Essentials for a Horse Grooming Toolkit
Horse Grooming - Is it going to be a bonding experience or a headache?
I can’t count how many times I’ve pulled out my horse, clipped him into the cross ties, flipped on the barn lights, and groaned. Although my big guy has a knack for coating himself from head to tail in mud, he’s certainly not the only horse who can change his color over the course of a few hours. The hardest part of getting him to look half-way decent again is not the time it takes or how bad his coat looks - the hardest part is having the right tools to use for the job. With a shared bin of horse-grooming tools, sometimes the brush or comb you desperately need is nowhere to be found. That’s why the savvy and efficient horse-lover will make a personal toolkit of horse-grooming supplies to cut back on time and headache and to enjoy the bonding experience .
If you want to start assembling a horse-grooming toolkit of your own, here are the ESSENTIALS:
curry comb - make sure it is large and has a handle, this will make it more effective and easier to use
stiff brush - personal opinion: go for real (NOT synthetic) brushes, they are gentler on the horse’s coat and do a better job
soft brush - suggestion: get a large one to cover the body and a small one to use on the face
hair brush - there are many kinds of hair brushes for horses, however, I like Oster’s circular hair brush the best, click here for a link
comb - these help you to work through stubborn knots and greatly assist with banding or braiding a horse’s mane
mane & tail detangler - I cannot stress how important this tool is! You may not need it every time, but when you do, you’ll thank yourself for adding it to your toolkit!
hoof pick - treat yourself to the best, get one with all the bells and whistles; click here for a link
coat shedding tool - you won’t need this year round, but when you need it, you need it! I’ve linked my three favorite shedding tools, all are useful, but one will do: the circular tool, the two-hold shedding blade, and the SleekEZ tool.
Now the next time your beautiful bestie gets itself coated in a combination of mud and who-knows-what, you’ll have all the tools you need to make your horse shine again!
