If you own or ride a horse, you must have a grooming kit and set of brushes. This is a bucket, bag or tray with your horse’s brushes in. Whether they’re old, young or somewhere in between, and regardless of whether your horse is ridden, unbroken, retired or convalescing, a regular grooming session has many health benefits for them and it is a great way to bond too.
Use your grooming kit every day (ideally) — and definitely before you begin tacking up. At the very least, you will need a decent dandy brush, body brush and a hoof pick. The choice is vast and it is possible to pay one fee for a fully equipped grooming kit that will fulfil you and your horse’s needs.
Here is a selection of horse grooming kits to suit a range of budgets:
Shop for a horse grooming kit
ProKit Lite Basic Grooming Kit from LeMieux
This grooming kit includes a smart and tidy grooming bag with handy pockets and zipped compartments for easy access. Inside you will find a Flexi Soft Body Brush, which is a bendable brush with synthetic-bristled brushes that makes even hard-to-reach places easier. There is also a Flexi rubber curry comb, which is ideal for removing dust, dirt and loose hair from your horse’s coat, as well as a Tangle Tidy, which is an air-cushioned brush with wavy toggles that suits coarse horsehair.
RRP £62.80 (US$47.95, bag only)
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
Buying in the US? Purchase here (bag only)
The Someh Classic Collection
This horse grooming brush set comprises a group of eight essential grooming brushes that enable you to achieve a show ring shine with ease. They are designed to be used in a specific order; each brush has a particular job and makes light work of grooming whatever your horse’s coat colour. This set has been created in conjunction with leading grooming experts HAAS. All but one of the brushes can be popped in the washing machine at 30°C to keep them clean and free of bacteria.
RRP £115
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
Alan Davies Signature Pack of Brushes
Designed by Carl Hester’s groom Alan Davies, this pack has nine grooming essentials. The Unique All-Rounder removes hair from rugs and numnahs; Mr Flicky removes dust and bedding from your horse; Polisher brush removes fine dust; the Face Brush has soft, effective natural bristles; Quarter Marker helps you create quarter marks; Stud brush is a hoof pick with brush, and Mr Glossy’s soft hairs make your horse gleam. The Unique Curry Comb and a grooming bag complete the set.
RRP £149 ($224)
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
Buying in the USA? Purchase here
HY Sport Active Complete Grooming Bag
A smart, sturdy bag for your grooming essentials, complete with six open pockets to hold all your lotions and potions. It features an easy-to-clean lining, a zip pocket with a name identifier and a space for valuables. A reinforced base and studs helps prevent damage. It contains a mane and tail brush, mane comb, body brush, dandy brush, face brush, sweat scraper and hoof pick.
Colours: Coral rose, desert sand, coral blue
RRP £49.99 (US$31 — bag only)
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
Buying in the USA? Purchase here
Renwick and Sons Luxury Equestrian Grooming Kit
This luxury grooming kit contains nine tools, each designed around an ergonomic hardwood body. They are available in four sizes to ensure the brushes fit your hand comfortably and in five leather strap colours — plus you can have the strap embossed with your name or horse’s name (for an additional cost).
The bristles are Renwick & Son’s own unique blend of anti-bacterial and anti-frizz Monotec bristles, from super-soft for the face and finishing brushes to the stiff dandy brush bristles.
RRP £400-£415 (US$529.60) Includes free worldwide delivery
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
Buying in the USA? Purchase here
KBF99 Grooming Kit
The KBF99 product range has been developed to help protect and safeguard horses from contracting certain diseases. KBF99, a special treatment applied to plastic, has been tested using international standards and found to be over 90% effective against strangles, ringworm, e. coli and mycotoxin.
This horse grooming brush set contains a body brush, standard dandy brush, long fibre dandy brush, bucket brush, face brush, hoof brush, mane and tail brush, sweat scraper, mane comb, plaiting comb, hoof pick and curry comb.
RRP £119.99
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
How to take care of your horse’s grooming kit
Taking good care of your horse’s grooming kit involves cleaning it thoroughly. After all, if your grooming brushes are dirty, your horse’s coat will be too.
“How often you clean your horse’s grooming kit depends on how often you use the brushes,” advises top groom Jenny Ellis. “My horse is kept out in a field, so after grooming him once a day, I’ll put my brushes in the washing machine once a week – usually at a weekend when I’ve got more time.”
To wash your horse’s grooming kit, Jenny recommends putting brushes in the washing machine. You can buy wash-proof bags to put the brushes inside, in order to protect your washing machine from loose hair. It helps to muffle the sound of spinning brushes too.
“I put my brushes on a cool wash with non-biological washing powder, but no conditioner,” says Jenny. “I’ll also add a numnah or furry girth cover to the wash to add a bit of padding for the machine.”
