Daily grooming of the horse's coat keeps it healthy and improves muscle tone. Grooming is usually done with a curry comb (applied gently with a circular motion, to loosen dirt and dead hair), a dandy brush (a stiff brush), and finally a body brush (soft brush). A comb may be used on mane and tail. A hoof pick is used to clean the bottom of the feet.

Shoes protect the horse's hooves on hard surfaces. They can be varied in form and weight to correct faulty gaits or compensate for defective foot structure. Shoes must be reset or replaced every six to eight weeks. A horse's hoof grows as much as 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) a month and must be nipped off and leveled every six to eight weeks on horses that wear shoes or run only on pasture.

Grooming helps keep a horse’s coat healthy and improves a horse’s appearance. It is also an excellent way to check a horse for any cuts or irritations on its skin. Horses kept in a stable should be groomed daily with a body brush, a mane and tail comb, and a currycomb.

Rubbing a horse’s coat with a currycomb brings dirt to the surface and gives the coat a healthy glow. Brushing removes dirt and dandruff. After brushing, a horse should be wiped down with a soft cloth.

A water brush and sponges are useful to have in your horse’s basic grooming kit. When used wet, a water brush helps train the hairs of the tail and mane to lie flat. Sponges are used to wipe the horse’s eyes, nostrils, and also around the dock, which is the thick, fleshy covering over the horse’s tail bones at the top of its tail. A horse’s hoofs should be checked daily, as well.

Shoes protect the feet of horses that run or work. Light shoes that weigh about 8 ounces (230 grams) and use only a few nails make the best shoes for most horses. Horses need new shoes every four to eight weeks, depending on how fast their shoes wear out and how fast their hoofs grow.

Tennessee walking horses wear shoes weighted in the toes to help them raise their feet high. Race horses wear very light shoes. Shoes for winter or for high mountain trails have grips to help keep the horse from slipping on ice or snow.

Most horseshoes are made of steel or aluminum. They are nailed to the horse’s hoofs. A farrier, or blacksmith, does this type of work. When the shoe is nailed on properly, it does not hurt the horse. Hoofs are made of keratin (KEHR uh tihn), which is the same material that human fingernails and toenails are made of. Trimming a horse’s hoofs and nailing shoes to them does not hurt any more than cutting our own nails, and it actually spares the horse a lot of pain from injuries and hoof diseases.