Additional Information
A Slick ‘N Easy™ horse grooming block is a blade-free method of removing loose hair, dirt and dust. One of our favorite grooming tools for shedding season, a Slick ‘N Easy fiberglass block also comes in handy in bug season. It can be used to remove bot fly eggs from your horse without cutting your horse's hair and leaving jagged marks as a bot fly knife will sometimes do. Rub the Slick ‘N Easy block over the bot fly eggs, most commonly found on your horse's legs, and then rub the block on cement or pavement to create a fresh edge.
A Guide to Building a Basic Grooming Kit A Guide to Building a Basic Grooming Kit
If you're just getting started in building a grooming kit, this article is for you. It explains the most essential tools you'll need to groom a horse properly and how the various tools are used. A comparison of synthetic versus natural bristles in horse brushes is provided.
A basic grooming kit includes:
Rubber curry comb: Available in large and small sizes to fit all hands. Applied in a circular motion on the fleshy parts of a horse, its short rubber teeth softly stimulate circulation in the horse's muscles and skin while loosening dirt and shedding hair. Use this curry as the first step in a grooming session. If you can only have one curry comb in your kit, this curry is the one to choose. Other flexible rubber curry combs come with nub-like teeth, cone-shaped teeth or soft bristles.
Sarvis Curry Comb: In tough plastic with long teeth to penetrate long winter coats and work effectively on dried mud and manure stains. Some people use this type of curry for the dual purpose of combing manes and tails; others find it useful at bath time as it lathers soapy water on the horse's coat. Use it in a circular motion on fleshy areas of the horse only.
Stiff or Hard (Dandy) Brush: With very stiff synthetic or natural bristles, this type of brush is used just after currying to whisk away the heaviest layer of loosened dirt and hair. It can be helpful in removing dried mud from a horse's legs or off hoof walls. Extremely sensitive or thin-skinned horses may not tolerate the coarseness of the stiffest of brushes, so check for degrees of coarseness from very stiff to medium stiff to suit your particular horse. Dandy brushes come in a rectangular shape with grooves or contours on the sides of the handle for comfort in the hand. Body brushes are oval.
Medium-Stiff/Medium-Soft Brush: A must for virtually everyone, especially those people with a sensitive horse that cannot tolerate the coarseness of very stiff bristles. Different manufacturers refer to medium brushes as either medium stiff or medium soft, but a medium brush can prove useful when your horse does not require the heavy-duty action of a very stiff brush. A medium brush with either synthetic or natural bristles is used as an interim step between the stiff brush and the finishing or soft brush.
Soft Body Brush/Finishing Brush: This type of brush is another essential tool for every groomer and is used last in the grooming session. Its soft, fine bristles are positioned very closely together to remove the finest dust particles from the horse's coat and to smooth out the hair which enhances natural sheen. They come with synthetic, natural or a blend of both bristles and can be oval body brushes or rectangular dandy brushes.
Hoof Pick: The most necessary tool in the grooming kit is the hoof pick for cleaning the crevices of a horse's hooves before and after any ride and turnout. You can find them in all sorts of styles and colors, including those with brushes to help flick away dried dirt and bedding. No grooming box would be complete without a hoof pick to remove manure, mud, stones and debris from the horse's hooves.
Mane and Tail Comb: While some people prefer to use their fingers only for separating the hairs of tails and manes, others rely on wide-toothed mane and tail combs and brushes. These tools separate tangles and pull out pieces of bedding while leaving the mane and tail soft and glossy. Add a detangler to make the job even easier.
A wide array of grooming bags and totes is available to help keep grooming tools organized and easily portable around a barn.
Choosing between Synthetic and Natural Bristled Brushes
Natural Bristle Brushes
Tend to be slightly more costly than synthetic bristle brushes.
With proper care, stand up to many years of use.
Made from horse hair, goat hair or pig hair that some equestrians believe produces a better end result in horse grooming.
Typically have wooden handles that should not be bleached or left to soak.
Synthetic Bristle Brushes
Available in budget-friendly price points.
Plastic-backed brushes can be soaked in a mixture of bleach and water for cleaning.
Come in a variety of bright color combinations.
Can be used during bath time with no negative effect of the soap on the brush.
Our Guarantee 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
The Easiest and Best Guarantee in The Business
Shop with 100% confidence at Dover Saddlery. If something doesn’t fit you or your horse, return your original purchase within a year, and we’ll make it right with a refund, exchange or replacement.
Our experience as riders and horse owners ourselves is that in most situations a year’s time is fair enough to evaluate proper fit and function. PLUS: For manufacturer’s defects, we’ll extend the manufacturer’s warranty to a maximum of 24 months, regardless of their individual policies. (AND: Manufacturer warranties longer than 24 months will be honored and supported by us as well up to the length of those warranties).
Exceptions: Safety items such as helmets and protective vests may only be returned within 30 days, with their original tags intact. Saddles and riding boots may be returned within the one year period, but are subject to a prorated refund based on usage. Used saddles may be returned for 30 days only. For everyone’s protection, treats and vet meds which have been opened are not returnable, and returned blankets must clean and free of debris.
Special Conditions
To protect all customers and ensure that every return or exchange is handled fairly, we may require a receipt or decline a return in these situations:
• Item was not purchased directly from Dover Saddlery. (It was purchased at a used tack sale or from a retailer or online seller other than Dover Saddlery.)
• Item is missing a label or has been defaced.
• No receipt and no valid identification in our stores.
• Item is wet, dirty or contaminated, or until it has been cleaned. (For health and safety reasons, we cannot accept returns on used, defective or poorly fitting blankets if they are UNWASHED.)
• Item has been lost, stolen, damaged, or misused.
• On rare occasions, based on the nature of prior transactions.
• Supplements have been opened or used.
• Multiple returns of the same item.
• Personalized items may not be returned unless defective.
Security Guarantee
Dover Saddlery understands your concerns regarding online security. We share in your concerns and therefore work hard with experts in the field to maintain a highly secure ordering environment. Along with our comment to security, we offer you a Secure Order Guarantee - this gives you 100% protection for your credit card transactions on Doversaddlery.com.
Our Secure Order Guarantee means that you will never have to pay any money related to unauthorized charges to your credit card account, as long as those charges are a direct result from a transaction on Doversaddlery.com.
How it works: If you experience credit card fraud, the Fair Credit Act specifies that your credit card company can hold you liable for no more than $50.00 in fraudulent charges to your account. Our Secure Order Guarantee will reimburse you for any amount up to $50.00 billed to you by your credit card company for unauthorized charges to your account, if those charges result from an order you placed with Doversaddlery.com. For this protection you must promptly notify your credit card company of fraudulent charges and follow their procedures as outlined in your credit card agreement.
