I’m considering taking the plunge.
Vacuuming isn’t my main need, however. I’ve used a shopvac for years to blow dirt off horses and help dry them post workout in winter. I’d like something that has more drying power.
Should I get a regular horse vac, or consider a livestock dryer? What do you have, and why do you like it?
Bump. I’m interested too. Time to replace our little shop vac
I have the Electro-Groom but use it for vacuuming not drying. I don’t feel like the blower would really be that efficient at drying as it doesn’t heat the air, but maybe others will weigh in on that.
I took the plunge and ordered the Air Express III. My BIL is a show cattleman and he said if I don’t love it, the resale will be great. My thinking is that it heats the air it blows, so I should be able to dry horses quickly AND blow the thick fall dust off easily (as well as I can imagine it will work decently on shedding horses - TBD). I’ll report back in about 8 months!
Bumping this thread as I’m starting to look for some kind of horsey dirt-sucker now the winter (aka no-bathe) season is approaching.
Technically they’re both out of my budget, but one is less so. Finding these used seems almost impossible though! I think I’ve found a MetroVac model that - while not meant for horses - has similar enough specs, more or less, to the Vac-n-Blo for me to try it out and use it as a stand-in until a more affordable RapidGroom comes along.
Does anyone know if the RapidGroom attachments will fit a MetroVac hose?
I’d recommend blowing outside, if that’s what you are going to do. Its amazing the amount of airborne particles you can generate off a horse!
Wow! Old thread.
But I will chime in to say I purchased the heavy duty livestock blower - and everyone at the barn LOVES IT. I’ve had it 3 years and it’s been a life saver!
I also purchased an electro-groom. It’s handy, but by far the livestock blower gets more use.
If you are planning to use the machine to vacuum your horse as opposed to blowing it, consider an ordinary canister vac and buy a curry attachment for it. Valley Vet carries Dr. Smith’s horse vac for $19.95. Bissel also makes a pet groomer attachment that looks like a shedding blade, can’t remember the name but I bought it cheaply on Ebay. Mine works wonderfully in shedding season or when horsey comes in caked in dry mud looking like an armadillo
The Metrovac I picked up yesterday off of Marketplace not only works, but is also surprisingly quiet and has phenomenal suction. Even if it did need some Gorilla tape to patch a massive hole in the hose 
Great tip, thank you! I’ll measure the hose end tomorrow and see either the Dr. Smiths or Bissell are compatible.
So with the new filter bags, the second-hand vacuum, and a specialty curry attachment I’m looking at a total of about $100. I know the Electro Groom has quite a fan base, but I think I can make do with this set-up at 1/10th the cost 
I use a Dewalt 6 gallon ShopVac with a disposable bag. Cost around $100. I added a 2-12 inch converter to a 1-1/4 inch hose, and a 30 foot extension really flexible small diameter hose to keep the vacuum removed a ways from the horses. Then I added a vacuum brush for horses. I spent around $200 total, and ordered everything from Amazon. When the shop vac is not being used for horses I use it in the barn aisle for general cleaning, and for the tack and feed rooms, so the horses hear and see the vacuum almost every day.
The vacuum itself has a blower outlet, so the hose can easily be switched from suck to blow, but I’ve not used it as a blower yet. I also have used it as a wet vacuum when pressure washing my barn to remove any standing puddles. And as a bonus, the 30 foot hose also allows me to reach my horse trailer and truck.
https://www.amazon.com/Free-Paws-Adjustable-Temperature-Professional/dp/B01E4ZGK9G
I use something like this, and it does a wonderful job of knocking the dust off and drying.
Where I used to board had an Electro-Groom available for use. It was okay, but I wasn’t blown away by it (no pun intended!) for what one costs.
For my own barn, I bought the orange Metro vac (not the Vac N Blow) for a fraction of the cost. It came with standard household attachments, such as a crevice tool and upholstery brush. I purchased one of the Dr. Smith’s attachments, but it eventually fell apart and I didn’t bother to replace it.
Once I began blowing dust and dirt out of my horses’ coats, rather than vacuuming, as recommended on CoTH, I no longer needed attachments, and obtained better results.
After several years, I needed a replacement hose. Went to our local vacuum repair shop and purchased a replacement hose for $1/foot. At that price, I bought an extra, extra-long one.
For the money, I’ve been happy with my decision.
Fan-tas-tic tips, y’all. This is why I love COTH … the resourcefulness is second-to-none. Also, it seems the price tag of the Electro Groom and Rapid Groom isn’t putting only me off of it in favour of an improvised stand-in 
Yes! The Metrovac is like this too, the air blows straight out through the back of the vacuum so you can just flip the hose/attachment on to the other end of the unit and now you have a blower. Pretty cool feature IMHO.
I will say I’ve tried using a dog groomer heater/blower on my mare before and she was convinced it WAS going to eat her. It was a Shelandy brand off of Amazon and was a fair bit noisier than the Metrovac (and similar). It also tended to overheat very quickly. Do not recommend.
How do the blower type machines work on dried mud? I have asthma, and one of the reasons I bought the vacuum was to avoid breathing the dust and hair that conventional grooming releases. Doesn’t blowing make this even worse? Vacuuming makes shedding season bearable! 
This is good timing! I just got one of these hand vacs for doing stairs and dog beds https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B08559H8W2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details
I’m taking it to the barn later to see if it works on Charlie, he has been very dusty with the increase in mud lately 
I totally forgot how nice the vacuums are, in my younger showing days we had a fancy one that worked wonders.
I don’t have high hopes for this as it is definitely not it’s intended purpose, but I will share results!
I wear something over my nose and mouth – a Buff or a face mask. Blowing has worked so much better on my horses (fairly thick, dense coats) than vacuuming ever did. But the dust does fly.
Using my Metro vac on blow, instead of suction, separates the hair and gets down to the skin. I hold the nozzle at an angle, to blow the dirt away from me.
Yep, I’ve never had the results from vacuuming that would make it worth while. Blowing? Heck yes, I do it once a week during the winter.
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