Tacking Up A Horse

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Tacking up a horse All athletes must prepare properly for practice or competition in order to be successful. Not only must everything be prepared properly, but it must be done the correct way and the right steps must be followed. One sport that follows many critical steps to prepare for is horseback riding. To get a horse prepared for rider must first gather all the tack, clean the horse, and then place all the tack onto the horse. The first step in preparing a horse for riding is to gather all the grooming utensils and tack. First grab the grooming box containing all the brushes needed to groom the horse. The grooming box should include the curry comb, the hard brush, the medium brush, the soft brush, the mane brush, and the hoof pick.…show more content…
First bring the horse to the grooming area and put him on the cross ties to keep him from moving. The cross ties are two clips that are connected to the wall by a rope. Once the horse is on the cross ties he is ready to be brushed. First begin with the curry comb. The curry comb is a circular brush that is used to bring up all the dirt from the horses coat. To use the curry comb begin at the top of the neck and work toward the back end of the horse moving the brush in a circular motion in the direction of the hair. After the horse has been brushed with the curry comb on each side it is time to grab the next brush. The next brush is the hard brush. To use the hard brush begin at the top of the neck and move to the back end of the horse moving the brush from right to left in a stroking motion. Once each side is brushed move on to the medium brush. The medium brush is used the same exact way as the hard brush. Once the horse has been completely brushed with the medium brush, the soft brush is next. The soft brush will also be used the same as the hard and medium brush, from the top of the neck to the back end of the horse moving the brush from right to left in a stroking motion. After these four brushed are complete, the body of the horse should be completely clean. Now it is time to move to the mane. The mane is the long hair that grows from the top of the neck. For this hair the mane brush will be used. To use the mane brush, brush the hair as if it were human hair. After the mane is tangle free, the hooves are ready to be cleaned out. For this particular task the hoof pick will be used. Face the rear end of the horse and stand parallel to his leg. Carefully grab the horses leg slightly putting a little pressure on his shoulder by leaning into him. When the horse feels this he will automatically lift his hoof. Hold his hoof up with one hand, and have the hoof pick in

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