The Schimmel is great. And it is sensitive skinned horse approved, which is a great thing for a pretty stiff brush. The Thoroughbred and the Diva are also good ones for softer/finishing brushes.
@quietann, for the static hater (I had one), a good curry, the Schimmel, and a sheepskin mitt were basically all I could use in winter. Also not a huge coat and not clipped. For the sand, hot toweling helps. Also acceptable for those that hate static. A vacuum is the best but not anti static at all.
It’s actually your fault I got started with these brushes. 
Awhile ago you recommended the Schimmer as a good brush to part the topcoat and groom down to the skin, and lo, I bought it. Now that I have others I don’t find it to be my favorite for that job, but it is excellent for mud, sweat marks, and mane-taming. And after living with that brush for a year and seeing how well I liked the quality, I started buying more…
Hah well the horse I had at the time had a Teflon coat and it wasn’t too thick in winter so I really liked it for him. And he didn’t want to kill me, which was a bonus. I found it to be redhead approved as well, though for him it is mostly to get the overnight pee stains off his belly.
I had some old horsehair brushes that had been sitting around for a long time and the bristles were falling out. So I was glad to find a line of good quality brushes, and I’ve bought several. I don’t love how most of them are the flat style. I like a good dense horsehair flick brush and theirs doesn’t get great reviews.
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edit: i’m not much for grooming. My horses are outdoor horses, i basically only groom saddle and girth areas. When i haul in for a lesson i do a little bit more, just to get the most obvious, visible dirt off. Someday, i’ll start showing and then i suppose i’ll need to get down in there and really clean them off…until them, it’s just a cursory quick brush off.
i’ve been brush shopping and i loaded a cart but now cannot find what store i was in LOL. So, then this thread comes up and now i’m glad i lost it!
I have a dislike for those big oval brushes with short hair and a strap. So, i need a way to get around them…My preference is natural fibre (coconut/rice/pig hair/horse hair) and in about a 2" or so length of fibre. Need about six, 2rough, 2medium, 2soft.
What (usa for hopefully maybe free shipping)online store is good these days?
i also need a few inexpensive synthetic fibre brushes THAT DO NOT SHED THEIR BRISTLES (grrrrrr!) to have here and there around the barns.
How are those Haas pointed hoof pics?
The Leistner’s do look nice:
and what about the Tiger’s Tongue? Seems we must all have that?
I like the Tiger’s Tongue as a bathing implement but I’m not a big fan of it for grooming. I don’t think it does anything that a stout curry doesn’t do- presuming that your horse likes a stout curry, which mine does.
I have two of them. Pony thinks they are fab for face scratches and inside the ear itchies. I still prefer my grooming gloves for knocking the dirt off.
These are the best. My horse would like everyone to know that there is no better implement for scratching that one spot in particular right below his jaw bone.
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Since it sounds like you don’t really do much grooming, I’d go with Smartpak sets - https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/smartpak-grooming-tote-and-brush-set-15526
They should be a size and shape that meets your needs and the set has a mixture of natural and synthetic fiber brushes.
If you want a more premium set, I’d consider the Winner brush set: https://teddystacktrunk.com/collections/leistner-grooming-brush-sets/products/leistner-winner-brush-set-6
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Thanks!!! going shopPING!
I bought one after hearing people rave about them, and I love it. It’s horse approved big time for face, ears, neck, it’s owner approved for legs especially.
Looking forward to next bath time, because I think it will be awesome.
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Last winter my mare lived outside in clay mud. She dislikes being groomed on her body but is usually OK with being rubbed. I did end up using one of those rubber nubby washing gloves to knock the crusts of mud off her legs. Also found that a plastic pot scrubber pad worked really well!
I got her a fairly soft horsehair body brush from Greenhawk and she tolerates it. I bumped up on impulse to a much more expensive, slightly stiffer, and larger Stubben brush and she hates it. I would buy her the entire line of Haas if it would make her opinionated chestnut self happy but I expect she would scoff.
Hey, @KBC – aren’t you in Canada? Where did you get your Haas brushes?? And what good deeds did you do in a previous life to end up with a gorgeous horse that stays so clean??
One came from a sale in the UK, was sent on by my son, the other two I think I got of Amazon UK, because it was cheaper than ordering either from Canada, or the states, the came direct from Germany if I remember.
As to Teflon Tony there, no idea…it so weird…of course being a habitual worrier I then got worrying that he never laid down, that’s why he’s always clean. I thought my vet was going to wet herself when I asked about that one.
This is the dirtiest he has ever been and literally 5 minutes with the Schimmel and he was looking sparkly!
I’m waiting for the first show we ever do, he’s bound to be a monster then.
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I bought myself some Haas brushes for Christmas. I was on the fence about it since I didn’t really know anything about them and have a thin skinned TB, plus my hands are small.
Anyway, finally got to use them and she loves them. As do I. They seem to be ‘just right’ - even the stiff one she isn’t objecting to.
Tigers Tongue, I like to use that around muddy ears. They like that better than a curry. The other option I have is a Shires ‘Cactus Mitt’ - it is simply burlap on one side and soft (something) on the other, in a mitt form. Love it for massaging down sweaty horses after a ride.
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My sensitive ones also didn’t really care for the Tiger Tongue. I just use it for bathing now. It does a pretty good job getting down to the sand that way. They prefer a softer/finer curry for the face, and I don’t think it does a great job grooming dry.
I was given my first ever Tigers Tongue for Christmas. The muddy ears and around ears is what I used it for first time on. Worked amazingly for that. How flexible and soft it is make it perfect for that job.
This thread has taught me I seriously need to up my brush game.
I am really particular about which brushes I like. I also won’t share brushes between my horses for reasons not founded in too much these days. (Once upon a time we thought rain rot was spread that way, but that’s not really the case)
I have this long bristled, dense, super soft, wood backed horse hair body brush that I just LOVE. It was a hand me down and I have no idea the brand- it’s probably as old as me. I haven’t been able to find a suitable substitute.
Looking at the Haas brushes, the Fellburste Noir or Diamond Noir look the most similar. Anyone have any reviews/experiences with them?
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I’ve only seen mediocre reviews for the Diamond Noir. I’m with you. Same old as dirt brushes were favorites of mine but starting to lose bristles. I went with the Diamond Gloss for a similar dense brush. Doesn’t have that flick quality of the other shape but I was scared to get the other one after reading some reviews.
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