We all do it...

[which_chick]

Horseperson honesty time: Do you groom before riding?



I believe grooming before and after riding is important. I groom my horse before and after riding him. On both the "before" and "after" groomings, I look at all his feet and all his legs and I make sure that the tack areas (bridle, saddle, girth) are clean. But honestly, horse is not typically turned out to any sort of grooming standard.

Here are my excuses...

1. He lives in a muddy field.

2. He rolls a lot.

3. He sleeps lying down.

4. He is not blanketed and grows a natural coat in winter.

So while I DO groom the horse, every time I ride him and frequently when I'm just showing up to feed him on his days off... I am not doing the job I should (according to Horse Instagram) be doing.

Here is today's BEFORE GROOMING pic. (The other side was dirtier.)



Here is today's AFTER GROOMING pic. This is not a clean horse. He's normally pretty close to "white". But it's a clean-enough-to-saddle horse.



My goal is not having a "white" horse. My goal is this...



(We got half an hour of under-saddle work in before the heavens opened again. Better than nothing.)

So that's life here at Muddy Acres.