The greatest horse grooming tools for summer

 

It’s hot. You’re hot. Your horse is hot. Sometimes you feel like all you are doing is smearing sweaty hair all over your horse. Which happens. The best tools for summer grooming make taking care of your horse easier during the dog days of summer.

 

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• I still use my grooming gloves. Most of us have come to know these as only for shedding season, but they make a wonderful daily curry comb, no matter how much hair your horse has. And your hands stay so clean!

 

Great for bathing and daily curry action.

 

• I also reach for my clippers. Sometimes. I’m definitely using clippers to tidy things up for easier tick hunting by clipping away extra lower leg hair. I also keep the bridle path clipped, to avoid that lump that the mane makes under a bridle or a halter. This is really important if your horse wears a muzzle for extended hours.

 

• My go-to move for getting rid of sweat and dirt and grit after a ride is a quick rinse with the hose. This can also help your horse cool out a bit faster, especially if you let him dry in the shade with a breeze. This breeze could be the wind or under a fan. I love those “as seen on TV” shrinking up hoses for this very chore. They are ultra-light, take up a tiny bit of space, and you don’t have to roll them up! You can just drape them somewhere.

 

I’ll never use a stiff green hose again!

 

• Pair your handy hose with a multi-function nozzle for best showering results. Shower setting for sensitive areas, fan setting for using the water as a squeegee to push all things sweat and dirt away.

 

 

Products I love to use in the summer:

 

• If rinsing or bathing isn’t in the time frame today, you can buff your horse’s dried and sweaty body with a cactus cloth. By the way, I love to use a cactus cloth in the wash rack, too. Handy for cleaning horses and buckets.

 

Cactus cloth. So many uses!

 

• A spot shampoo is also nice to have around, for grass stains or manure stains. I actually use these all year long, but it’s nice to be able to spot treat instead of going full-body bath. If you are doing a rinse in the wash rack, you could “pre-treat” your horse’s dirty spots and let the hose finish the job.

 

• I also keep a spray bottle of alcohol and water on hand. I use one of those empty spray bottles that you can fill with whatever you like. Rubbing alcohol evaporates much faster than water, so if you or your horse needs an extra hand cooling off, spritz some of the mix and get thee to some wind. Horses with anhidrosis will need all the help they can get cooling off, so stash some of these bottles around the ring so you can spray your horse as you ride.

 

 

 

• I’ll add fly clothing to this list also, fly sheets, fly masks, and fly boots for one grooming-related reason – your horse may stay a tad cleaner. Or not. And, he won’t be bothered by flies, there will be less stomping. Unfortunately, there will be more velcro to do and undo. Oh well. Fly control is all-encompassing and involves a battle against eggs, larvae, and adults. Fly clothing helps with adult flies and generally keeping your horse more comfortable.

 

 

What must you have in your horse’s grooming box for summer?

 

 

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