Step One: Settle the Horse and Start With the Hooves
Tie your Friesian on a level surface with a quick-release knot and let this naturally people-oriented breed settle before you begin. Pick out all four hooves first, working from heel to toe, so grit picked up in the bedding is not ground around the yard while you brush. Friesians carry generous feather at the fetlock that can hide the hoof wall, so part the hair and look at the whole foot rather than cleaning by feel alone. Note any heat, odor, or tenderness as you go; grooming is your daily chance to catch a small foot problem before it becomes a lameness.
Step Two: Curry the Body, Then Brush the Coat Smooth
Work a rubber curry in small circles over the neck, shoulder, barrel, and hindquarters to loosen the dirt and scurf that collect under a Friesian's dense black coat. Stay off the bony points of the face and legs with the curry, and use a lighter hand over the ribs if your horse is clipped or thin-skinned in winter. Follow with a stiff bristle brush in short flicking strokes to sweep out what the curry lifted, then a softer body brush to lay the coat and bring up the shine this breed shows so well. Wipe over with a clean cloth at the end to pick up the last dust.
Step Three: The Mane and Tail, by Hand
A Friesian's long, wavy mane and tail are the breed's signature, and they thin quickly if you comb them like a short mane. Spray in a detangler, then separate tangles with your fingers from the bottom upward, holding the hair above a knot so you never pull against the crest. Only when the hair runs freely should a wide-toothed comb pass through it, and daily combing is unnecessary; finger-grooming a few times a week preserves far more hair. Pick out shavings and hay by hand after every session, since debris worked deep into a full tail breaks strands as it is brushed out later.
Step Four: Feathering, Face, and the Skin Beneath
Part the feather on each lower leg and check the skin at the back of the pastern, where moisture and mud trapped under long hair can leave the skin sore and crusted. When you wash feather, rinse thoroughly and dry the legs fully before turnout, because damp feather over warm skin invites trouble. Clean the face with a soft brush, wiping around the eyes and nostrils with a damp cloth, and brush the forelock gently downward. Run your hands down all four legs at the finish, feeling for heat or filling that the hair might otherwise conceal from a glance.
Keeping the Whole Routine Together
Work in the same order each time, hooves to face, and this calm breed will learn to stand through the longer sessions its hair demands. Feather checks and mane care are the steps most easily rushed when different people help on different days, and KinsLe Care Teams keeps a Friesian's grooming honest by assigning each of those stages to a named person and logging when it was completed.