Nice grooming brushes/tools/essentials.

[Ceifer]

After spending the winter scrubbing the muddy one with a dandy brush and pretty much nothing else, I've decided to build up a nice grooming kit.

I used to have a cheapo kit as the livery yard I used to be on, things used to go walkies and not come back.... But now I'm on a nice yard, thankfully that doesn't happen anymore.

So my question is, what brushes, tools, lotions and potions do people recommend?

My boy is a grey with a love for a daily constitutional mud bath.

 

[atropa]

For a good grooming session I love using my HAAS brushes, I have a bay/black pack..I was sceptical about them at first but they really do seem to bring a lovely sheen to my girl's coat. I also couldn't live without my Furminator at this time of the year to help with shedding coats. And a good squirt of Canter Mane and Tail!

 

[catkin]

I have the leather backed Equerry body brushes - cost quite a lot but mine have lasted for years, they are very comfortable to hold and the ponies loooove a grooming session with them. also a bristle dandy brush which is not too harsh but gets the mud and sweat off. I use pure linen teatowels for stable rubbers (got mine from a charity shop) and a dog comb with rotating teeth for manes and tails. A Furminator type shedding blade is great for coat change - but we have found that different horses like different brands - our two who are fine-coated Welsh like the Lincoln groomer (yellow handle).

Potions wise: Barrier Health Lavender Wash is da bomb according to our pony. We have dark horses so don't know how effective for greys - gallop shampoo is gentle and leaves a nice shine, bit of supreme Sparkle for black tails and good old chalk for our (miniscule) white bits.

 

[pixie]

I love my Borstiq hoof pick. its big and solid, so no chance of losing it. I hang it on my wheelbarrow, so I can do their hooves when out doing the poo picking.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Borstiq-Barefoot-Hoofpick-Hoof-Brush/dp/B00F5RXNUM

 

[Leo Walker]

For a good grooming session I love using my HAAS brushes, I have a bay/black pack..I was sceptical about them at first but they really do seem to bring a lovely sheen to my girl's coat.

Me too. I only bought 2, a dandy type brush and a body brush with lambswool. I love them

 

[DD265]

I splashed out for some Oster brushes and have been very happy with them a couple of years on.

 

[PorkChop]

Another vote for the Haas brushes, I am very pleased with mine.

Also love lavender wash

 

[WelshD]

Another vote for HAAS brushes, one of mine is the short bristled dandy brush the name of which escapes me at this second, it's an excellent brush for dredging up crud from deep down

Also another vote for the Lincoln version of the furminator

 

[Illusion100]

Suede strapping pad and quality linen cloths for wet and drying.

 

[ihatework]

My main essential is a magic brush for day to day grooming

 

[Ceifer]

Thanks for your replies

I like the look of the Haas brushes. Atropa WelshD and FrankieCob - how did you choose which ones to buy? There seem to be loads!

 

[laura_nash]

I love my Oster tail brush, its the only thing that can brush out my cobs huge thick tail without breaking the hairs. Cowboy magic green spot remover is great for emergency clean-up of my cobs white bits.

 

[Leo Walker]

Thanks for your replies

I like the look of the Haas brushes. Atropa WelshD and FrankieCob - how did you choose which ones to buy? There seem to be loads!

I got one that said it was good for scurf which begins with an S I think, and then the Diva which is the lambskin one, which makes them super shiny. I got mine from http://www.horze.co.uk/brushes as they were cheaper than the UK supplier

 

[Boulty]

Supergroomer Amazing invention! Also like magic brushes and my shedding blade!

 

[McFluff]

Oh dear, shouldn't have looked at this. Just bought some haas brushes... Hoping they do get grey/whites clean as I have two!

 

[Pocketr@cket]

I love oster brushes especially the black horse hair type finishing brush, makes them very shiny. I bought the oster stuff brush and it's very stiff and feel I could only ever use of legs and hooves. Having looked at the haas brushed OMG, they will be on a list be it birthday/Xmas/ payday Friday !! They look amazing but how to they hold up to being cleaned as with the osters I put them in a cleaning bag and into the machine.

Also love borstique hoof pick on the end of two brushes, great for getting mud off and for tails and manes show ready mane-Ly long hair polisher. Doesn't attract dirt like mane and tail spray.

 

[Ceifer]

I may have just purchased a few Haas brushes......

Excited to see what they're like. I wish there was a slightly better guide as to what they all do though

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I may have just purchased a few Haas brushes......

Excited to see what they're like. I wish there was a slightly better guide as to what they all do though

Ummm is a brush not just a brush?!? Who really needs more than a plastic curry comb, dandy brush and body brush?!? Or am I behind the times?!?!

 

[Ceifer]

Ummm is a brush not just a brush?!? Who really needs more than a plastic curry comb, dandy brush and body brush?!? Or am I behind the times?!?!

Not behind the times �� I just fancied treating myself/horse. The Haas brushes are dandy, body brushes etc but they all look like body brushes with different bristles.

I used to have a really nice kit that I loved, but over the years stuff got nicked. Plus now I am a one horse owner rather than a working groom I can get brushes that will hopefully last for a few years.

Elbow grease is the main thing with grooming I guess, but good tools help

 

[LittleGinger]

I love my magic brushes and Haas brushes. I've raved about them before - promise I have no connection with the company (wish I did, then I wouldn't have to pay so much for them!). Couldn't afford a set each, so one has Schimmel (good for dragging up mud!), followed by Welsh, then the Diva finishing brush. The other one has Military (not as good at pulling up mud, actually, so I use a magic brush first, but it does leave a really noticeable shine - I am so impressed every time I groom!), then Cavalier, then his finishing brush is actually a £1 car-cleaning mitt. Not quite the same as the Diva but he won't know

I always groom as thoroughly as I can now I have them as the end result is so lovely - never did that with previous kits! Prior to this, grooming was really only about getting the back and girth area clean enough to ride. The horses love it and of course it is a nice treat for us - I bought my first Haas brush after a really, really miserable month at work when I needed a little pick-me-up but only had about £10 spare, so browsed horse things on Amazon. Then I realised how much I liked it and the rest followed shortly after!

EKW, I know what you mean and there's a lot of unnecessary rubbish on the market (I know, having most of it rotting in cardboard boxes in the shed...!) but those basics are essentially all I have. Magic brush = currycomb, the two Haas brushes each are like body and dandy brushes. I just love having nice kit - I've been grooming Ginger for just under 20 years with cheap-as-chips brushes (some of which have lasted all 20 years!) and it's always been fine, but it's only recently I've realised how much of a difference it can make.

 

[Suechoccy]

Magic brush for getting dried mud out.

One of those sponge brushes (sponge in middle, soft bristles around middle) for washing-down girth and saddle areas. Brilliant invention.

 

[atropa]

Thanks for your replies

I like the look of the Haas brushes. Atropa WelshD and FrankieCob - how did you choose which ones to buy? There seem to be loads!

My horse came with a HAAS Schimmel brush when I bought her, hadn't heard of the brand but liked the brush so I Googled them and found Equissentials selling them. I wanted more than one so just got their bay/black pack, there's a video on the site about how to get the best use out of them. My favourite are the Military and the Diva!

Yes it's probably unnecessary to have fancy expensive brushes but it's lovely to indulge in some grooming time using them every now and then.

 

[Leo Walker]

Ummm is a brush not just a brush?!? Who really needs more than a plastic curry comb, dandy brush and body brush?!? Or am I behind the times?!?!

Its basically what I have. The Schimmel one is a dandy type brush, but I've never had a brush bring up scurf like it, and the Diva is a body brush but the middle is lambswool. Sounds ridiculous but it seems to really polish them to a shine. I only paid about a tenner each inc postage so not much more than bog standard ones, and I am really, really impressed with them!

Everything else has been relagated to the unused pile now

 

[pennandh]

Pretty much any natural bristle brush that's the right size for my hand is something I adore, but my real essential tool is my beloved Noble Outfitters hoofpick - it's comfy in the hand (they actually come in two sizes; I have the smaller one because I have fairly dainty paws) and the business end is both extremely solid and very well shaped for getting under pesky stones. Unless they stop making them, I'll never buy another sort.

Edit: Oh, and shedding blades are a godsend.