What do you use as a main brush? For my horse, I use horse hair and plastic (I think) brush sold at Dover. It’s pretty typical for a “harder brush”. I use a soft brush on his face. My friend uses older, soft brushes that I think are too soft for his QH to bring the oils out. His QH isn’t sensitive at all.
TIA!
I usually just use a curry, and/or rubber mitt, and/or tiger’s tongue then I use a soft brush. My horses are clipped all year so they don’t get dirt stuck in long hair. I bought a Haas Schimmel brush after reading reviews that said thin-skinned horses don’t mind it. I will occasionally, but not that often, use that brush and my horses tolerate it.
What is your rubber mitt? I used to purchase a rubber mitt used for dogs that was PERFECT but the manufacturer stopped making them. I still treasure my last one but would love to know what you use for future purchases.
Tiger’s tongue? Could you provide a link to that product? I never heard of that.
Thank you!
Just a generic rubber mitt like this one.
A Tiger’s Tongue is great! I heard about it probably two years ago. I wish I tried one sooner!
If you’d like even more tips, search the forums for “gray grooming tips” . There are a bunch of threads about the eternal challenge of keeping gray horses clean long enough to finish a class. Very popular topic!
Have you tried one of these? My horses love them and they are good for shedding and currying:
https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/handson-gloves-for-grooming-13595
Google sez they are available at Walmart too.
Thanks!
The dog mitt I use has two sides, a closely bunched “lumps” like this matt and less far apart “lumps” that are further divided at the tips to pick up hair. I’m so incredibly sad the manufacturer isn’t making it anymore. Maybe this mitt can fill in. I like that the rubber mitts can easily follow the contours of the horse’s body.
I’ll have to try the Tiger’s tongue. Thanks for the recommendation!
@oldernewbie, I haven’t tried that product but thanks for mentioning it!
Haas brushes were the best investment I made after a correctly fitted saddle. Also recommend Knotty Horse products, the don’t strip the coat but get things clean when you need a restart that only a full bath can give. The shine spray has been heaven sent to detangle my PRE’s thick mane. It also seems to repel staining and dirt. I use baking soda and the Knotty horse shampoo left for 15 minutes (allow my mare to hand graze during this time so she doesn’t get stir crazy in the wash rack), or a purple shampoo for tails that have tangoed with pee. A white vinegar rinse is a great finish for a clean tail.
My most sensitive horses (I have Arabians) love these gloves-- particularly during shedding season. I appreciate how much I can feel of the horses’ bodies, legs, and faces with these gloves which allows me to modulate the degree of touch through the gloves.
I don’t know if I’m just lucky or not but mine cleans up super easy, even with a thicker coat in the winter. I absolutely agree with the advice to curry often. That seems to be the trick. Mine is naturally blessed with the hair gene so I spend A LOT of time currying everywhere and in my experience, it seems to make stain removal much easier. I think that currying distributes the oil from the skin and keeps the coat a bit “slicker”, allowing the dirt to slide off. I do get manure / pee stains but they are approximately 90% gone after a good curry and stiff brush. Anything left over comes out with a quick rinse. Curry, curry, curry!!
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