# Horse Grooming (to wear gloves or not to wear gloves)



## HowClever (Feb 16, 2010)

I have never worn gloves while grooming. Ever. It really isn't that hard to wash your hands before putting them in your mouth.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

The horse is covered in fur. I doubt he can physically feel the difference between skin or leather or cloth.

Even if he could, he's still a horse, and doesn't understand the concepts of "skin" "leather" "cloth".

If you're concerned about hygiene, then a barn probably isn't a good place to be. Even with gloves you really should wash your hands before sticking them in your mouth, or on food, or in your eyes, etc. 

Wear gloves if that makes you more comfortable, but unless they're some kind of latex medical kind of glove, your hands aren't really that much cleaner for having been covered.


----------



## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

I wear gloves when it's really, really cold out. Particularly when attempting to pry iceballs out of hooves..... and the horses don't give a hoot.

I don't wear gloves on a normal day though, way too hard to try and hang onto hoof picks, brushes and whatnot with gloves on. I wear thin riding gloves when actually riding though and plenty of times I've hopped off and picked up a foot or re-tacked a horse or whatever and I leave the gloves on because I don't have pockets. None of the horses have ever batted eye or cared that I had gloves on.


----------



## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

I wear gloves when it's cold and none when it's warm.


----------



## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

Unless you're forcefully rubbing them down with something like rubber kitchen gloves that would pull out hairs, which would raise questions about what you were doing regardless of NH or not, I have never seen a horse that would care.


----------



## Shropshirerosie (Jan 24, 2012)

Equestrian1 said:


> The horses that I ride are Pasteur horses (not stall horses).


Even if your horses are pasteurised, they're still not totally hygienic :lol:

Sorry OP, i suspect your spelling mistake was caused by auto-correct and I couldn't resist...

Anyway, to answer your question - no doubt the horse can tell the difference between your hand and your glove, but I don't think he cares. Personally I like to groom without gloves because I am more likely to detect lumps, bumps and heat in the skin. But in the damp or the cold I put gloves on because I like to keep my hands chap-free.


----------



## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

I've never worn gloves while grooming or even cleaning their privates. Horses are dirty no matter where they are kept. I could see wearing cloves right before a show so they stay clean for the show. 

Maybe I'm just not that concerned about hygene but there are more times than I can remember I've ate without washing my hands before eating. Many times have been while camping with the horses.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Boo Walker (Jul 25, 2012)

I keep a bottle of hand sanitizer and a roll of paper towels in the tack room to get the grime off my fingers after grooming.


----------



## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

When it is cold out, then I wear gloves to keep my fingers warm. 

Otherwise, no gloves. 

From my perspective, I like to physically feel all my horses legs before every ride with my bare hands so that I can feel for any bumps, swelling, or heat.


----------



## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

I have never groomed with gloves (frankly, I rarely ride with them). They're just too restrictive, and I can never find ones that fit. Really, this is just about personal preference.


----------



## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

IMHO the best gloves to wear while grooming are the cheap, stretchy ones with the rubber pebbles on the hands. I like to use the gloves to hand-brush my horse's heads bc they like it.


----------



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I'm a bare hand guy most of the time. If I have work gloves on for a project and decide a horse needs me to do something, then I don't bother to remove the work gloves. If my horses care about the difference, they've hidden their feelings well.

When tacking up, I always have a bucket of water...helps for doing spot washes on them, and cleaning my hands before I ride.


----------



## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

I wear gloves when it's cold, but otherwise I generally don't.

I don't think the horse cares whether you're wearing gloves or not, and I don't think gloves are going to do much for you in the way of hygiene unless they're waterproof with a fitted wrist and you're very diligent about ALWAYS washing your hands before putting them on.


----------



## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Only time I wear gloves is when trimming hooves....those rasps are sharp.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Shoebox (Apr 18, 2012)

Gloves while grooming? Nope. I wear them when it's REALLY cold, but I prefer the ones that are fingerless with the little mitten top you can button over it - I need my fingers for the finer things like tacking up. 

Otherwise, I *Like* touching my horse when we groom. I like to be able to scratch her and feel her fur. The horse doesn't care, but I do. I accept the dirt as a part of owning a pastured livestock animal - I think if you're worried that much about hygiene, like another poster said, a barn is maybe not the place for you to be!


----------



## HorseLovinLady (Jul 18, 2011)

I never wear gloves either, only thing I wear is a mask over my nose and mouth cause I have allergies. Horse hair don't bother me but dirt darn near kills me lol.


----------



## 6gun Kid (Feb 26, 2013)

While the whole worry about dirty hands thing just amuses the snot outta me, you asked a question I have never heard. I dont know all that many horse people who are very concerned about being dirty during and after a ride.
That said I do wear a glove or at least a mitt, with ol Spot a couple of times a year







Scrubs em like nothing else.


----------



## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

Out of habit, I wear gloves and a helmut when I ride and drive, but I have to take them off to do ANYTHING else! I consider the dirt and germs on my horses as immuno-therapy. I have a very well stocked biotherm, no need for additional probiotics, lol!!

Nancy


----------



## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

The only time I have ever worn gloves while grooming a horse is when it's super cold outside as my hands will otherwise go numb. Like someone mentioned, if you're that concerned about hygiene then the barn probably isn't the place for you. I don't see avoiding dirt altogether as a very good hygiene practice to follow- look into the hygiene hypothesis :wink: Even if you're that concerned about it, washing your hands before eating should suffice.

As far as the implications to the horse though? I doubt it matters one way or another to the horse. I agree that a closer contact with the horse (without gloves) is beneficial to detecting something out of the ordinary, but if you feel the need to wear gloves then go for it.


----------



## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

Equestrian1 said:


> current equestrian facility (where they teach great natural horsemanship), they advised me not to wear any gloves while brushing, grooming, cleaning hooves, etc...because the horse has to feel your natural touch, etc....
> .


In all honesty, what do gloves have to do with "natural horsemanship?"
Maybe hand picking horse poop would be more natural too. Actually, letting it pile up would be really natural. Kind of silly.......

The use of gloves is a personal preference. I rarely use them because, quite honestly, I can never remember where I put them. 
I am in complete support of most NH methods. These methods have been around a lot longer than many people realize. I wonder if the Dorance brothers used gloves. Hmmmm.

Not meaning to be snarky but this kind of thing makes NH look, well, sort of sappy.


----------



## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

^NH always looks a little sappy xD


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I suffer with eczema and the horses make it worse so I have to wear gloves as much as possible - It really makes no difference to the horses reactions or feel at all.
At least they've never mentioned it to me.


----------



## Western Mare (Sep 14, 2013)

I never wear gloves and even when it is cold, after a few minutes grooming, my hands get really warm 

I personally love the contact between my hands and the horse's fur and it is easier for me to detect any lumps or bruises.

I just wash my hands very well later and try not to scratch my eyes.

And I actually hate to depart from the "horsey" smell left on my hands after grooming!


----------



## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Would you believe I have to wear leather gloves with one horse, a black, to even touch him if I have anything on that has nylon in it. We emit tiny sparks. I feel them with my fingertips and I can tell he's feeling them more. So, on go the gloves. This doesn't happen with the other horse, a bay.


----------



## Chickenoverlord (Apr 30, 2013)

I groom without gloves for the sole purpose of touching my soft, fuzzy horse.  but IMPO he doesn't care, as lung as a scratch his neck.


----------



## Cappaloosa (May 21, 2013)

I've only ever worn gloves when its very cold out. Even with sheath cleaning I don't really get the point considering most of the gunk ends up inside the gloves.

A little dirt is good for ya, and if you're concerned about germs while grooming your horse I promise there are much dirtier things involved with the proper care of horses.


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I do not wear gloves when grooming summer or winter (then we do not get the extremes of cold you can get in places of the US)

The reason I do not wear gloves is because bare handed I can feel any heat changes, swellings or pimples. 

As for being more hygienic, who the heck cares? The old saying "You have to eat a bushel of dirt before you die." Should ring true, I groom, will poo pick with my bare hands, trim sheep's feet, dag them (clip their dirty trousers) and because I am a distance from home, stop and eat a sandwich when I am hungry. The hygiene part comes in when I a) wipe my hands down my trousers in a vague attempt to clean them, b) assume that the purple spray I have used on their feet will somewhat sterilise the germs, c) when eating the sandwich I hold one end that throw that piece to the dogs. 

I never have any tummy problems and only rarely do I get a cold and the only time I ever had the flu was when I was working in an office and not with horses.


----------



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I also only wear gloves when it's super cold outside and my horses don't seem to care one way or the other.

Oh, and Saddlebag, you might try grooming black horse with a dryer sheet to get rid of the static.

As for the hygiene part of it, I agree with Foxhunter. I will sometimes wash my hands if I go into a restaurant after working all day (mostly because my dirty hands gross other people out), but I often eat off my dirty hands and I've yet to get even a little sick from it. Just imagine, you go outside on a windy day and you're eating dirt the whole time you're out there. Every time you groom, you're breathing in hair and dust particles. Every time you ride...the same. If you're already getting that much dirt into your system, how can not washing your hands suddenly be so bad?

My only exceptions to that are when dealing with something that might be contagious like fungus or infections. If I get my hands covered with thrush or pus from lancing an abscess or something, then I'll wash them with soap before eating just because the idea of _purposefully_ putting that stuff in my mouth grosses me out LOL.


----------



## amberly (Dec 16, 2012)

I put it this way - if you want clean hands all the time, wear gloves - but it still won't always help.

I have never worn gloves, I only do in the winter, but even then I don't wear them when I groom my horse.


----------



## TrailDustMelody (Jun 23, 2013)

I doubt most horses care if you're wearing gloves or not. They're not as touchy-feely as some people make them seem. I personally would only use gloves if it's super cold, because I can feel for swelling or lumps best without them. Plus I like the feel of my mare's silky fur.  And hygiene is way overrated IMO. A little dirt gives your immune system something to do.


----------



## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

TrailDustMelody said:


> A little dirt gives your immune system something to do.


Just one of the benefits of dirt! : )


----------



## horseNpony (Sep 27, 2013)

Its really up to you, if you feel more comfortable wearing gloves then go ahead, if you do not want to wear them then you do not have to. Personally I only use gloves when I ride, I've never actually groomed a horse while wearing gloves so i don't know what it's like.


----------



## ForeverSunRider (Jun 27, 2013)

Grooming is defined as the act of transferring the hair from the horse to the groom. 

How are you supposed to accurately do that when you cover your hands?

I don't wear gloves except for in winter. But whatever floats your boat works.


----------



## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

I wear gloves in hot weather and cold weather. When it's fairly mild out, I get uncomfortable wearing them when I'm grooming. When it's hot, I sweat like a pig and that makes grooming very dirty and gross for me. Gloves keep my hands cleaner and me happier and more comfortable. When it's cold, my low blood pressure and lower than average normal body temp keep me VERY cold. Gloves help me stay slightly more comfortable. Of course, at a certain point, no glove will keep my fingers from going numb.


----------



## xcutiecake (Sep 29, 2013)

Equestrian1 said:


> I always wore gloves while grooming my horses (at the previous equestrian facilities where I used to ride), but, at my current equestrian facility (where they teach great natural horsemanship), they advised me not to wear any gloves while brushing, grooming, cleaning hooves, etc...because the horse has to feel your natural touch, etc....
> But, does wearing protective gloves matter to the horse? Wearing protective gloves while cleaning your horse before a ride is a very good hygiene practice to follow. The question is Shall we wear gloves or not while grooming our horses for ride. The horses that I ride are Pasteur horses (not stall horses).


Gloves shouldn't matter at all, and your horse should get accustomed to them, as you'll be riding and touching him/her with your gloves on anyway. 
On the other hand, however, I've had a friend get her glove stuck in a halter and the horse took off dragging her behind.


----------



## RhinestoneCowgirl03 (Jul 4, 2012)

IF the horse can even feel the difference, I don't think they would give a rip either way. I use gloves when it's cold out.


----------



## iRide Ponies (Aug 10, 2012)

I honestly don't think it will matter either way, but I find gloves irriatating and I want my fingertips so I can feel any little cuts, tics, lumps etc.


----------



## Horselover503 (Oct 26, 2013)

I always wear gloves, but then again I have very very very very very very very bad exma so...


----------

