The Different Types of Horse Brushes and Their Uses
One of the most important parts of horse care is knowing how to brush your horse properly. Brushing horses is important because it improves the health of their skin and coat, helps remove dirt from areas that may rub while you ride, and allows you to check them daily for injuries. Here we will go through the different types of horse brushes and their uses, how to properly groom your horse, and how to maintain your brushes. Read on to learn everything you’ll need to know to about brushing your horse.
There are many different horse brushes on the market that are good to have in your grooming kit. But, there are must-have items that you need to groom a horse properly. Here is what you need in your grooming kit to keep your horse looking sleek:
- Curry Combs
- Hard Brush or Dandy Brush
- Soft Brush
- Body Brush
- Mane and Tail Comb or Brush
- Face Brush
- Finishing Brush
- Water Brush
Curry combs have been a horse grooming tool for over a hundred years. The curry comb is a round brush with short teeth made from rubber, plastic, or metal. It has a hand strap or handle to help the groomer grip it and is used for removing caked mud or loosening dirt close to the horse’s skin so that other brushes can remove it.
Design: When shopping for a curry comb, make sure that the teeth are long enough to loosen dirt but short enough not to cause discomfort. Rubber curry combs are the best for a horse’s skin as they are strong enough to loosen dirt without scratching. Horses more sensitive than others may benefit from softer body curry combs with longer and softer teeth. Other materials like hard plastic and metal could cause discomfort for your horse if they are used too aggressively.
Uses: The curry comb is an essential horse grooming tool that helps remove caked mud from their body and loosen dirt close to the horse’s skin so that other brushes can remove it. However, as its teeth could be too aggressive on boney parts of the horse, like their legs and face, these areas should be avoided when using this brush.
The Hard Brush is an essential item to have in your grooming kit. It has long, coarse bristles that are great for removing heavy dirt and dried mud from the legs and face. When choosing a hard brush, the most important factor is the coarseness of the bristles - if you have caked mud, a brush with coarser bristles should be chosen. If the dirt particles are very fine, a hard brush with finer bristles will work best. You should also consider what type of climate your horse lives in and whether your horse often comes in from a muddy pasture.
Design: Hard brushes can either be made from plastic or natural fibers. Plastic brushes last forever and remain effective, but organic brushes must be properly maintained to last longer. Organic brushes are sometimes preferred for their ‘traditional’ feel and are slightly more effective than their synthetic counterparts.
Uses: The long, coarse bristles help remove heavy dirt and dried mud from the legs and face effectively yet gently, making it preferable to curry combs in certain cases. Additionally, the coarseness of bristles should be suitable for your horse's environment - those living in muddy pastures might require a harder brush with coarser bristles. In contrast, those living in drier climates will require one that is less harsh with finer bristles.
The soft brush has a very similar build to the hard brush, with the difference being in its bristles which are more flexible, finer, and denser. These properties make it softer on a horse’s skin while allowing it to pick up more particles while being used. It removes the smaller dirt and dust particles trapped inside a horse’s coat.
Design: Soft brushes are usually made from either gentle synthetic bristles or soft organic fibers. There are many kinds of soft brushes available on the market, with the level of ‘soft’ varying between them; some even have a mixture of bristles, some fine and some coarse, to help get the most out of grooming. Generally speaking, plastic is slightly less effective and cheaper but will last longer than organic materials, which are higher in quality and need to be maintained.
Uses: The soft brush can help keep your horse's coat clean by picking up small dirt particles that may be present within their fur. It also helps make their mane and tail look silky smooth without causing any damage to their hair by using gentle synthetic or organic bristles instead of coarser materials like metal or rubbers.
A body brush is easy to recognize because it typically has short bristles with a hand strap and an oval-shaped handle. The shorter, denser bristles reach down to the base of your horse’s skin to remove dust and dirt particles while massaging and releasing oils at the same time.
Design:Many different kinds of body brushes are being sold today in varying levels of softness, from soft to medium. It is best to have a soft body brush for your horse’s face and a harder, medium body brush for their body; however, one can suffice if on a budget. The material of body brushes should ideally be organic as this works best for releasing oil from the horse’s skin.
Uses:Body brushes help keep your horse’s coat clean by removing dust and dirt particles while also giving them a massage which helps release oils that give their coat a glossy shine. They also help spread the oils along their hair shaft, which makes it look healthy and shiny.
Mane and tail brushes or combs typically look like the brushes used on human hair; however, since horsehair is much coarser, mane combs are much sturdier. They are usually made from plastic, rubber, or metal and are used to brush out a horse’s mane and tail.
Design:When buying mane and tail brushes, avoid seams between the comb or brush teeth (plastic or metal), as it may slice or snap your horse’s hair. Look for brushes with wider-spaced teeth as they are gentler on horsehair; plastic combs are generally less aggressive than metal combs as they are less likely to pull out your horse’s hair. The best mane and tail brushes should have a smooth surface with flexible teeth; this will minimize the breakage of your horse’s hair while you comb it.
Uses:Mane and tail brushes/combs can help keep your horse's mane and tail in top condition by removing knots, dirt, and debris, which helps prevent damage to the hair. It also allows air to circulate freely around the hair follicles, promoting healthy growth.
This is a small, soft brush or body brush used specifically for grooming your horse’s face.
Design:These brushes are typically about one-third the size of normal brushes and are better for grooming around the curves of a horse’s face.
Uses:Face brushes are often good for young children to use when learning to brush since they are so small.
A finishing brush is similar to a body brush and is used at the end of grooming to ‘finish’ your horse’s coat.
Design:The brush has long soft bristles made from organic material that help guide your horse’s natural oils across its coat to make it shiny.
Uses:The finishing brush removes small traces of dust that might have built up from grooming and leaves your horse looking its best.
The water brush is an extremely coarse plastic, hard brush used to clean other brushes or buckets used for grooming.
Design:These are handy to have as they clean brushes better than a curry comb or a shedding blade.
Uses:The water brush is a useful cleaning tool for all of your grooming supplies.
Extra Items to Keep in Your Grooming Kit
Though these items are not as essential in your grooming kit, they are still very helpful in maintaining your horse’s coat. Here are some of the most relevant grooming accessories you can add to your kit.
- Hoof Picks
- Buckets and Sponges
- Sweat Scraper
- Rub Rag
- Shedding Blades
- Silicone Sprays
Hoof picks are another essential part of any grooming kit. Hoof picks are not only a critical step in grooming your horse, but they also keep your horse safe from hoof infections and injuries.
Design: Hoof picks are a hard tool, usually in the shape of a rod with a sharp curve at the top. They are small enough to fit in one hand and are light. Typically, they are either made from metal, hard plastic, or a mix of both. The most basic hoof picks are made from metal, and the handle is often coated with rubber. Other hoof picks have a plastic handle with a metal tip. These often come with bristles located on the back of the handle. There are also hoof picks available that are completely made from hard plastic, which can be gentler for teaching children to pick hooves.
Uses: Hoof picks are used to scrape mud, stones, and other debris from your horse’s hoof. Using the hoof pick every time you groom will keep your horse’s hooves healthy and allow you to check them to ensure they haven’t been injured. The extra bristles on some versions can help remove small dirt particles that the metal tip could not remove.
Buckets and sponges are essential items to have in a horse grooming kit after a long ride or bath. Sponges can also be used to clean the nose and around the eyes.
Design: There are two types of sponges available on the market: form sponges which are organic and have a rough texture, and synthetic sponges, made from polyester or polyurethane, which are softer and better for daily rinsing and wiping down your horse.
Uses: Form sponges are great for bathing your horse but not as ideal for everyday use due to their coarse texture. Synthetic sponges work well with wiping down and rinsing daily. When shopping for buckets, it is up to you whether you prefer to use a large bucket or a small bucket when grooming your horse. If you wash your horse frequently, getting a large bucket to hold more water will be better. A small bucket will work fine if you only intend on using your sponge for everyday rinsing.
A sweat scraper is an essential tool in a horse grooming kit, used to scrape away sweat or water from the horse after a long ride or bath. They are an important tool because if an excessive amount of water or sweat is left on their coat, it can act as insulation and trap their body heat.
Design: Sweat scrapers come in multiple designs, usually made from plastic, rubber, or metal. The traditional design is shaped like a long flat rod and often made with metal or plastic, while newer designs have a handle that attaches to a rubber curve for more efficient and quick removal of water and sweat but may not be as effective when getting into hard-to-reach areas.
Uses: Traditional sweat scrapers are useful for reaching hard-to-reach areas on the horse's body, while new models are great for quickly removing water and sweat.
A rub rag is used to dry a horse after they have been worked or washed.
Design: A rub rag is typically very absorbent and can be rubbed in circular motions along the horse’s coat to help dry them if they are wet.
Uses: Rub rags are typically used after a horse has been rinsed and sweat-scraped or when they are sweaty after a long ride. Rub rags can also ‘polish’ your horse at the end of your grooming sessions to bring natural oils out from their coat.
Shedding blades are specifically designed to aid in removing your horse’s winter coat when they are shedding.
Design: They are usually made of metal and have small teeth used to grab the extra hair and pull it away from the skin. Though they are made from metal, they are usually used on horses who are shedding a thick winter coat, so they are unlikely to irritate their skin.
Uses: Besides helping horses shed their winter coat, shedding blades are also great for cleaning brushes.
Silicone spray is a great finishing touch to add to your horse’s coat when you are done grooming.
Design: This spray helps make brushing easier for next time since it is harder for their coat to pick up dirt when it is silicone coated.
Uses: Silicone spray is also great for your horse’s mane and tail, as it can act as a detangler while grooming. The spray also adds some extra shine to your horse’s coat.
How to Properly Brush a Horse
Grooming horses require a certain order of brushes, including the Hoof Pick, Curry Comb, Hard Brush, Soft Brush, Body Brush, and Mane & Tail Brush. The order of brushes when grooming a horse is as follows:
- Hoof Pick: Start by asking your horse to lift up their hoof, then use the hoof pick to pick out any compacted dirt or mud. Point the hoof pick away from you and be aware of the anatomy of the horse's hoof. (Tip: If your hoof pick has a brush on the handle, brush off any extra dirt that the pick could not get out of the hoof.)
- Curry Comb: Use the curry comb to remove caked mud from your horse’s body. Press down firmly on the horse’s coat and use circular motions. (Tip: If your horse is currently shedding, you might spend extra time removing extra hair from their body. And if you have one, now would be the time to use the shedding blade.)
- Hard Brush: Next, use the hard brush to remove dirt and caked mud from your horse’s body. Start from the top of their neck and work your way to their flank on both sides. Flick the brush at the end for the best results. (Tip: You can also use the hard brush to brush caked mud off your horse’s mane and tail.)
- Soft Brush: Use this brush to flick away dust from further inside your horse’s coat. Make sure you push down slightly when brushing and flick the brush at the end for dust removal. Every few strokes, clean off any dirt left on the brush with a curry comb or shedding blade.
- Body Brush: Stroke your horse firmly with this brush to add finishing touches. Flick it at the end and start at their neck, working to their flank. This should leave their coat shiny. (Tip: This is where you could also use a finishing brush or rub rag further to bring out the shine in your horse’s coat. This is also a good time to gently remove debris from their eyes and nose with your sponge.)
- Mane & Tail Brush: Next, comb your horse’s mane and tail. This process is similar to combing human hair. Start combing at the bottom of your horse’s hair and work to the top. (Tip: This is when you can apply conditioning spray to give your horse some extra shine. Avoid spraying areas where the saddle will sit, as the spray can make their coat slippery.)
For a comprehensive list of 13 steps to groom your horse, visit our blog, How to Groom Like a Pony Clubber.
How to Clean Your Horse Brushes
It is important to clean horse brushes after you use them to ensure they will continue to be effective.
Here are simple steps on how to clean your horse brushes:
- For brushes without bristles, rinse with water and dry with a cloth.
- For brushes with bristles, use a curry comb to brush the extra dirt out of the brush by firmly dragging the brush over the teeth of the curry comb.
- Muddied bristled brushes can be washed with water and a gentle soap or horse brush wash.
- Plastic brushes can be washed with water as often as needed, but brushes made from organic material should be washed less frequently to avoid damage.
