Horse

Horse Grooming Essentials

Do You Know How to Choose a Proper Grooming Bag?

Selecting a grooming bag that will become your primary grooming kit both for travel and home is simple, if you know what it is you will need. Choose a good bag that is easy to carry, but at the same time will hold everything.

So many grooming boxes are too small or too shallow so when you put items in them everything falls over or they won't all fit in. A multi-pocketed bag made of water resistant material with sections in it is ideal.

Some of them come with inside zippered pouches, which can be very useful for collecting the smaller items such as scissors, cotton wool etc.

Choose one that is fairly good in size and has different removable sections that will easily hold smaller items. Your best option is to find a grooming bag that has a shoulder strap, because the convenience that it will afford when you need to hang it up is immeasurable.

A final bonus would be that you are able to wash them, or better yet, put then through a 'delicate' machine wash.

Consider getting two grooming bags If you have both grey horse(s) and bay horse(s) to groom. I can tell you from experience that there is nothing worse than grooming a bay horse with brushes that have been used on a grey horse, as you end up leaving grey hairs all over the bay horse(s).


Essential Grooming Items to keep in your Bag

Hoof pick

Mane and Tail Brush

Plastic Curry comb

Soft Body Brush

Flicker Brush

Cactus Mitts

Scissors

Sponges

Pulling Comb


Additional Items to Complete Your Grooming Kit

Consider stocking everyday products that you commonly use for a quick groom. Items such as a good mane and tail conditioner.

You will find that having a 500 ml size sprayer bottle is worth stocking as well, and it should fit very easily into a normal size grooming kit.

Traumeel Gel is something no reputable person would be without. It is the best for using on all cuts and bumps and bruises, as it is an all-purpose homeopathic gel, one of the best on the market.

Weleda WCS Dusting Powder Useful for any grazes and wounds that need drying up.

Eliminator Liquid which is a mild anti-bacterial liquid. You can use this on new cuts, injuries and foot abscesses. Another use for this product is to clean mucky eyes with clean, cotton wool.

Saving Time

Your horse grooming kit if labeled properly can save you a lot of time and frustration.

Label your grooming bags if you have more than one. An example might be, if you have one for bays and one for greys label each one accordingly. Another good tip is to be certain that your label can easily be seen from a distance. I have found that using white insulation tape and permanent markers to make the labels is a simple solution. Another good idea is to use colored ribbons and sew them on the handles, (e.g.. red for bays and white for greys.)

You will find it is worth spending the extra 15 minutes labeling all the items in the bags as well, so they don't get mixed up.

The above tips and ideas on your horse grooming kit, what to use and what to get, will, save you time and energy if you get it all together. If you have someone helping you, print this page out and give it to them, this is sometimes easier than trying to explain all of the above.

Even if one idea is found here to help you or them, it will have been worthwhile. Horse grooming with the correct horse grooming kit, like everything else becomes a pleasure. Once this is achieved one is then able to concentrate on grooming your horse.

About the Author
Sarah Bell is passionate about happy healthy horses that are kept and looked after, with their health and well being as a main priority.