| Grooming | | | | eyes. Some natural body brushes are made of boar |
| Tools used for grooming | | | | bristles, like human hairbrushes, others are made of |
| There are several tools that are commonly used | | | | soft synthetic fibers. The body brush is always the last |
| when grooming a horse. Proper use and technique | | | | brush used on the horse. |
| helps to ensure the horse remains comfortable during | | | | Grooming rag or towel, A terrycloth towel or other |
| the grooming process, and allows for greater ease in | | | | type of cloth can be used to give a final polish to a |
| cleaning the animal. | | | | horse's coat and is also used after riding to help |
| Curry or Currycomb: A tool made of rubber or plastic | | | | remove sweat. |
| with short "teeth" on one side, that slides onto the hand | | | | Mane brush or comb: Horses with short, pulled manes |
| of the groom. It is usually the first tool used in daily | | | | have their manes combed with a wide-toothed plastic |
| grooming. The horse is rubbed or "curried" in a circular | | | | or metal comb. The mane comb is also used for pulling |
| motion, which helps to loosen dirt, hair, and other | | | | the mane. Tails and long manes are brushed with |
| detritus, plus stimulate the skin to produce natural oils. | | | | either a dandy brush or a suitable human hairbrush. |
| The curry comb is usually used in a circular motion to | | | | Extremely long show-quality manes and tails are often |
| work loose embedded material. Curries are generally | | | | picked out by hand to avoid breaking the hairs. |
| too harsh to be used on the legs or head, though | | | | Hoof pick: A hooked tool, usually of metal, used to |
| varieties made of softer rubber are available. | | | | clean the hooves of a horse. Some designs include a |
| Metal currycomb: a currycomb made of metal, with a | | | | small, very stiff brush for removing additional mud or |
| handle. They are designed for use on show cattle. | | | | dirt. All four feet of the horse need to be cleaned out |
| There is no reason for a horse owner to buy one. | | | | before and after riding. |
| However, some barns have them sitting around and | | | | |
| use them for cleaning out softer-bristled brushes. For | | | | A shedding blade Shedding blade: In special weather |
| removing mud and winter hair, as well as for cleaning | | | | conditions, a metal shedding blade with short, dull teeth |
| brushes, a shedding blade (see below) is preferable to | | | | is used to remove loose winter hair. A shedding blade |
| a metal curry, and a shedding blade can also do double | | | | is also useful for removing caked-on mud. However, |
| duty for cleaning out other brushes. | | | | grooming tools with metal teeth can split and dull the |
| | | | | horse's hair coat and may irritate the skin, so must be |
| Dandy brushes Dandy brush or Hard brush: A | | | | used with appropriate care. Likewise, metal grooming |
| stiff-bristled brush is used to remove the dirt, hair and | | | | tools used on sheep and show cattle may also be too |
| other material stirred up by the curry. Brushes are | | | | harsh to use on a horse. |
| used in the direction of the horse's hair coat growth, | | | | Fly spray: In the summer, fly spray is often applied to |
| usually in short strokes from front to back, except at | | | | the horse after grooming. Care must be taken to avoid |
| the flanks, where the hair grows in a different pattern. | | | | the eyes and mucus membranes. |
| The best quality dandy brushes are made of stiff | | | | Bot knife: used to remove botfly eggs from the horse, |
| natural bristles such as rice stems, though they wear | | | | which are usually laid on the legs or shoulder. Bot eggs |
| out quickly. Plastic-bristled dandy brushes are more | | | | are yellow and roughly the size of a grain of sand, |
| common. Dandy brushes can usually be used on the | | | | they are clearly visible on dark hair, harder to spot on |
| legs, but many horses object to a stiff brush being | | | | white hair. A small pumice stone is also commonly |
| used on the head. Some dandy brushes do double | | | | used for the same purpose. |
| duty as a *Water Brush, dampened in water and used | | | | Scissors or Clippers: Sometimes, though not always, |
| to wet down the mane and tail. | | | | horses are clipped with scissors or, preferably, electric |
| Body brush or Soft brush: A soft-bristled brush | | | | clippers, to remove or shorten unwanted hair. |
| removes finer particles and dust, adds a shine to the | | | | Sponges: Small sponges can be used to clean the |
| coat and is soothing to the horse. A body brush can | | | | nose, lips and dock, larger sponges can be used to |
| be used on the head, being careful to avoid the horse's | | | | wet down and clean the body and legs. |