How to clean your grooming kit properly

In addition to the saddle and bridle, which are used almost every day and are usually cleaned properly, the grooming kit is the everyday tool of a horse owner. The grooming kit is used to remove dirt and grime and massage the horse, but let's be honest: how often do you actually clean the grooming kit? Here we give you the best tips and tricks to clean your grooming kit properly.

The grooming supplies - a colorful selection

The choice of cleaning supplies is ultimately a matter of taste. But some utensils are almost always an integral part.

The Hoof Scraper

The hoof scraper is used to remove dirt from the frog furrows and brush off the horn. As horses have all their feet firmly on the ground and are therefore also firmly immersed in manure and dirt, the hoof scraper is probably the object that comes into contact with the most bacteria. Nevertheless, it is often kept together with the other brushes that are used to clean the horse's head, among other things.

The Harrow

Whether made of rubber, metal or plastic - the harrow removes and loosens the coarse dirt in the coat and at the same time uses it to brush out the brushes. Due to the material, harrow brushes are generally very easy to clean.

The Brushes

Without listing all the brush variants, they all have one thing in common: the bristles. Not only can you brush the dirt and dust out of the coat, but the dirt also gets stuck in the bristles just as well. Brushing with a brush removes the coarsest dirt, but hair and sebum still get stuck. From a hygiene point of view, it is therefore advisable to have and use too many brushes rather than too few. At least one brush should be used separately for the head, one for the legs and preferably two for the rest of the body. Our insider tip: Different colored brushes can help to differentiate the body zones. Our brushes are available in over 200 color combinations - that should be enough, right?

The Comb

Whether to use a comb or a hairbrush depends entirely on the mane of our four-legged friends. The classic sports cut is best tamed with a simple comb, while a full and long tail should be groomed with a brush. Due to the material, brushes and combs are just as easy to clean as currycombs.

The Sponge

Sponges are mostly used to clean the intimate area, nostrils and eyes. For this reason, please be sure to use several sponges and label them well so that they are only ever used for the same area of the body. While the grooming kit does not need to be cleaned after each use, this is essential for sponges.

The cleaning glove or fur glove

The fur glove is normally used for the “finishing touches” after grooming. It removes the last dust from the coat and gives it a silky shine. But even the fluffiest coat will eventually become dull and sebaceous and needs to be washed.

Cleaning the grooming kit

As described above, some grooming items, such as currycombs or hairbrushes, can be cleaned quite easily with warm water and a brush. Unfortunately, cleaning grooming brushes and root brushes is not quite as straightforward. Depending on the manufacturer's instructions, certain brushes can be washed in the washing machine. Unfortunately, this is quite noisy and most brushes suffer as a result. Brushes made of wood or with natural bristles in particular need special care. Hand washing is best. To do this, first remove hair and dirt from the brushes by hand using a curry comb. Then fill a bucket with warm water and add some shampoo. Unfortunately, shampoo is essential as otherwise the sebum - the horse's skin oil - will not come out of the bristles. Brushes with wooden handles should not be completely immersed in water, as this can make the wood brittle. Then leave the brushes to dry thoroughly and put them back in the grooming box.

Sponges are washed out properly after each use, dried and stowed away. Different colored sponges are best for this, so that you know straight away which sponge is used for which part of the body. Otherwise, you can also use wet wipes, which are of course disposed of after each use.

Cleaning or fur gloves should be washed in the washing machine at regular intervals according to the manufacturer's instructions. Appropriate detergent should be used for fur gloves.

Sorting the Cleaning Kit

Please never keep the cleaning supplies completely together, but sort them according to body regions. So the brushes for the head, for the fur and the legs and for the hooves should be kept separate from each other. Most grooming boxes are available with integrated partitions that make sorting easier. The hoof scraper is best hung in front of the box. The sponges for the eyes, nostrils and genital area should also be stored separately from each other.

Skin Diseases - What can I do?

If the horse has a skin disease in the sense of mites, hair lice or fungus, the cleaning materials should be cleaned immediately after the first treatment of the horse. It is best to use the shampoo that the horse is also treated with. This way you can be sure that there are no more lice, mites or fungal spores caught in the bristles of the cleaning utensils. Otherwise the treatment of the horse has no success. Depending on the severity of the infestation, it is recommended to wash the brushes with a special disinfectant in the washing machine. Otherwise, such a disease is well suited as justification to buy new cleaning supplies. After a skin diseases, please remember to clean the cleaning box or the cleaning bag. Again, you can and should work with disinfectants.

The right storage

The cleaning supplies must also be kept reasonable. It is best to use a stable cleaning box here. This protects the cleaning utensil against rain and moisture, keeps order, can be transported better and depending on the material and stability also used as a climbing aid. While the correct cleaning of the cleaning tool has already been described above, it is of course essential that the cleaning box itself will be cleaned. A large proportion of dust and dirt fall into them during transport, during inserting and removing of the brushes - as well as bacteria. From the outside, the cleaning box can be easily wiped with a damp cloth. Before the inner part is cleaned, the partitions should be removed and the loose dirt shaken out. Then you can brush out the remaining hair with a brush. Depending on the material, the box can also be cleaned from the inside with water. Then leave it open, so that everything can dry well. Finally, just spray some disinfectant spray into it (especially after a horse's skin condition) and put everything back in.