Oh boy, here I am trying to “save money” (psht! What even IS that?!) And I really wish I didn’t know these existed :lol::love-struck:
1 Like
This spring I cleaned out the tack room and my closet and sold a bunch of stuff on ebay. That became my “fun money” for horse purchases. It keeps me from using the regular budget funds, and it motivates me to get rid of things I don’t need. I still didn’t need more brushes, though.
The HAAS diamond gloss brush is a game changer. I’ve always really treasured my grooming time with my
horse ( so does he!) and I’ve been phasing out most of my standard brushes for haas since they are just more effective.
The majority of horses at my barn are on the same meal plan, but my horse is by far the shiniest. Other boarders ask how I get him that way - and I attribute to good grooming with the right brushes. One lady didn’t believe that a brush could make that much of a difference since her horse ‘hates being brushed’ and went back to attacking her thin-skinned chestnut TB with a very stiff plastic bristle. [h=1]¯_(ツ)_/¯[/h] Although they are not cheap, they are great ‘add-on’ items when trying to get free shipping minimums at Riding warehouse. Plus, most of us know by now that anything horse tack/equipment related that is worth owning costs a premium. My addiction is going to get worse since our local mom & pop feed store is carrying them now. Gotta support local business ya know!
2 Likes
I have quite a few of the Haas brushes but I really need to find the right one to get under the curried hair and left off all the excess dust. I spen a lot of time brushing, yet there is still dust in certain areas.
What haas or othe brand of brush really lifts off the dust?
My impression is that if you are finding endless dust, you are really seeing a scurf or dandruff thing happening. Dust from rolling tends to stay on the surface of slick summer hair. Some soil types might be worse for dust of course. If my horse got that dirty in summer Id probably just give her a bath and start over. Maybe with dandruff shampoo (seriously).
I got a $20 CAN (that’s super expensive to me) horsehair soft brush and that’s the only brush maresy really tolerates. I can scrub most manure stains off her white spots in summer with a plant fibre body brush but also a sponge moistened in her water bucket works just fine.
I got the $20 brush on a whim after the last big thread on Haas brushes a few years back 
and it really was worth it.
Question that only my horse can answer definitively: would the Haas soft brush make her even happier than this brush?
Edited to add: I looked at the Haas stuff online and clearly my brush was a Greenhawk knockoff
The Haas brushes all have wooden or plastic backs. Somewhere I saw an older brush with a leather back that molded to the hand. That seemed fancy!
After reading this thread, I’ve just ordered the Haas Schimmel brush to deal with my gray horse’s coat and the stains that result from her love of rolling. I’m developing quite the collection of Haas brushes…
My horse LOVES the Mustang brush. It’s the one with the copper wires in it. He’ll lean into it and the darn thing gets out the fine dirt that my vacuum misses.
These are the leather backed brushes. Maybe the British equivalent of a Haas? Has anyone tried them?
Ah, Scribbler, not only have I tried them, but I’ve been trying to remember who made that fancy leather backed body brush I got for a friend years ago (no way I’d ever spend that much on one myself), because it’s the BEST. This one specifically - https://horseandhound.net.au/shop/equerry-13bm-pure-black-natural-bristle-leather-body-brush/ . My current collection is very good - Salmon brushes - but I still might need one of these.
I generally love the equerry brushes I have. I shamefully admit to being a brush snob :o . I have one of these: http://www.valebrothers.co.uk/index_htm_files/1282.jpg
and I have to say, I’m a little disappointed with it. I was hunting and hunting for a nice old-school leather and horsehair brush. The one I linked to that I bought seems to be half natural bristles, and half synthetic. In spite of my disappointment, I kept it anyway, and I WILL say that my new thin-skinned tb tolerates it better than any of my other brushes. So it hast that going for it!
The last Hill/Salmon brush I bought had a Vale stamp on it, and I was disappointed, too. The quality was nowhere near that of the older ones I have. The horses were fine with it, but it shed bristles and wasn’t what I expected.
Maybe this would be a good alternative? https://marystack.com/stubben-flex-leather-back-brush/ Does anyone have one?
Many decades ago I used to have one of those boar hair Stubben brushes.
With a good grooming and a decent amount of elbow grease it gave my horse’s coat a deep, deep shine.
1 Like
Yes, you are correct, as far as I can tell, Vale/Salmon/Equerry seem to be the same brand, or made by the same manufacturer? I do have some that I LOVE - they make the best goat hair brushes for sure.
I actually also have the stubben brush you linked to (hahaha I might have a problem hahaha send help hahaha)
I love it. If I HAD to critique it, I would say the leather is very sturdy, so it hasn’t conformed to my hand as much as I was hoping it would. The bristles are also very very dense. I thought my OTHER thin-skinned old man I bought it for would object, but he approves as well. It puts a lovely shine on the coat. Mine has also held up well to my abuse (washing my brushes several times a year.)
1 Like
The only brush maresy tolerates is the knockoff Haas style brush from Greenhawk. It is natural bristle, basically the next step up from the goats hair face brush. What’s interesting is that it actually works, even being so soft. Maybe the natural bristle picks up dirt off the hair better?
The other big component is clean brushes! I just washed it, which I don’t often do, maybe it’s working better.
I bet any nice brushes right out of the box that are squeaky clean will have added impressive cleaning power compared to what’s in your groom tote!
Natural bristles do clean far better than synthetic ones. Natural bristles actually have scales that grab the dirt, while synthetic bristles are smooth.
1 Like
I have both the Stubben and Equerry leather backed brushes. While I haven’t used it yet, I too was disappointed in the quality of the Equerry. The bristles are very sparse so I don’t imagine it would bring out the shine like a more dense brush. The Stubben is lovely but I agree with @HereComesZach that the leather is a little too thick (why I bought the Equerry) and doesn’t mold to my hand the way I had hoped. My other small complaint is that the strap is huge. To use it correctly, I have to basically make a fist with my hand, otherwise the strap is far too loose, but that should be fixed easily by having a leather repair guy shorten the strap.
I’ve also used my Stubben for strapping (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77ndwRYkGEM) and my thin-skinned TBx used to love it. He would basically fall asleep while I was wailing on him, but god forbid you use a jelly curry in the wrong place :rolleyes:
The Haas Schimmel brush is fabulous. The Haas Diamond is nice too but I don’t find myself reaching for it often. For daily use, I have a Winner’s Circle natural fiber that I love. It was the only “dandy” brush the aforementioned thin-skinned gelding would tolerate. Despite abusing it thoroughly for 4+ years, it still looks brand new. I think it’s this one but I’m not sure: https://horsehaus.com/collections/horse-brushes/products/natural-dandy-brush-by-winners-circle
The Hands-on grooming gloves are also used on a daily basis, as well as the Ultimate Hoof Pick.
Oh, and the best shining cloths I’ve found are the 79 cent ones at IKEA. Soft and thin but very durable.
OK, I’m done now. Can you tell I have a problem?? :lol:
1 Like
Vacuum your brushes. It makes a world of difference. Plus it is faster than washing and you can do it as often as you like without damaging your brushes.
(Also just give up and vacuum–or use the blow setting on the vacuum–your horse. There’s nothing like having a saddle pad come off the horse looking like it’s never been used. Just saying.)
1 Like
