Thanks, I never thought of grooming gloves before. Now that I think about it I might get them instead of a curry comb because my curry comb that the lessons program provides always slips out of my hands SO easily. It get annoying after a bit.
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Many curry combs have a strap to slide your hand through that will stop this from happening.
Another grooming tool that I really love is the Epona Shed Flower. IMO one of the best things for removing mud or shedding hair.
yes, the strap is good but it still fals out of my hand, both large and small curry combs.
I’m not reading four pages of this, but if anyone has suggested asking the trainer what supplement the horse might like from smartpak and providing that shipped to the barn, I second that suggestion.
The horse would probably appreciate that more than carrying around a different monogram on the saddle pad.
Or ask the trainer if he would appreciate a likit or a Himalayan salt lick or whatever else thing that is for the horse inserts of the human.
I also don’t agree with the human having their own set of brushes. Each HORSE should have their own set of brushes so that any skin scurf doesn’t get transferred from horse to horse. I never like using general barn brushes from the tack stall on my horse, and it would bother me if someone wanted to use their brushes on my horse, or multiple of my horses, along with whosever pony they visited at their friend’s house last weekend, etc. I would only want my horse’s own brushes used on my horse.
@meaupatdoes I am looking at getting my own set of brushes. I will be soaking them in Palmolive or a horse shampoo after each use as to get out any of my horses dander or skin cells. These brushes that I would get would only be used on 1 horse. If I ride another horse as well as the one I am riding in lessons then I would get different brushes. Does this seen logical to you?
Soaking like that so frequently will ruin good brushes - the ones with natural bristles / leather backs. And as you are using them on only one horse, it is not at all necessary.
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When I said to clean brushes I did not mean to wash them after every grooming.
The time to wash your brushes is when you change your riding horse permanently or if they just get too dirty and icky.
The old-timey way of cleaning the brush: hold the brush vertically so the bristles point down and swipe the end of the bristles with the curry comb or whatever you end up using as a curry comb. The HandsOn glove should work quite well. Do this occasionally when grooming and you can prevent the build up of a lot of dust and hair in the brush. Knock the dust that collects in the curry comb/grooming glove occasionally too. When I finish using the brush I swipe it over the curry comb/grooming gloves until no more dust comes out of the brush.
I also do not wash my saddle pads between every ride. I DO brush the bottom of the pad off AFTER the pad dries. I use my Tiger’s Tongue grooming tool and then brush off the bottom of the pad. So long as there is no caked on dirt or masses of horsehair on the pad this should be enough if you are riding the same horse. When you change your main riding horse, then it is the right time to wash your saddle pad. Some saddle pads take a while to dry out completely, and until they dry out the pads will get even dirtier if you put a damp pad on the horse’s back.
I do have two sets of grooming tools and two saddle pads because I ride at two different stables. At one stable some weeks I ride two different horses (lesson horses owned by the stable) and I do not wash my saddle pad between them (I use BOT pads, they would never get dry enough between rides) and I do not clean my brushes any more than I described above. I just try to get all the dust and hair out of the brushes before I use them on the other horse and I make sure that the pad is as dust free as I can get it. I often vacuum the saddle pad between rides after I brush it off, this can get a lot of the dust and hair from the pad.
The ladies who run both stables approve of how I keep my brushes and saddle pad clean.
If I was the OP and wanted to spend my money on something fun that’s also useful, I’d probably do a fun halter, a monogrammed saddle pad, and brushes.
OP - here’s some links to things I enjoy, that you may or may not like.
Halters
- Budget Friendly - https://www.chicksaddlery.com/weaver-basic-adjustable-halter-with-free-lead
- Middle of the Road - https://www.doversaddlery.com/sfflk-ribbon-trim-brkaway-hltr/p/X1-05247/
- Splurge - https://quillin.com/race-track-halter/ (I [I]love[/I] Quillin halters and all of my show horses have personalized leather halters for when we travel. However, I also have a couple of generic Quillin halters with my last name for use whenever, with whoever.)
- Budget Friendly - https://www.doversaddlery.com/riders-international-quilted-cotton-saddle-pad/p/X1-1997/
- Middle of the Road -https://www.doversaddlery.com/lami-cell-memory-pad/p/X1-19118/
- Splurge - https://www.ogilvyequestrian.com/en/store/product/jump-memoryfoam-halfpad
One thing to note with my two bigger options here - you may not need half pads with your horse and saddle. I’ve never spent more than the $15 on the Dover pads and I get them embroidered locally. They hold up for years. The one I use most often with my mare is the one from her 2010 Year End awards. :lol:
Brushes
- Budget Friendly - https://www.doversaddlery.com/standard-wood-back-soft-brush/p/X1-10306/
- Middle of the Road - https://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Champion_Brush_Wood_Back_Grey_English_Stiff_Brush_7_1_2/descpage-CGEB.html
- Splurge- https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/haas-noir-soft-brush-12849
- Tiger Tongue: https://www.doversaddlery.com/epona-tigers-tongue-scrubber/p/X1-100007/
- The Best Hoof Pick in the World: https://www.doversaddlery.com/the-ultimate-hoof-pick/p/X1-10145/
- Spray On Coat Conditioner: https://www.doversaddlery.com/healthy-hair-moisturizer-16oz/p/X1-2225/ [LIST]
- (Note - buy a spray bottle to mix it in, it's concentrated)
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I think a grooming kit is a great thing to buy yourself. I got my first grooming kit for Christmas when I was a kid, not long after I started riding. I wasn’t leasing- I took one or two lessons a week. I LOVED it and was so excited to use it on the school ponies. Did I need it? Of course not. But it made me happy and it was the first “horsey” thing besides clothes that I owned. I still have some of the brushes packed away; two decades later, as a professional, holding them still makes me happy.
Part of the great thing about being a kid, like the OP, is spending your money on wants sometimes, not always needs. I say go for it. Go to the tack store and hold the brushes, so you can get a sense of how they feel. I love rubber curry mitts as an alternative to normal curry combs.
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That seems fine but I agree with the others that you dont need to wash them often if you are using them only on one horse.
At the rate of one or two grooming a week, and being used on only one horse, every six months to a year is fine.
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I fall in between. Washing after every ride is excessive, but if I was riding 2x a week I’d still be washing at least every two months. I ride 3x-4x a week and my brushes are definitely dirty after a month. Maybe I just ride a dirty horse, or am a bit too particular about my brushes. 😂
