Last time we considered the general rules of behavior on a stable and during communications with horses. Today I will tell you how to brush a horse and to prepare it for work.

Before putting the equipment on a horse, the horse is necessary to be brushed. You can brush a horse in a stall or in a pass. In any case the horse should be tethered. To tether a horse you need to put a headcollar on it. It is necessary to approach to a horse from its left side, to rise about her left shoulder, having turned to it your right shoulder. After that quietly and smoothly put the headcollar on it.

After the headcollar is dressed you can tether a horse in a stall or move it in a pass. You can brush a horse by a currycomb. A mane and a tail are brushed by a mane brush or comb, and for hoofs you should use a hoof pick.

After the horse is brushed it is time to prepare it for work. The main equipment treat: a bridle (with a martingale or without it), a saddle, leg boots or bandages.

Bridle is put on a horse practically the same as a halter. You should stand about the left shoulder of a horse. If you aren't going to work immediately it is necessary to put on a halter over a bridle and tether a horse back.

There is a large quantity of different types of saddles. They happen jumping, dressage, eventing, race etc. It is a common practice to use jumping saddles for training purposes. They provide the most dense and steady seat of the horseback rider. It is very important for beginners. At first it is necessary to put a saddle pad over a back of a horse. The saddle pad is a cover made of cloth protecting a back of a horse from various influences. Put a saddle over a saddle pad. The saddle shouldn't lie too close to withers not to rub it and shouldn't lie too far behind not to press on a loin of a horse.

Horse leg boots are intended to protect a fetlock and a metacarpus against mechanical injuries which the horse can receive during active physical exercises or at competitions. Legs of a horse are being bandaged by special bandages to fix sinews during big physical activities. More often these bandages are being applied to young horses or to horses with insufficiently strong sinews. Legs of a horse can't be bandaged for very long time. It complicates blood circulation. You must allow a horse to move for some time for blood circulation restoration after the usage of bandages.

After physical activities you should use a special cover called a blanket. There is a big set of blankets. There are warm winter blankets, there are light summer blankets. Use horse fly sheets for protection against biting insects in a hot season. More often horse fly sheets are being dressed during training time. Nothing must distract a horse from the main occupation. The horse can be in a blanket constantly. Correctly adjusted and securely clasped blanket doesn't give a horse any inconveniences, but the service life of a blanket thus is strongly reduced.

The considered subjects of equipment are the main at daily work with horses. There is also a large quantity of various adaptations, but they serve to more special purposes, and I won't consider them in this article.

In the following article I’ll try to tell you about equipment of the rider.