Find out what brush your horse wants you to stop using aSAP!
And what to use instead.
As most of you know I’m constantly on a mission to find ways for horses to have ridiculously amazing lives. This mission has led me to think differently about grooming. In particular, the aspects of it that our horses love vs the ones they just tolerate. Or worse, the ones they absolutely hate.
I have a horse that is pretty open about telling me what feels fabulous, as well as, what’s super annoying. Since I want grooming to be part of what makes her life amazing I listen pretty closely.
This past weekend I was at a show and saw someone using a brush that is very popular among horse owners. It has great marketing behind it and is branded under a few big trusted name brands. And it’s horrendous!!! Her horse was tolerating but definitely not loving the experience. So just what is this dreadful brush? Why do horses hate it so much? And what should you use instead?
Check out this quick video I created to fill you in on what brush to toss out immediately. Oh yeah, it also covers what one to pick as your new go-to for a happier grooming experience.
Toss that - use this
why your horse hates the "soft touch" plastic mane brush
1. Tines are too close together
Closely set tines do not go through thick tangled hair well at all. You will end up either just brushing through the top layer of your horse’s hair leaving a mess underneath or you will have to separate it out in to small sections to get through it all.
2. Hard inflexible plastic tines
Since the closely set tines are made from hard plastic and have no give they tend to catch tangles and pull them into hard tight knots. These knots usually end up getting ripped out by the brush. This not only pulls on your horse’s hair but it also causes a lot of damage. Not cool if you are looking to have a full thick mane and tail.
3. Guards on the ends of the tines fall off
The brush has a tiny ball on the end of each tine to prevent them from being sharp. Unfortunately, these little guards fall off leaving you scrapping your horse’s skin with a wicked spike. Yikes!
why your horse would rather you use a cushion paddle brush
1. Better tine spacing
Tines are spaced out more to work through the tangles, similar to how your fingers would work through them. Having better tine spacing also means that the cushion brush will work through more layers of hair at one time instead of feeling like you are just getting the surface brushed out and leaving a rat’s nest underneath.
2. Cushion comfort
The air cushion makes the tines flexible so you can use it to massage the scalp to help stimulate hair growth and oil production (bye dandruff) and it gives when you brush right up to the roots of the hair. The cushion also means that the tines work through tangles with more flexibility. No more ripping out knotted balls of hair.
The cushion also makes it great for massaging and currying the rest of your horse’s body. Use it to increase circulation and loosen mud/shedding hair without pulling on the coat like some shedding tools do.
3. Rounded tines
Wooden tines are made with rounded tips so you don’t have to worry about them every getting sharp after use. The wood also disperses your horse’s natural oils through the hair. Woohoo, more shine & less static!
3. Added bonus
We all benefit from moving away from plastic and switching over to natural wood and bamboo brushes.
Insightfully,
Becky
