It’s been a humid, moist summer in Alabama, and both my kids have got rain rot. I usually groom both every day, but since the funk began, I have only been able to groom one at a time since I bleach my brushes after every use, leaving them damp. I have Haas brushes and also worry about the effect of bleach on these brushes.
Any way I can quickly disinfect brushes between them and/or minimize damage?
I would buy some inexpensive washable brushes (scrub brushes) at the dollar store or Lowes type store. Some will have stiff bristles, or, if you look by car care they have ones with soft bristles.
I would wash with soap/shampoo, rinse, then dip in solution of 1/4 cup bleach + 1 gal. water. Let them dry in the sun if possible.
The Hass brushes could be damaged by all the disinfecting. You can also check with them about disinfecting the brushes.
You can use a hair dryer (or a leaf blower 
) to speed up drying.
Well, really, you should have separate sets of brushes for both horses. Especially in a place like the south where funk is insideous.
I run mine through the dishwasher once a month and leave them in a sunny spot to dry, and I live in the Northeast, where spring is long and mud is pervasive. But my brushes are all synthetic.
Can you get separate brushes, specifically synthetic brushes, for each horse, and then dedicate one brush to be used only over the affected area? Bleach is great because it kills everything, but it also can be harmful because it kills everything. But if you are using synthetics, no worries about doing major harm to the materials.
(edit: mindmeld!)
I learned about this stuff over the weekend at the American Equestrian Trade Association Expo: http://www.kbf99.co.uk/
Grooming tools coated with KBF99 kill bacteria and fungus without chemicals. From the site “KBF99 is at least 99% effective against Strangles, Ring Worm, E.Coli and Mycotoxin.”
Could save you a lot of work disinfecting!
I usually just do a gallon of water with a splash of bleach.
I do have 2 sets of brushes, but I just love my Haas brushes and they work so much better than my Oster set. I guess I’ll have to go back to using both and reserve the Haas for the horse with less funk…
Just buy another set up cheapo brushes at Tractor Supply for issues like these…if both horses have a set of cheapo brushes, you can use those during times of funk and not feel bad about all the disinfecting.
[QUOTE=SuckerForHorses;8803163]
Just buy another set up cheapo brushes at Tractor Supply for issues like these…if both horses have a set of cheapo brushes, you can use those during times of funk and not feel bad about all the disinfecting.[/QUOTE]
This is what I would do.
Training race horses, we had those kinds of problems with what then was called “the crud”.
We had wood backed brushes and many of them and washed them every day in a bleach solution and put them out to dry on the rail, in the winter in the bunkhouse.
The problem with those kinds of fungus and bacteria is that it is transmitted from horse to horse also in saddle pads, cinches, exercise personnel sides of the boots, most anything you touch when you handle and ride one horse and then another and another.
You can be so very clean and still one horse brings something in and before you know it, there are several with it you have to isolate and disinfect everything.
Since you only have your two horses, it would be much easier to have individual supplies for each one and be very careful to keep them separated and everything disinfected best you can.
Individual sets of cheap brushes and all else, that can take much washing, should work best for you.
Those wet cloths they sell would also help wipe boots, hands and such down when you go from horse to horse.
I’ve used Lysol in a pinch before…sprayed the brush really well and crossed my fingers :D. It didn’t spread so it must have helped.
A bucket of hot water, 2 glugs of Simple Green 3 or Lysol concentrate, scrub well, rinse well… sit in the sun to dry.
agreed; buy a cheapo spare set, i like the rubber small flower curry and a simple cheapo flick brush - after each use, spray w/ a bleach solution. once a week, soak/wash/disinfect w product/dishwasher of your choosing.
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