I have the stiffer Mustang with the wire bristles. It’s not for every horse but mine loves it. I try not to use my Haas brushes while he’s shedding because it just holds the hair.
I have never had good brushes. I have always just used some random soft brush and some random stiff bristled brush. I can’t even tell you the brands because the names wore off so many years ago. I am wanting to replace them now. I don’t want a million brushes. Can you guys who are brush pros recommend one thickly packed soft body brush (that I can use on his face and legs also), and one firmer brush, primarily to be used on the longer hair that gets dirty in the winter?
I’ve read articles and forum posts and have no idea where to even start. I want two brushes. Which two? lol
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I have two Haas brushes that I use on my horse’s body. One is the Amazone (if she’s dirty/sweaty) and the other is the Parcour (my go-to every day brush). She isn’t fond of brushes on her face so I use a small round curry and a rag for that. Speaking of curry combs, I waited for so long to finally cave in and get the Pummel curry. I was all about your standard rubber curry until the Pummel arrived and I wish I would’ve gotten one MUCH sooner! It lifts dirt out like nobody’s business!
Since you want something specifically to deal with long winter hair, is the critter double- or single-coated in the winter?
If double-coated, I recommend the Cavaliere; if single-coated, the Parcour.
My original review said that I thought the Fellglanzburste/Coat Gloss brush, which is a soft, firmly-packed finishing brush, is just as good as any other soft horsehair finishing brush but no better. I still stand by that- it’s a good brush and I’m happy I have it- but if you particularly want something for legs and face, you might prefer the Grundy’s Finest or Kopfburste, both of which come in a mini size that might be better for the changing planes of those areas of the body.
I know you said you want two brushes. But your horse called. He said he wants a Diva brush. (I also recommend this one in the mini size for ease of brushing faces, and that’s why I recommend the mini size of the finishing brush- my mini Diva is very easy to handle over the eyes and ears.)
I ought to take a picture of my fellow the next time I’m out. I’m a pretty good groom, if I do say it myself, but I do think his hair coat looks exceptional this year.
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I am both fascinated and overwhelmed at this thread! I’ve never been a brush snob but after 30+ years I’m now ready to take that next step 
(Also, any excuse to buy new pony equipment … 
)
I have a small pony with fairly thick, long-ish pony hair. She has a very healthy coat, but I rely heavily on a routine that involves damp brushes and Bath-in-a-Bottle … my generic brushes alone just aren’t cutting it. Which makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong!
Caked-on mud and sweat aren’t really issues (she seems to prefer to lay down only when it’s dry?) but the dust and detritus that buries itself into her coat … oh my. There’s no coaxing it off with soft gentle bristles, either… it needs to be aggressively brushed out of all her layers of hair! What one (or two) main/everyday brush would you Haas ladies (or men) recommend?
I’m doing my best to try and interpret some recommendations made already here in the thread but I won’t lie … I’m starting to feel like I need a translator (Haas, Fellglanzburste, Kopfburste…) 
But I’m leaning towards the Military right now based on KBCs images above and Riding Warehouse’s overview of it.
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Ooh, ooh, ooh!
My picks would be the Schimmel (for the full body, legs, hocks etc to really get the mud out).
Then my next favourite pick would be the cavaliere, as that will smooth the coat and get the last of the dust out. Soft enough for the face (mine don’t mind at all).
But really, if you’re going to go for it …
You do need to get their soft curry (magical, both on the horses and on getting all the dust out of the schimmel)…and then yes, your horse emailed and wants a diva. The soft lamb skin on the face is divine … and nothing will bring a better polish to their coat. 
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Of course he did, heck I want a Diva at home, just for me, love that thing. Even thin skinned, do not touch me with anything loved the Diva.
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Bebe_Falcon1, your pony sounds as if he has hair like mine. If he doesn’t mind stiff brushes, the Mustang will work well. I used to use a vacuum on my previous horse and the Mustang lifted up dust/dirt that the vacuum left behind. On current pony, my long-bristled flick type brush seemed to work well, but again the Mustang got more. After using, I bang it on the floor and can see all the fine stuff that comes out.
https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/haas-mustang-stiff-brush-13490
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I’ve said in this thread a few times that I can only recommend what I’ve used, but I understand pony coat. This is my Irish Yak. Photo taken about 6 weeks after his body clip. The top layer is Schnauzer. The bottom layer is dense Velveteen Rabbit.
It sounds like you don’t have problems getting crud off of the surface of the hair coat, but really you have trouble getting past the top coat. The Cavaliere/Lipizzaner combination is designed for this. The Cavaliere parts the top coat to get schmutz out from the base coat; the Lipizzaner takes all that dirt you just raised and gets it out of the top coat. Now, I’m assuming you’re currying the snot out of this little beastie. If not, may I suggest Hands On grooming gloves?
I was recommended the Schimmer to do this same job, and I do not find it effective at getting base coat crud to the surface. The bristles are too wide and it doesn’t do a good job of sweeping dirt away, it just brings it up to the top coat and there it sits. On the other hand, it’s a dynamite mud brush and a super mane slicker. Your mileage may vary, certainly the Teflon Pony in this thread looks great!
I will say that I’ve used the Cavaliere/Lipizzaner combo on hair like what you see in the picture. I have not used it on full Dartmoor. I think that if you have full Dartmoor to deal with you may need something more aggressive to get under 5 inches of hair, like an industrial leaf blower.
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Great feedback, although you got me at “industrial leaf blower” 
Thanks to you and @pony_baloney I’ve now got a Curry, pony equivalent of the Mustang, Parcour, and Cavaliere sitting in my shopping cart.
I think in the winter I’ll need something hard-core like the Mustang combined with the Parcour or Cavaliere, but that combo will be too harsh on her thinner summer coat - just the Parcour and Cavaliere should do it!
I’m starting to suspect I already own a Haas brush 
… picked up eons ago at a used tack sale. It’s super-soft and great at picking up fine dust (which would make it a finishing brush) so I’ll check when out at the barn tomorrow because that could round out my new brush collection very nicely 
I want the magic brush that will make Lady Princess Chestnut Paint love being groomed. It does not exist. I did buy her a semi expensive horse hair wood backed finishing brush, and she allows me to use that as a body brush. I tried to upgrade to a fancier Stubben brush that is equally soft horse hair but has a rim of longer bristles around the edge to flick off dust. She hates hates hates it, presumably the rim.
She will also allow me to use an ancient hard black rubber curry thing for shedding. She will not let me use the new soft jelly curry on her body.
She loves warm water hose baths, and fortunately she is naturally a shiny horse.
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The Haas brush, Grundy’s Finest, is what your mare needs. My thin-skinned, ultra-sensitive (bay, not chestnut) TB mare adored that brush. Everything else elicited nasty faces.
It is a soft brush, so it’s not going to dig down deep into the hair coat but it does a good job of cleaning nevertheless.
Thank you!
Is it named after grumpy Mrs Grundy, who as a horse would bite and draw blood out of your butt if you touched her with the Wrong Brush?
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Gosh, I don’t know that story. Maybe?
I thought Mrs Grundy was a name for a grumpy woman, maybe a teacher. I will try to look it up. I’m sure it is not the reference for the German brushes. Was a joke.
Oh, I got it wrong. Mrs Grundy is a conventional prissy woman not a grumpy one.
On an (seemingly) unrelated note, how often does Riding Warehouse have sales …?
Pretty frequently.
Where did you Canadian guys order your Haas brushes from? Any feedback on how they’re panning out?
I have been debating ordering because I HATE paying shipping. I can find a couple on amazon, but they are priced higher than RidingWarehouse or FarmVet.
