what does "well groomed" mean to you?

Yesterday was a long day for me in a lot of ways -- mostly spent driving back and forth across the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding environs.

This is certainly the best time of year to take in the Eastern Shore scenery too - all the small flowering trees (dogwoods, cherry blossoms, magnolias - pinks everywhere!) are in full bloom, and the wooded areas are all varying shades of velvety green. Plus all things agriculture are swinging in full force. Lots of pretty things to enjoy!

is he trying to hide behind his hay? or passed the F out after schooling? or both? you decide!

But.... it was still pretty exhausting. And mildly to moderately stressful (esp the rush hour traffic coming home). I wanted nothing more than to just go to the barn, see my pony, and have a nice relaxing ride.

Alas, the delicate princess whacked another leg. Le sigh. He'll probably survive this unthinkable catastrophe (or, alternatively, has already dropped dead simply bc I dared type those words), but it won him at least one evening off work.

say what you want about his body condition. he be shiny tho!

Since I was already out there anyway tho, I stuck around for a while to groom him, feed him his standard "extra" meal (only now packed with bute and SMZs!), plus the whole cold hose - betadine scrub - cold hose - silver spray song and dance that we all know and love so much.

included bc i think he's the cutest. 

For me, a long and satisfying grooming session is composed almost entirely of currying. Especially right now, Charlie is still blowing his winter coat (and looks a bit like an orphan in the process, ugh), so I'm spending a ton of time using the round rubber curry on basically his whole body. But also the hard plastic curry, esp on his legs (thus my discovery of his wound, blargh).

I often use my beloved Horze body brush in tandem with the curries, just to keep flicking off the dust and dander as the curry lifts it. But the lion's share of the work undoubtedly goes to plain old currying. And I routinely spend 40min on it.

apple green hoof pick > apple green jolly horse candy toy thingy

I usually at least give the mane and forelock a couple swipes with the curry comb, and obvi pick out feet every time too bc he's shod all around and gets so much turnout (ie: ample time to pick up rocks and whatnot). Tho I only rarely fully brush out his tail.

And actually, honestly, I'm pretty negligent about all things trimming and clipping. I LOVE the look of freshly tidied up faces, manes, tails, and legs.... but almost never get around to doing it myself. Charlie's mane is kinda an uneven, unkempt disaster. And for a TB, he's got some surprisingly baller feathery fur around his fetlocks lol.... I always mean to clip or trim him up... but never manage to remember.

unruly mane

I also don't really bathe him all that often either. Now that it's warmer out we'll occasionally sponge or hose off after a ride, and I try to work in a little more currying in the process... But the full on shampoo-n-condition baths are mostly limited to show prep.

Charlie seems no worse the wear for it tho. His coat is supremely soft and silky, and he remains ever-huggable (even if he still kinda looks.... like an orphan haha. damn winter coat, when will you be GONE?).

the slow march continues ever on. body condition improving with spring grass.

It made me curious tho. I'm so engrossed in my own grooming routine, but I also know that everyone else has their own little routines too. Or that there are plenty more out there who either don't personally love grooming all that much, or have horses who are particularly disinclined to stand and take it.

Still tho - I'm curious. In your experience, or opinion, what constitutes a "well groomed" horse? And what's your preferred method for getting there? And preferred tools?

Are you like me, spending tons of time currying? Or perhaps bathing plays a bigger role in your routine? Does a sloppy mane or tail immediately detract from the rest of the horse's appearance in your opinion? Or do you believe that the key to that deep glossy or dappled look is pure and simple genetics, and any extraordinary efforts toward grooming or supplementation thereof are wasted?