Grooming a Horse: What Are the Essential Brushes & Tools?

Grooming is the equestrian word for cleaning a horse. A usual grooming session involves brushing the horse and picking out its hooves. Grooming is a great way to bond with a horse and check it over for any health problems. Always groom a horse before tacking up (putting on saddle, bridle or harness). This helps prevent skin sores from where the tack grinds dirt into the skin, according to the University of Arkansas.

  1. Hoof Pick

    • Using a hoof pick to clean hooves.

      This is the most essential grooming tool there is. Hoof picks have a hook at one end and a rounded handle at the other. Many handles are hollow so they can be hung on a stall wall or in a tack room. Hoof picks are so small and so useful that they can be carried in a pocket when riding or driving. Metal hoof picks are sturdy enough to remove stones or chunks of ice that a horse can easily pick up in the hollow of its hooves. Walking on these stones, ice chunks or even inches of mud and feces is painful for the horse and leads to lameness or a painful infection called thrush.

    Dandy Brush

    • This is the workhorse of the grooming kit. It resembles and old-fashioned scrub brush. A standard dandy brush or hard-bristled brush has a wooden or plastic oblong handle and plastic bristles about as soft as a hard human toothbrush. The dandy brush is best for the less sensitive places of the horse's body that are prone to getting dirty, such as the back, neck, legs and hindquarters, notes "The Ultimate Horse Book."

    Body Brush

    • Like toothbrushes, body brushes come in harder bristles and softer bristles often made of horsehair. But the softer-bristle types are often called body brushes, although they are sometimes just sold as "soft-bristled brushes." Horse skin is especially sensitive on the face, belly and around the genitals and need softer bristles or a lighter touch when brushing. These areas can benefit from body brushes.

    Curry Comb

    • Curry combs come in oval-shaped or square metal, rubber and plastic models. Do not use metal curry combs on the horse. Use curry combs to clean body or dandy brushes. After every few strokes, a brush can get filled with dirt, dead hair and other debris. "The Ultimate Horse Book" recommends stroking the curry comb and brush together to clean out the brush and resume brushing the horse. Very soft rubber curry combs can be used to loosen up thick patches of dried on mud in emergencies. The bristles of metal and plastic curry combs can be too harsh for the horse's skin.

    Mane Comb

    • These look like larger versions of human hair combs, usually made of metal or plastic. They are specifically for use on the mane, forelock and tail. Use brushes on these areas but do a poor job in comparison to combs, especially when it combs to untangling a knot. Thin and shape a bushy mane with a stainless steel mane-pulling blade. Small electric clippers made specifically for horses can help trim or roach manes and make bridle paths.

    Rub Rag

    • Also called a towel or a chamois despite what material it is made out of, this is a soft cloth used to give the horse a polish after a good scratchy grooming session. It also acts like an all-over body caress to reward the horse for standing patiently during the grooming session.

    Shedding Blade

    • Also called a sweat scraper, this resembles a thin bow saw that bends easily into an arch. Tiny serrated edges painlessly swipe away excess water after a bath, shedding hair in spring and foamy horse sweat. Never use the blade on the horse's face or genital area.