I’ve been looking though my grooming kit thinking about how the contents have changed. I’ve been riding and caring for horses for many years and while the basic tools have stayed the same so much about them has changed, Certainly not the pleasure of spending time with my horses or being able to give my horses the attention and care they deserve. Let me explain.
A brush is just a brush until it isn’t. I look at the array of brushes we offer and see not only the classic natural bristles on standard wooden backs but beautiful man made fiber finish brushes unimaginable decades ago and brushes jointed to conform to a horses body made of composite materials hand friendly and hand sized. Much like the vast assortment of feed mixes available today there are brushes to please every horse for every grooming job. Like outdated forgotten clothes think about retiring the old worn out brushes or those you never use for brushes that you’re happy to reach for and your horse enjoys.
The same goes for curries. Years ago there weren’t so many curry choices. Creative designers have made use of newer materials and manufacturing methods. Now there are flexible curries to fit the hand as well as the contours of the horse, soft curries for the thin skinned, and variations on shedding tools unknown when I was a young rider.
Not long ago, at an event with international riders and coaches, I had seasoned European riders and coaches like kids in a toy shop exploring the grooming section of our shop, so many of our grooming tools were new and wonderful to them. It’s such a pleasure when experienced riders, grooms and professionals find something they didn’t know they needed and had to have. Maybe it’s time to look in your grooming kit.