Grooming is a health check in disguise

Most of us pick up a brush because we want a clean horse. But the real value of a daily groom is the ten minutes of hands-on time it gives you with every part of your horse's body. Run your hands over a shoulder, down a tendon, around a hoof, and you will notice the small things — a warm fetlock, a scabby patch under the mane, a hoof that smells sour — long before they become a lameness or a vet's bill.

Think of it as a daily MOT rather than a beauty routine. Done properly and in the same order every time, it takes fifteen to twenty minutes and gives you a baseline for what is normal for your horse. That baseline is what makes you quick to spot when something has changed.

Set yourself up before you touch the horse

Good grooming starts with organisation. Tie up safely using a quick-release knot to twine or a purpose-made tie ring, so the horse can pull back without panicking, and work on a level, well-lit surface with a non-slip floor. Have everything within reach so you are not leaving the horse tied while you hunt for a hoof pick.

• A rubber or plastic curry comb for loosening dirt
• A dandy brush for the body and legs
• A soft body brush, plus a metal curry to clean it as you go
• A wide-toothed comb or mane and tail brush
• A hoof pick
• Two sponges — one for the face, one for the dock, kept separate
• A clean cloth or towel for the eyes and nose

Keep it all in one bag or box. A routine is only as good as your ability to start it without a fuss.

Start at the head — quietly

Horses are understandably protective of their heads, so begin here with the lightest touch while the horse is calm and fresh. Use your face sponge, dampened with clean water, and wipe each eye from the inside corner outwards, using a fresh part of the sponge for each eye. Check for discharge, swelling, cloudiness or squinting, and note any weepiness that has appeared since yesterday.

Run your fingers gently around the base of each ear rather than poking inside. You are feeling for scabs, ticks, bald patches or a flinch that suggests discomfort. Wipe the nostrils and check for discharge — a clear trickle in cold weather is normal, anything thick or coloured is not. Finally, feel along the muzzle and under the jaw for lumps, rub marks from the noseband or bit, and any swelling around the cheek teeth.

Body: work with the coat, not against it

Start with the curry comb in circular motions over the neck, shoulders, barrel and quarters. Avoid bony places — the spine, the point of shoulder, the hips, the stifle — and never use it on the face or lower legs. Its job is to lift grease, dirt and dead hair to the surface. Follow with the dandy brush in short, firm strokes in the direction the coat grows.

Finish with the body brush, which is what actually produces the shine. Work in long strokes with the lie of the hair, cleaning the brush against the metal curry every few strokes so you are not simply redistributing dust. Use the body brush on the face and ears too, where the dandy is too harsh.

Feel as you go. Heat, lumps, scabs, ticks, rubs from tack, or patches of scurfy skin along the mane and tail base all deserve a closer look. Leave the mane and tail alone on most days — over-brushing breaks the hair. Pick out bedding with your fingers, and only comb through when the hair is dry.

Legs and hooves: the part most people rush

Run your hands down each leg before you pick up a hoof. Feel the tendons and ligaments behind the cannon bone, the fetlock and the pastern, and compare left with right. Warmth, filling or a spot that makes your horse flinch is worth noting and rechecking in the morning.

When picking out a front hoof, stand to the side facing the tail, run your hand down the leg and ask for the foot rather than grabbing it. Work the hoof pick from the heel towards the toe, so you never drive a stone into the sole. Look at what comes out and at what is underneath. A healthy hoof is cool and firm, with a clean frog and no strong smell. Thrush shows as a black, greasy discharge and a sour odour in the clefts beside the frog. Check for loose shoes, risen clenches, cracks in the wall and bruising in the sole.

Making the routine stick

The best routine is the one you will actually repeat, so build it around your horse and your day. Same order every time means the boring essentials — hooves especially — never get skipped in favour of a shiny neck.

On a rushed morning, do the three non-negotiables: pick out all four feet, check the eyes, and run your hands over the legs and body. Save the full groom for a few times a week. Adjust with the seasons too: watch for mud fever and cracked heels in winter, and for flies, sweet itch and sunburn in summer. A clipped horse needs softer brushes and a cooler kept handy.

Finish every session the same way — a scratch in a favourite spot, a quiet word — so grooming stays something your horse leans into rather than tolerates. That willingness is worth more than any amount of elbow grease.