different temperatures. If your barn is not insulated and is extra cold, consider folding back the blanket while grooming the front half of your horse and do vise versa for the hind end. Your horse will stay a little warmer for longer. I like to keep a cooler nearby if I am tacking up a horse early to put over the saddle to give an extra layer while they are standing around.

Waterless Shampoo: My favorite secret weapon during these long wintery periods. A good waterless shampoo will help repel dust, but it should also add hydration and reduce static/electricity. I use my favorite waterless horse shampoo myself, at shows after taking off my helmet. I cannot count the amount of times people have told me that my hair had an extra glow to it… I simply had to giggle under my breath!

Leave-In Conditioner: If you’re trying to grow out your horse’s tail or trying to keep their tail moisturized through the winter months, a good quality leave-in conditioner is a must. I separate the hairs at the base of the tails and spray the detangler deep into the hair and do that daily. I don’t normally brush out the tail more than 3-4 times a week to prevent pulling hairs. Put your favorite leave-in conditioner in a squirt bottle for easier access. I squirt some into my hands and separate the hairs on the tail (or mane) and rub it into to the base to moisture it and then continue outwards.

Curry, Curry, Curry: One of the best things you can do to lift the dirt that is deep under the hair (if unclipped) is to curry it like you’re the Karate Kid. Wax on, wax off -vigorously.  I like to spray waterless shampoo on tough soiled areas and then use a towel to rub vigorously but if you don’t have this, a good plain curry comb will work. If you have access to hot water and a towel, wet a corner of the towel and rub any super dirty spots in a circular motion to help lift dirt. If your horse loves mud and isn’t blanketed, continuously change the water so you’re not putting dirt back into the water. Make sure to have a cooler nearby so your horse isn’t sitting around wet and catches a cold.

Cooling out: Always make sure your horses veins are ‘down’ before putting blankets back on your horse. When their veins are still visible ‘up’ it means that they can easily heat back up if they return outside with their friends and run around. There is nothing worse than putting a wet horse outside as they can catch a cold even quicker.

Sweat Marks: After every ride you’ll typically have sweat marks regardless if you have a clipped or unclipped horse. On a clipped horse it’ll be less noticeable but it’s still important to give the area under the saddle a good cleaning before putting back on their blankets. I mix up a sweat mark spray bottle (that you can also use pre-ride if you wanted) to help get rid of funk caused by dirt and sweat build up. I buy an empty spray bottle and fill it ½ way with water, add about 1/4 – 1/2 cup of witch hazel/or apple cider vinegar (you can eye the amount), and some sort of waterless shampoo or detangler to fill to the top and then I give it a good shake. You can play around with different products but having some sort of alcohol-based product will help treat any skin funk underneath the hair. In the winter, the dry air sucks oil out of the skin; therefore, the skin has more trouble producing the oils which create that healthy glossy look. Help the skin by adding more oil—add a little bit of baby oil to the spray bottle and shake it up every time before you use it to keep it well mixed.

Baby Wipes: The secret key to sweat marks on the face and legs. Most horses don’t like their faces being scrubbed in the summer, so they most definitely don’t like it being scrubbed in the winter. Baby wipes are my favorite go to as they are alcohol-free, fragrance-free and soft on the horses’ skin. Baby wipes also pick up dirt underneath the hair so it’s good to use them daily to prevent sweat build up which later can create issues. I also like using them on the legs as you can feel their legs for any new bumps/swelling while also getting the dirt.

Skin Funk: It’s hard to go a winter without some sort of cut or skin funk but there are ways to get rid of these without giving your horse a bath. If your horse gets a skin-funk or hives, make a mixture in an empty spray bottle of a 1:2 ratio of water and apple cider vinegar and/or witch hazel. You don’t have to rinse this off after spraying it onto the location. You can also use this as a daily grooming spray to help keep skin problems at bay.

Clean Tack, Pads and Brushes: It seems obvious but clean tack also means a cleaner horse. If you don’t clean your tack, this allows bacteria to linger on the leather and for fungi to accumulate. Therefore, when you put back on the girth or bridle, you’re going back full circle. It’s also easy to forget about clean saddle pads in the winter versus summer as your pads may not get as wet but I suggest using a clean saddle pad every day. I can understand that this isn’t always possible so try and use a new clean pad every 3-4 rides (weekly at the latest). Changing your pads more often is better as saddle pads can also hold dirt and bacteria on them the same as tack can. If you’re worried about getting too much hair in your washer, vacuum off excess hair and then wash your pads.

A helpful tip for YOU to keep warm is doing a few jumping jacks to warm your muscles back up…but be prepared for an odd judging look from your horse!

Myler Bitting Series Part I – Understanding Bit Resistance

Whether you enjoy a leisurely trail ride or compete at a high level, using a bit that does not work for your horse can not only reduce the quality of their performance but also negatively affect your relationship over time. Chances are good that you’ve experienced bit resistance at some point in your riding relationship with your horse.

What does “Bit Resistance” actually mean?

Resistance is any behavior the horse employs that puts him in conflict with the actions of the rider, often to evade that action. In this article, we’ll go over the most common Signs of Resistance and what they mean, but knowing how to address resistance speaks to the root cause of resistance: excessive tongue pressure.

Tongue Pressure

The primary cause of most bit resistance is essentially tongue pressure, most commonly from a broken bit, such as a single joint or three-piece. When the rider engages the reins on a broken bit, the bit collapses and applies pressure to the tongue. The tongue is a big, thick muscle connected to other muscles in the neck, shoulders and back. When it can’t move, the horse can’t go forward easily (the same is true for people). When it becomes more than he can bear, he will be forced to find a way around that pressure. The result? Resistance.

How to Recognize Bit Resistance

Horses can express bit resistance in many different ways but before you make any changes to the bit, make sure your horse is not experiencing dental or chiropractic issues.

This illustration shows a horse in a good collected frame, with his head perpendicular to the ground for optimal movement. Ideally, this is the position you want your horse to travel in when you are riding. Resistance occurs when the horse leaves this position in reaction to the rider’s rein pressure.

Once dental and medical concerns have been ruled out, you can comfortably conclude that you are dealing with bit resistance. Do you recognize any of these behaviors?

Going Above the Bit

When a horse goes “above the bit,” his head comes up and his nose goes out, often accompanied with head tossing. As a result, the bit slides back over the tongue, freeing the tongue and distributing the rein pressure to the lips and bars of the mouth. He may carry his head high for a   few strides and then come back into frame, or he may continue with his head held high. As long as he is traveling above the bit, the rider has little to no control.

Going Behind the Bit

This horse is showing the same type of behavior as the horse Above the Bit, but is avoiding the pressure by tucking his head behind the vertical, allowing the bit to slide over his tongue and applying the pressure to his lips and bars. As long as he has his head tucked behind the vertical, the rider has no recourse but to release the pressure and try to encourage him back on to the bit.

Rooting

Rooting is a very common sign of bit resistance that also has varies in severity. Some horses seem to reach through the bit and become very heavy in the rider’s hands; others will take the bit in their mouth and pull down towards the ground or run through the bit. This will reposition the bit onto the lips and bar, while the pressure is relieved from the tongue. Severe rooting can easily pull the rider off balance.

Tongue Over, Outside, or In Throat

Moving the tongue around is a very common sign of bit resistance, although these behaviors can be more easily observed from the ground. If a horse chronically puts his tongue over the bit or sticks his tongue out the side of his mouth, it can look comically playful but it signals severe discomfort. More difficult to see is when a horse brings his tongue up behind the bit into his throat—the rider feels as though she’s pulling on a brick because the rein pressure is entirely engaged on the lower jaw.

In all three of these situations, the horse cannot tolerate the amount of tongue pressure being applied to his tongue and he is willing to cause his own discomfort to avoid it. When bringing his tongue back into his throat, he even significantly cuts off his own oxygen supply.

As a precursor to these behaviors, your horse might have a busy mouth, with gaping and chewing. Recognizing this busy mouth as an early indication of bit resistance will go a long way to preventing more severe resistance.

Why is Tongue Movement Important?

No one enjoys going to the dentist and for some people, it can create a lot of anxiety. Imagine being at the dentist office: as they begin working on your teeth, you need to swallow. Instead of allowing you to freely swallow, the dentist holds your tongue down so that they can continue to work on your teeth. Without the ability to move your tongue, you are not able to swallow. At this point, panic and anxiety kick in and you begin to struggle. If the dentist doesn’t allow you to swallow soon, you will begin to panic completely and try to make yourself comfortable by getting away from the pressure. Now imagine that you are running a mile with a 20 pound backpack uphill and you are unable to move your tongue or swallow. Sounds unpleasant?

Riding in a traditional broken snaffle (single joint or three-piece), when you close your hands and make contact, the bit collapses into a “V” and rotates downward onto the tongue. As long as you have that contact, the bit will inhibit any natural movement of the tongue. As your horse salivates and begins to work harder, he struggles to regulate his breathing and swallowing because his tongue is restricted. You might notice you have the hardest time maintaining collection at the trot and canter–these maneuvers will require more effort from your horse, his respiration goes up, and he needs to swallow more frequently. But he can’t because the bit is interfering with his ability to move his tongue. You can test the pressure of a traditional bit using the “arm test.”

Arm Pressure Test

Single Jointed Mouth

What is the solution to bit resistance?

Now that we can recognize the problem, how do we begin to search for a solution? The Mylers’ approach to bitting is that as our horses become better trained, they deserve more tongue relief and freedom to perform the job that they are now educated to do. They earn your trust as they prove themselves more responsible and reliable. It’s much the same as a child learning and growing. You treat a teenager differently from a child in elementary school because that teenager has earned your trust and proven more responsible.

When looking at where to start in regards to bits; there are 5 important points

• Confirm there are no impeding dental or chiropractic issues
• Know what bit you currently are riding in and how they are reacting – this is ground zero to making a better bit choice.
• Know how your horse reacts in stressful situations – Is he reactive? Spooky? Easy-going?
• Be honest about his/her personality and how trustworthy they are under saddle. Is your horse anxious and insecure? Or dominant and challenging?
• Do you compete and have bitting regulations that you must follow?

Knowing how your horse reacts in unusual situations indicates his level of self-control and obedience. This is key to bitting selection because the more tongue relief, the more freedom. Going back to elementary school – if you have taught two children to use scissors, and one tends to be unpredictable and run off and another very cautious and careful – you can relax the amount of supervision you give the cautious child but you will probably increase the amount of supervision with the mischievous child. Again, same goes to your horse.

We try to offer each horse as much tongue relief as that horse can mentally handle. Bitting a horse is always a balance between offering tongue relief but also maintaining communication and control. Understanding your horse’s disposition will go a long way in helping you make a better bit choice for him.

Tune in next Saturday for Part II of this Myler Bitting Series: Myler Bit Levels and How to Use Them for a detailed explanations of what the Myler Levels mean and how you can use them to make a better choice for your horse.

Don’t want to wait? Click here for the most comprehensive overview of the Myler approach to bitting.

Bucas Blankets – An Informational Guide to Denier, Fill, and Blanket Linings

The air is a little crisper, the nights are a little colder—autumn is here! When autumn arrives, horse owners start thinking about horse blankets. If you ask 100 horse people about blanketing, you’ll get 100 different answers, theories and ideas about horse blanketing; this blog is not about “To blanket or not to blanket.” If you have already decided to blanket, we want to help you decide on the right Bucas blanket for your horse.

How durable does my blanket need to be?

One of the most confusing terms in horse blanket lingo is “denier.” You see a denier number on every blanket intended for turnout, typically abbreviated to “D”; for example, 1200D, 600D. The generally accepted understanding is that the higher the number, the stronger the material, but this is not always the case.

“Denier” is a unit of measure used in the textile industry to quantify the linear mass density of a fiber. That’s a mouthful! Technically it’s the mass in grams of 9000 meters of the fiber (although the denier is usually obtained by weighing 900 meters of the fiber and multiplying by 10). The basis for denier is the mass of 1 strand of silk fiber, where 9000 meters of silk weighs about 1 gram.

What does this mean for horse blankets? What denier does not take into account are the qualities of the textile itself. Denier is only a good measure of strength and durability when comparing different deniers of the same textile. For example, 1200D of ripstop polyester is definitely stronger and more durable than 600D of the same ripstop polyester fiber. But 1200D ripstop polyester is neither stronger nor more durable than 1000D of ballistic nylon.

When considering which horse blanket to buy, consider not only the denier but also the textile itself. The most commonly used textiles in horse blankets are nylon, polyester or polypropylene, all synthetic materials. (Fun Fact: nylon was originally invented to replace silk). Here are some of the materials used by Bucas.

Ballistic Nylon One of the strongest textiles available, ballistic nylon was invented by DuPont for flak jackets in World War II to protect airmen from flying fragments. Ballistic nylon is much stronger than standard nylon or any polyester. Bucas uses 1000D ballistic nylon in the Power and the Smartex. Because the textile is so strong, 1000 denier ballistic nylon is strong enough for horses without adding a lot of unnecessary weight.

Ripstop Polyester is a polyester fabric specially woven in a cross-hatch pattern and interwoven with reinforcement threads. The ripstop weave means the polyester is less likely to continuously tear, making it more durable than standard polyester and a perfect textile for horsey shenanigans. Bucas uses 1200D ripstop polyester on the Irish and Select Turnouts, 600D on the Freedom Turnouts. 1200D ripstop polyester is a tough fabric, but not as tough as 1000D ballistic nylon.

Teflon®-coated Polyester is just what it sounds like—polyester fabric treated with a Teflon® shield to increase durability. Adding the Teflon® coating means that the denier of the polyester can be reduced so the fabric is lighter weight, making it more suitable for a warm weather turnout sheet. Bucas uses 840D Teflon®-coated polyester in the Sunshower sheet, making it a lightweight but durable sheet, perfect for wet weather.

Polypropylene is a synthetic textile with high abrasion resistance and low heat transfer. More simply put, it’s extremely durable and acts as an insulator; these properties make polypropylene perfect for a stable blanket to keep the horse warm. Because polypropylene by nature doesn’t absorb water, it’s naturally water-resistant without additional fabric treatments, but not waterproof. Bucas uses 1100D polypropylene in the Celtic Stable Blanket.

Understanding denier will help you evaluate the durability of the outershell to make the best choice for your horse.  Is your horse is destructive? Does he have pasture mates that are hard on blankets? Does your pasture have lots of trees and brush? If your horse’s turnout environment is tough on blankets, you probably should invest in the ballistic nylon Power or Smartex.

For horses that aren’t particularly hard on blankets or have regular turnout in a clean paddock or field, the Irish and the Select are great choices. The Select is actually a blanket system of several blankets in one: an outershell sheet, a quilted stable blanket liner, and when put together, a waterproof/breathable turnout. The Select System offers quite a bit of versatility for horses that are in and out daily, worked year round, or traveling.

Watch this video to see how versatile the Select System can be.

If your horse is stall-bound or has a stall with a walk out, the Celtic Stable Blanket or Select System may be the choice for you.

If you live in a geographic area where the spring, autumn and winter is chilly but not brutally cold, or wet, the Sunshower might be the best choice. As a rain sheet without any insulation, it’s lightweight but durable, with a mesh lining that allows air to circulate between the sheet and horse’s skin.

What kind of lining should my blanket have?

Most blankets have some sort of silky lining to prevent rubbing. These linings work well unless the horse becomes overheated or was wet before the blanket was put on. Then they become a moisture trap, much like wearing a t-shirt under a sweater, where the t-shirt absorbs but can’t release the moisture, ending up with the wearer getting chilled. Turnouts that have a silky lining should not be used on a horse that has been exercising until the horse has cooled down; to avoid a chill, use a cooler first, and then change out to a turnout when the horse is relaxed and dry.

To solve this problem for horse owners, Bucas uses a unique fabric called Stay Dry as the lining in Power, Smartex, Celtic, and Select Stay Dry Stable Blanket. Stay Dry is a very low pile fleece that transports moisture rapidly away from the horse’s skin, which in turn allows heat to escape. The Stay Dry lining on the Power, Smartex and Celtic contributes to the overall climate management features of these blankets, as well as cutting down on required blanket changes. You can put any blanket lined with Stay Dry on a wet horse without worrying about changing the blanket to avoid the horse getting a chill, minimizing the need for coolers. If you board your horse and have to pay for each blanket change, having a turnout that minimizes blanket changes can save you money, as well as be healthier for your horse. The Stay Dry lining in the Power and Celtic is anti-microbial; the Stay Dry lining in the Smartex and the Select Stay Dry Stable Blanket is not.

Watch this video on the unique properties of Stay Dry lining found in the Power, Smartex, Select and Celtic.

A side benefit of Stay Dry is that by itself, it is a 200g fleece, providing quite a bit of warmth on its own, whereas silky linings offer no warmth.

How much insulation does my horse need?

Once you’ve settled on the outershell and lining, you need to decide on the warmth factor, usually referred to as the “weight” of the blanket which indicates the amount of insulation in the blanket. The insulation, also known as “fill,” is quite often a synthetic batting that provides not only insulation but also breathability. The insulation value of a blanket is usually indicated in the grams per square meter of insulation (a standard 75” blanket is about 3.3 square meters in size, which means 300g of insulation adds about 2lbs of weight). Your goal should be to choose a blanket with enough insulation to keep your horse comfortable, but not so much that your horse overheats and sweats. Insulation also adds weight for your horse to carry so finding the proper balance is necessary for your horse’s overall health. The standard insulation for a “heavy” turnout is 300g. Blankets that have no other way to keep the horse warm will simply add even more batting, which of course adds weight but does not necessarily increase warmth. All Bucas “Extra” Turnouts have 300g of insulation. Medium Turnouts have 150g or 200g, depending on the blanket, and Light have no insulation (with the exception of the Irish, which has 50g).

To further assist in making a good blanket decision, Bucas has provided a temperature range for most of its turnouts. The temperature range indicates a comfort level, although certain factors like a clipped or unclipped coat, humidity, amount of sunshine, wind, and general horse activity can cause the range of comfort to vary, but it gives you a place to start. A comparison of the Power and the Irish Turnout demonstrates how the combination of the right materials can work together for prime efficiency. The Power Light has no insulation, but the aluminum backing on the outershell combined with the Stay Dry lining maintains enough warmth that insulation is not needed. The combination of outershell and lining on the Power Light also makes this turnout more efficient, so horses will be comfortable in a much wider range of temperatures, from 5°F up to about 61°F. In comparison, the Irish Light, with a ripstop polyester shell and silky lining, requires 50g insulation to maintain a much narrower range of comfort, 32°F and up to 54°F.

If you need more information on how to choose the right blanket for your horse, visit the Toklat website for more Bucas videos or email us at info@toklat.com.

Watch this video on how to measure for your Bucas blanket.

Sources

www.fibersource.com

www.fiber.net

National Council of Textile Organizations

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Units_of_textile_measurement#Denier. Accessed 10/4/2017.