A horse grooming kit should include at least a shedding tool, hoof pick, curry comb and dandy brush.
If you’re a new horse owner looking to build the best grooming kit for your horse, you’ve come to the right place.
Here you’ll find why you should build your own grooming kit and not buy a pre-made one, and all of the grooming tools you need to give your horse the best grooming.
Why assemble your own grooming kit
There are a few good reasons why you should build your own grooming kit and not buy a complete grooming kit that’s pre-packaged.
- You can pick individual brushes that feel good in YOUR hands
- You can have as many or as few brushes as you want
- You can tailor it to your own grooming routine
- You can include the tools that are essential to YOU
Essential grooming brushes for daily grooming
These are the brushes to include in your grooming kit. You’ll use many of them in every grooming session.
Metal curry comb or other shedding tool
If your horse sheds or gets muddy, you’ll want a good shedding tool.
My pick is a metal curry comb, but there are lots of other options.
If it’s shedding season or mud season, you’ll start your grooming session with this tool to grab tons of loose hairs and scrape off dried mud.
Plastic curry comb
A plastic curry comb is a hard brush with plastic bristles. It’s really good for currying off some mud and hair.
It could be the first step of your grooming routine.
Rubber curry comb
The rubber curry comb is a flexible rubber brush with rubber nibs.
It is used in the second step of grooming to massage deep dirt and good skin oils out to the surface of the horse’s coat.
Grooming mitt
A grooming glove can be used in place of a rubber curry.
It is a glove with rubber nibs on the palm. It’s convenient because you can wear it and give your horse a little massage.
Dandy brush
Dandy brushes come in a few varieties. There are stiffer ones and softer ones.
Stiff brush
A stiff dandy brush is an essential tool to have in your grooming routine.
The next step after using the rubber curry is to use the stiff dandy brush to flick off the dirt.
All you need to do on a daily basis for a full, shiny mane and tail is use the stiff dandy to flick down from the roots.
This moves skin oils down the hair and helps the mane and tail grow thick and full without breaking the hair.
Soft brush
A soft dandy is used after the stiff brush for a shinier finish.
It doesn’t have as much power in the softer bristles to flick much dirt away, but the softer brush is good for finishing and adding shine.
Dandy brush tip
An important tip for a dandy brush is to consider the length of the bristles.
You want them to be long enough to get a good flick, but not too long.
If it’s a finishing brush, you want the bristles a little shorter. A finishing brush strokes the hairs into place and brings out the shine.
The flick is not as important for finishing.
Tail brush
A tail brush can also be used as a mane brush. It is used to brush tangles out of the mane and tail.
You won’t use this tool every time your groom. You should not brush out the mane and tail very often, or you risk breaking the hairs.
Tail comb
A tail comb is also a mane comb. Use it to comb out the wet mane and tail after a bath.
Or, use Cowboy Magic or Showsheen to detangle the hair before combing.
Face brush
A face brush is a very fun little tool.
It’s a tiny little super soft brush just for the face.
It’s not a brush you really need to get a good groom.
However, it can be a good final touch at a show, and horses tend to really love the relaxing effect of a nice soft face massage.
Hoof pick
A hoof pick is essential to clean your horse’s hooves each time you groom.
I like the ones with a hoof brush included on the pick.
Alternatively, you can get a separate hoof brush to get the hooves really clean. This is helpful if you are trying to treat thrush, or check hoof health.
Bath time kit
Here are some important components of your equine bathing kit:
Bathing sponge
A really big sponge to spread soapy water all over your horse.
Wash scrub mitt
The mitt has a brush side and a side with hard nubs to scrub the suds all the way down to the skin.
Sweat scraper
When you’ve bathed and rinsed, you can use a sweat scraper to scrape off excess water so the horse dries more quickly.
I prefer the sweat scrapers with a handle and rubber blade.
The long plastic sweat scrapers are ok too, but The Bay is more sensitive and she likes the softer rubber better than the hard plastic.
Bathing bucket
A small bucket holds soapy water during the bath.
Best grooming kit container
For your everyday grooming kit, I recommend a plastic grooming tote or grooming box instead of a kit bag or tote bag.
My reason for this is, you are going to want to be able to easily reach in and grab the next brush, and drop it back in when you are done.
A bag with pockets requires you to find the pocket for each brush and it requires more effort to take them out and slot them back in when you are done.
Also, everyday use in the barn is pretty dirty, and a fabric bag could seem grimier than a plastic tote, which is so easy to clean.
You can use a tote bag for your show kit if you want. You can pick a really polished-looking bag with matching colors for an extra-fancy show look.
Horse show grooming set
If you are going to be attending horse shows, I recommend having two different grooming kits, one for regular grooming at home and one for the show. My reasons for this are:
- The types of brushes you will use at the show to get that extra shine will be a bit different than what you use on a daily basis.
- Having a whole different set of brushes saves you a lot of time getting ready for the show, since it means you don’t have to carefully clean all your grooming tools.
Horse show grooming set essentials
Here are the tools to include in your horse show grooming kit:
Soft finishing brush
You want a nice soft brush to smooth every hair into place and bring out the shine in your horse’s coat.
Grooming block
The grooming block is a little block of fiber glass that is great for picking up stray dust, debris and loose hairs that may have stuck to your horse in between classes or overnight at the venue.
Mane and tail comb
You’ll probably want to do a last minute combing of the mane and tail with some Showsheen to make sure they are looking nice and full, soft and shiny.
Hoof polish
Black hoof paint for black hooves or clear hoof polish for white hooves adds a finishing touch right before going into the show ring.
Showsheen
A staple to give a boost to the natural coat shine you’ve been cultivating with a good diet and grooming routine all season.
A last minute spritz before your class will ensure the judge is blinded by the shine of your horse’s coat.
Rag
A simple clean rag is a must-have in your show grooming kit.
Use it to wipe dust from your boots when you mount up, and wipe off dirt and hay dust from your horse’s nose before heading into the ring.
Clippers
A set of clippers is a very useful part of your show grooming kit.
Use them to clip a bridle path, and trim up around your horse’s ears, fetlocks and coronet band for a crisp show look.
Braiding or banding supplies
Depending on your show discipline and breed of horse, you’ll need to braid or band your horse’s mane and tail for the show.
Braiding supplies for English disciplines:
- Mane pulling comb or Solorake
- Sharp scissors
- Hair clip
- Spray bottle or sponge
- Yarn (or braiding bands, depending on your preferred method)
- Latchhook
Banding supplies for Western disciplines:
- Mane pulling comb or Solorake
- Mane comb
- Hair clip
- Spray bottle or sponge
- Braiding bands
Best horse grooming kit
What if you really want to buy a premade grooming kit?
Here are the ones I recommend:
Weaver Leather grooming kit
The Weaver Leather grooming kit is a good grooming kit. It comes in different colors, and is contained in a nylon tote bag.
Included in the kit are:
- A comb
- Hoof pick
- Rubber curry comb
- Face brush
- Mane and tail brush
- Dandy brush
- Sweat scraper/metal curry comb combination
The pockets on the outside are large, to make it easier to drop the tools in when finished with them.
There is a top drawstring closure which can help keep the inside contents clean if you’re using it for your show kit.
The Oster Equine Care Series 7-piece grooming kit
This kit comes in a zipper carry case, which could be a preferred choice for some horse owners.
The tools are ergonomically designed for ease of use.
The blue kit contains different tools than the pink kit, so you can choose which tools are important to you.
Want a deeper dive into horse grooming?
Read more on the best shedding tools for horses
