Owning animals always involves some sort of exchange. We care for them, and they give us love, enjoyment, and sometimes even usefulness. When you own a horse or two, there is more maintenance that goes into the relationship than with other common animals.
Grooming is one of the most significant parts of caring for a horse. It is necessary to clean their body, keep their coat healthy, avoid skin conditions, and create bonding time. Grooming is much easier to do when you don’t have to gather together your equipment piecemeal, but rather can streamline the process by gathering it all together in a portable kit.
Below, we have gathered together our top eight favorites.
Having a horse grooming kit makes keeping all the necessary equipment for grooming in one place. The grooming kit developed by Oster gives every horse handler all the materials they should need to keep good care of their horses in one easy-to-carry tote bag. The tote and accents on the accompanying tools come in blue or pink, depending on your preference.
The blue case includes a soft body brush, a stiff brush, mane and tail comb, a coarse curry comb, and a hoof pick. The pink bag consists of a finishing face brush, a stiff brush, a fine curry comb, a hoof pick, and a mane and tail brush. The accents on the tools help keep the equipment organized in the correct colored bag.
The tools are also ergonomically designed for grip comfort and accessibility. The bag is highly portable and makes an excellent gift for any horse lover because it is affordable. Some might prefer the tools to be of higher quality, but the convenience of the tote and supplies will outweigh the cons for most.
Weaver has created its own portable horse grooming tool kit to have the essentials organized and close by. There are seven pieces included in the bag: the soft-bristled face brush, the coarse curry comb, a wide-toothed plastic comb, a mane and tail brush, a sweat scraper combined with a coarse curry comb, a dandy brush, and last but not least, a hoof pick.
The top of the tote bag has a drawstring closure stitched into the wire-reinforced top to keep the contents protected and firmly secured. The handles are wide and comfortable, with an additional padded shoulder strap to get from place to place without wearing on any muscles. Although the bag is made with high-quality materials, not all the included equipment is made with the same care.
The bag and corresponding tools come in three different color combinations: black and beige, blue glitter, and pink with gray. All the varieties of the best horse grooming kit for the money are made with durable nylon material. The bag has six exterior pockets for reorganizing contents or storing extra pieces.
Since grooming kits are the most convenient option for all equestrians, enabling them to keep all of their necessary materials in one place, Horseware has made its own. Although it is one of the most expensive on the list, many agree that it is worth getting more durable equipment.
Starting with the bag, which is made out of tough polyester and a slightly less durable drawstring closure, the color varieties include stylish Newmarket combinations. These include Whitney Cherry, which has a Whitney stripe, navy blue coloring, and gold accents. Then there is the Whitney Gold, where black is the primary color, and the Whitney Navy has a mainly navy blue coloring with light blue accents. The bag has two carry handles, a detachable, adjustable shoulder strap, and several convenient side pockets.
The equipment contained with the purchase of the bag includes all the standard pieces. These are a sweat scraper, a dandy brush, a hoof pick, a mane and tail brush, a curry comb, a face brush, and a body brush.
Tough 1 has created its grooming package with eight essential pieces of equipment gathered together in a durable nylon tote bag. The kit comes in six different colors, with both the tote and the included materials being of the same color to help keep you more organized. The colors include blue, green, neon green, pink, purple, and red.
All the items included in the kit are made with a Great Grip ergonomic design. It is meant to help keep your hand steady while working with your horse. It also helps ease any grip stress that comes after working for a while.
The kit pieces include a stiff brush, a hoof pick, a finishing brush, a curry comb, a stiff brush, a comb, tail and mane brush, and a sweat scraper. It has been reported that when some people receive the brushes, there are teeth missing or a handle is disconnected and has to be glued.
The Equestria grooming set is a complete set of what you need to get a thorough job done. Both the brushes and the carry bag are high quality, and people love how long they last and how comfortable they are to use.
The bag comes in blue shades, and all the included brushes are two-toned blue shades to keep it easy to organize. The bag is equipped with five side pockets, as well as the main center area, to hold everything in one easy-to-carry tote.
The bag includes a hoof pick, a stiff brush, a finishing brush, a stiff brush, a curry comb, a big tooth comb, a tail and mane brush, and a sweat scraper. The size of the brushes is smaller than others for average or more substantial sized horses.
Horze has gone for a more old-fashioned farm look and design with its grooming kit. There are only six tools included in this larger tote. However, overall, the brushes are of a high standard and made with sturdy wood.
The black tote complements the black-and-wood coloring of all the tools. It is made of tear-resistant nylon to keep it by your side as long as you need to use it. The tools include a broad body brush to remove dirt and sweat from big horses, a medium wood body brush, a wooden backed dandy brush, a mane and tail comb, sisal gloves to remove stains, and a sisal towel to finish with a beautiful shine.
Derby Originals has designed their grooming kit so almost any color combination is an option when looking into grooming kits. The tote is well-designed, including pockets around the outside, a zipper across the top with a handle, two side handles, and a detachable shoulder strap to make carrying it around as easy as possible. Although the handles are ergonomic, the zip is not constructed that well and can be irritating.
The kit contains nine total items, counting the bag. The color combos include turquoise and lime green, purple and lavender, pink and purple, light blue and yellow, hot pink and pink, black and grey, green and mint, and light blue and navy blue. The tote and all the included tools are a variety of associated shades to keep organization quick and easy.
The grooming set includes the versatile carry bag, a sweat scraper, a bathing sponge, a hoof pick, a dandy brush, mane and tail comb, a soft brush, and a rubber curry comb. Altogether, this is about everything you could need during a grooming session. The set is said to be perfect for beginners because while the brushes are somewhat weak, they teach the user what they can replace them with to do a proper grooming job.
Southwestern Equine’s kit has a colored camo theme that goes with the design of the accompanying carry bag. The colors include camo blue, camo pink, camo purple, red, and turquoise.
The bag is equipped with an adjustable shoulder strap and side handles to make transporting it anywhere easy for an adult or a child. Any of the totes you decide to go with has four pockets on the outside to hold grooming supplies and anything else you might need to carry. The primary pain is double zippered, so access to the interior is quick.
The tools include a sweat scraper, a comb, a hoof pick, a round sponge, a square sponge, a soft bristle brush with a handle, a fine point rubber curry with a handle, and a stiff bristle brush with a handle.
Pros
Standard amount of tools
Variety of colors
Cons
Short-term tool durability
Strap may break or wear on tool bag
Buyer’s Guide
Many experienced horse handlers have spent years collecting different brushes and picks, sponges, and sprays. They don’t necessarily need something like a grooming kit, but beginning equestrians find it a simple approach to start with. But if you haven’t bought a grooming kit before, how do you pick the right one?
Tool Variety
Check out the types of tools that the kit contains. More than likely, you have some idea or can research the most useful tools that you need. Typically, a grooming kit will come with all the standard tools, but sometimes there are replacements or extras. Make sure that the chosen kit has the right supplies for you.
The make of the brushes and the bag has a considerable influence on the longevity of the product. Check to see what the brushes are made of and if the bag is made from a sturdy material.
For example, combs should be constructed from rubber or plastic. Body brushes should be made from horsehair, pig bristle, goat hair, or plastic to be stiff enough to get the layers of dirt and sweat off the horse.
If you have any preferences, look for a kit that might use those materials. You may also have to replace a couple of the tools if you have particular preferences.
Bag Ergonomics
The primary reason for getting a grooming kit is for the convenience. So, the bag, or tote, plays the most significant factor when considering the aspect of practicality.
When you look for a kit, consider how you prefer to move your tools from place to place. Do you prefer a bag or a box? What about handle placement? Would it be best to have a shoulder strap, or would it only get in the way? In that case, consider a detachable one.
Conclusion
When it comes to finding the best grooming kit for yourself, your children, or someone whom you are buying a gift, remember that it isn’t just about the person but also the horse.
Purchasing a grooming kit is only the start of taking care of your horse. We hope that in the haze of starting something new or in the chaos of organization, you find that our reviews and buying guide are a helpful step toward finding the perfect product.
Featured image credit: neizvestnaya_8 / 12 images, Pixabay
Oliver (Ollie) Jones - A zoologist and freelance writer living in South Australia with his partner Alex, their dog Pepper, and their cat Steve (who declined to be pictured). Ollie, originally from the USA, holds his master's degree in wildlife biology and moved to Australia to pursue his career and passion but has found a new love for working online and writing about animals of all types.
