Polo Grooming Checklist
At Farm – Prior to Travel
1) Start engine and let truck warm up. Make sure parking brake is on. Make sure trailer is properly hitched (clasp closed/locked, leg is all the way up, power plugged in, chains latched.
2) Make sure water tank is full, if taking a tank
3) Check tire pressure in all tires
4) Check brake lights on trailer
5) Make sure all tack is loaded
6) Pull horses/tie to trailer
7) Shipping boots for long trips
8) Muzzle?
9) Load horses in order
10) Clip all trailer gates before leaving
11) Undue parking break and set E-brake before driving, and set brake at 3.5 for full load of horses (1.5 if empty)
At Trailer Before Game
1) Set truck parking brake
2) Unload and tie (not near door latch on back or side of trailer)
3) Set up hose (away from trucks)
4) Trailer Tying and water buckets up horses (for long trips)
5) Brush
6) Fly spray
7) Wrap legs, bell boots and tendon boots
8) Determine playing order of horses
9) Tack horses
10) Lay out gear bags, mallets/chairs and mounting block
11) Tails braided but left down until just before chukker played
During Game
1) Prepare next chukker horse, warm up
2) End of chukker take horse/hand off next horse and mallet
3) Strip horse – unwrap/undo tail
4) Thoroughly wash horse (no sweat) – do not spray trucks or waste water
5) Walk horse if breathing hard
6) Tie to trailer
7) Hang bridles on hook in trailer
8) Hang wraps and lay out saddle pads to dry
9) Repeat
If Playing
1) Prepare both horses before chukker
2) Strip horse if done/stack tack away from horse
3) Tie to trailer
4) Get next horses – tie tails
5) Check girths
6) If down a chukker revert back to main list
7) Repeat
After Game
1) Check for any injuries/treat injuries
2) Quick brush of horses if away from a spigot or too cold to bathe, but it’s almost never too cold to hose off a hot polo pony in the summer and leaving them dripping wet (ie., not scraping) is the best way for them to cool down, it’s bullshit that cold water will cause any problems to a hot horse, it’s great to cool them off and helps with sore backs and sore legs
4) Spray Vetrolin on tendons
5) Oil hooves
6) Fly spray
7) Roll wraps
8) Fold saddle pads
9) Clean tack
10) Load gear bags, mallets, chairs, mounting block in gooseneck
11) Clean up area
12) Clean up hose
13) Muzzle horses
14) Load horses
Feed, water and electrolytes back at paddock
At Paddock – After Travel
1) Unload
2) Unmuzzle, bathe if not done after game
3) Turn out horses/latch gates
4) Hang halters on hooks
5) Check to see that the horses have hay/feed
6) Fill water in pasture
7) Stack muzzles
8) Clean trailer
9) Clean trailer with shovel then hose
10) Shipping wraps stored
11) Lock truck if leaving it attached to trailer when traveling
12) Make sure key is left in center console if door code
Weekly duties:
· 1/week: Bathe each horse with shampoo/conditioner and curry coat
· 1/week: Oil in tail (Cowboy Magic)
· 2/week: Shapley’s M-T-G on rain rot (usually on the white) legs
· Daily apply Desitin or sunscreen on white horses nose (white areas) as needed for sunburn
1x/week, clean tack with water and saddle soap, when dry apply Bob’s goop (not saddle seats though, do not apply anything and do not clean the suede seats of saddle)
Game Day:
· At close of every game day, when all horses back in the paddock give each horse a 1 cup of electrolytes and 1 scoop of grain.
· Fly spray prior to riding
· Make sure irons are correct length, and/or put back at the length you found them
After every ride:
· Hose down each horse
· Put irons back to players length, if changed, and run up irons on stirrups before putting back in trailer
Wipe down tack and girths with towel and spray with glycerin saddle soap and sponge off dirt
