Horse Grooming - Tools Used For Grooming

Tools Used For Grooming

There are several tools that are commonly used when grooming a horse. Proper use and technique helps to ensure the horse remains comfortable during the grooming process, and allows for greater ease in cleaning the animal.

• Curry or Curry comb: A tool made of rubber or plastic with short "teeth" on one side, that slides onto the hand of the groom. It is usually the first tool used in daily grooming. The horse is rubbed or "curried" to help loosen dirt, hair, and other detritus, plus stimulate the skin to produce natural oils. The curry comb is usually used in a circular motion to work loose embedded material. Curry combs are generally too harsh to be used on the legs or head, though varieties made of softer rubber are available.
• Metal curry comb or Fitch curry comb: The metal curry comb is not designed to use directly on a horse's coat as the metal teeth can damage the skin and hair. It is a curry comb made of several rows of short metal teeth, with a handle. They are primarily designed for use on show cattle, but are frequently used to clean horse grooming brushes by moving the brush across the metal curry comb teeth every few strokes.

• Dandy brush or Hard-bristled brush: A stiff-bristled brush is used to remove the dirt, hair and other material stirred up by the curry. Brushes are used in the direction of the horse's hair coat growth, usually in short strokes from front to back, except at the flanks, where the hair grows in a different pattern. The best quality dandy brushes are made of stiff natural bristles such as rice stems, though they wear out quickly. Plastic-bristled dandy brushes are more common. Dandy brushes can usually be used on the legs, but many horses object to a stiff brush being used on the head. Some dandy brushes do double duty as a Water Brush, when moistened in water and used to wet down the hair coat, mane or tail. Such use may include creating quarter marks for show.
• Body brush or Soft brush: A soft-bristled brush removes finer particles and dust, adds a shine to the coat and is soothing to the horse. A body brush, particularly a smaller design called a Face brush, can be used on the head, being careful to avoid the horse's eyes. Some natural body brushes are made of horsehair, goat hair or boar bristles, like human hairbrushes, others are made of soft synthetic fibers. The body brush is generally the last brush used on the horse.
• Grooming rag or towel, also called a Stable rubber: A linen or terrycloth towel or similar type of cloth, or sheepskin mitt, can be used to give a final polish to a horse's coat and is also used after riding to help remove sweat.
• Mane brush or comb: Horses with short, pulled manes have their manes combed with a wide-toothed plastic or metal comb. Tails and long manes are brushed with either a dandy brush or a suitable human hairbrush. Extremely long show-quality manes and tails are often picked out by hand to avoid breaking the hairs. A short-toothed Pulling comb is used to pull the mane to shorten and thin it in preparation for braiding.
• Hoof pick: A hooked tool, usually of metal, used to clean the hooves of a horse. Some designs include a small, very stiff brush for removing additional mud or dirt. All four feet of the horse need to be cleaned out before and after riding. (See Picking the feet below.)

• Shedding blade: In special weather conditions, a metal shedding blade with short, dull teeth is used to remove loose winter hair. A shedding blade is also useful for removing caked-on mud. However, grooming tools with metal teeth can split and dull the horse's hair coat and may irritate the skin, so must be used with appropriate care. Likewise, metal grooming tools used on sheep and show cattle may also be too harsh to use on a horse.
• Sweat scraper: Several styles of sweat scraper exist to remove sweat after exertion or water after bathing. One is a simple curved and fluted metal or plastic wand, about 18 inches (46 cm) long . Another design is an arc of plastic or rubber attached to a handle, sometimes with two curved blades (one rubber, one metal or plastic) attached back to back. A third design is a flexible curved blade with teeth on one side to use as a shedding blade, and smooth on the other, for use as a sweat scraper.
• Fly spray: In the summer, fly spray is often applied to the horse after grooming. Care must be taken to avoid the eyes and mucous membranes.
• 'Bot knife or Bot brick': used to remove botfly eggs from the horse, which are usually laid on the legs or shoulder. Bot eggs are yellow and roughly the size of a grain of sand, they are clearly visible on dark hair, harder to spot on white hair. A bot knife generally has a blunt end and curved blade and is used to "shave" off the eggs. A bot brick is a small pumice stone or block of dense styrofoam that will pick up eggs when rubbed on the hair.
• Scissors: Used to trim long hairs growing under the jaw and the fetlocks, as well as trimming the bridle path or banging the tail.
• Clippers': In order to remove a horse's winter coat to allow him to work more comfortably and dry faster in the colder months, larger electric clippers are used. Small clippers are also useful for trimming ears, jawlines and legs. Hand-operated clippers are still available but not often used, since electric clippers are so much more efficient. (See "Clipping" below.)
• Sponges: Small sponges can be used to clean the eyes, nose, lips and, using a separate sponge dedicated to the task, beneath the dock and around the genitals. Larger sponges can be used to wet down and clean the body and legs.