Every horse at The Shea Center has its own grooming bucket with its name on it. This helps to keep specific items for specific horses organized and easy to find. In every grooming bucket, you will find a stiff bristle brush, a soft bristle brush, a mane and tail brush, a hoof pick, and an all-purpose cloth. Also in each grooming bucket is a dressage girth and neck strap with the horse’s name on it. There may be some other items specific to an individual horse (boots, bonnet, etc.).

Grooming starts with the mane and tail, gently brushing from the bottom and working your way to the top. Doing this first means any shavings/dirt in the mane will fall to the neck and can then be brushed out with the other brushes. The stiff bristle brush removes loose dirt and debris, followed by the soft brush. The brushes are used in short strokes in the direction of the horse’s hair. The soft brush should always be used on the face and other sensitive areas. Some horses may have a rubber curry comb, which is for stubborn dirt, using a circular motion in the direction of the horse’s hair.

The hoof pick is used to carefully clean the horse’s hooves. The pick side is used to clean out each side of the frog in the center, and the brush side of the hoof pick is used to brush out loose dirt. The Shea Center horses get their hooves picked at the beginning of each day, at the end of each day, and after any lesson that takes the horse out on the trail.