17
combthehorse’scoatin a circular
motiontoloosenanydust,then
I’llswitchovertoa brushand
brushit out,”hereveals.From
there,heusescombstostraighten
thehorse’smaneandtailanda
dampragtowipeoffthehorse
soitscoatis extrashiny.“The
laststepofgroomingthehorse
is takinga spongeandcarefully
removinganydirtfromaroundits
eyes,earsandnose,”Tr entsays.
Overall,it takesabout 20
minutestogrooma horseand
if thehorseis riddenduringthe
day,Trentgroomsit twice.But
nomatterhowmanytimeshe’sgroominga horse,he
sayshealwaysmakes
surehegivesit his
completeattentionandfollowsthis
goldenrule:Neverstanddirectly
behinda horse.“Whensomething
unknownis behindthem,horses
havea naturalinstincttokick,so
it’simportanttoavoidstanding
behindthemforyoursafety,”he
informsus.GETTING STARTED
If Tr ent’sjobsoundslikefunto
you,hesaysthereare tonsof
thingsyoucandonowthatwill
helpyoubuilduptheskillsyou’ll
needtobecomebea horsegroomeroneday!“Spendingtime
at a barnwhere youcaninteract
withhorsesandgetfamiliarwith
themis onethingyoucandowhen
you’reyoung,”herecommends.
Whileyou’rethere, hesuggests
talkingtotheworkersandseeingif
there’s anywayyoucangetsome
hands-onexperience.“Thereis
alwaysworkthatneedstobe
done,soif youshowthepeople
therethatyoulovehorsesand
havea positiveattitude,they’ll
mostlikelyletyouvolunteerthere
TRENT MCGEE/BROOKWAY STABLES (4) in someway,”Trentsmiles.“It’s good to befriend all the
horses you work with by petting
them and giving them treats
so you can create a bond with
them,” Trent smiles.
TRENT’S TOP
GROOMING TIPS:
“I usually talk to the horses in a soft voice
while I’m grooming them so they’ll feel
more at ease and won’t get spooked.”
“Always brush the horse you’re grooming
in the direction of their hair growth, which
usually means toward the back.”
“Learn each horse’s personality so you’ll be
able to care for them better.”
“Switch up your brushes. For instance, use
a soft-bristled brush for sensitive areas on a
horse, not a stiff-bristled one.”