What You Need in Your Grooming Box

When you first buy a horse you’ll probably be tempted to go buy every product that they sell in the grooming aisle but horse owning veterans know that you don’t need a lot of fancy products to keep your horse healthy and looking great. If you want to put together a no frills, cost effective grooming kit that can go from the lesson ring to the show ring, here are the products that you need to have on hand:

Hoof Picks – Make sure you have two or three so that you always have one within reach if you need one. Also, hoof picks tend to walk away easily so it’s a good idea to have extras around.

Hoof Dressing – Hoof dressing isn’t just for show; it actually helps protect the hoof from cracks and drying. Always keep some hoof dressing or petroleum jelly in your grooming box.

Curry Comb – You need to invest in a good curry brush. Curry brushes help massage and stimulate the coat while removing dead hair and debris. Don’t buy one of the cheap plastic curry brushes; spend the extra money and get a high quality one. It will be worth it in the end when you see your horse’s shiny, soft, healthy coat.

Body Brush – Buy a good body brush with stiff bristles. This is the brush that will remove all the hair and debris that you just curried from your horse's coat.

Mane and Tail Comb – You can’t beat the small silver mane and tail combs available at any tack shop. They’re cheap and very effective. Get two.

Baby Wipes – For spot cleaning, smoothing the coat and getting those stains off legs and faces you can’t beat baby wipes. Baby wipes are easy to find and inexpensive.

Sugar Cubes – Your horse deserves a treat, doesn’t it? Sugar cubes won’t go bad sitting in your grooming box.

Shedding Blade – When fall and spring come around, the shedding blade will be the tool you use the most to get out all that excess hair.

Sun Block – For you and your horse, it’s important to have around.

Fly Spray – Even if it’s winter it’s a good idea to have an extra bottle of fly spray tucked away in your grooming kit; you never know when you might need it.