Horse Grooming Kits: Tools You Need & 5 Best Grooming Kits

Last updated: August 18, 2023

By: Miles HenryFact Checked

Grooming a horse is an essential task for responsible owners. It may seem daunting at first, but when you have a good grooming kit and plan, even someone just starting can groom their horse without any difficulty at all.

Good horse grooming kits include a hoof pick, currycomb, shedding combs, soft brush, stiff bristle brush, and a large sponge. I also have a separate kit for bathing a horse that includes a sponge, towel, sweat scraper, and hoof conditioner.

The perfect way to keep your animal healthy and look its best is by investing in a good grooming kit with basic grooming tools. Once you’ve got everything together, it will be easy for you to groom your horse like a pro.

You can click here to jump to my recommended grooming kits.

Grooming Horses

If you’re a horse owner, it’s important to be familiar with the grooming process. This will help keep your horse looking and feeling its best. For inexperienced owners, it can be a challenge to care for if you’re not experienced with them.

My love for horses started when I was a young boy. Now my grandson shares the same passion. It is not just riding that gives us pleasure; it is also the time we spend together grooming, washing, and bonding with horses that we find satisfying.

Grooming a horse helps promote healthy skin, coats, and hooves while making sure they’ve been cleaned thoroughly.

I am always glad to share my knowledge about horses and grooming and caring for them. I’m also proud of the fact that I can assist other horse lovers in achieving their goals.

So today, I am going to talk about horse grooming kits. In particular, we will cover the following:

• What tools should you use to groom a horse?
• How to put together a horse grooming kit.
• 5 best horse grooming kits available in the market.

Horse Grooming Tools.

To keep a horse nice and clean, you need special equine grooming tools. There are scores of different brushes, combs, and sponges available for the task. You can buy them all if you want, but the list that follows is all you really need to get started.

A.      Brushes

When grooming your horse, it’s important to keep their coat clean and shiny so that they look healthy. I prefer using brushes made from natural hair rather than synthetic ones.

To be sure you’re giving them a good brushing, include the following pieces in your grooming kit:

1.      Curry comb

Before using a stiff comb on your horse to remove accumulated dirt and debris, you should use a curry comb first. A rubber curry comb can help loosen the dirt.

2.      Stiff brush/dandy brush

This helps you get the dirt out of your horse’s coat.

3.      Soft brush

This is the gentler version of the dandy brush, and it is a must-have if you want your horse’s coat to shine. You can also use the soft brush for gently brushing your horse’s delicate areas, like its face.

4.      Mane and tail brush

As their name indicates, these specially vented brushes help you groom your horse’s mane and tail. They remove tangles and mats without hurting your mount.

5.      Shedding brush

This tool helps you eliminate stray and loose hairs when your horse is blowing its winter coat. Some people prefer using shedding gloves to shedding brushes. I suggest you try both and choose what works best for you.

B.      Clippers

It would help if you had horse clippers in your horse grooming kit to keep your animal’s hair trimmed.  These days, there are clippers specifically made to clip your horse’s coat. They are designed to be quiet so you won’t spook your horse.

You can find scores of different types of horse clippers, but for regular maintenance, you need not go in for an expensive or high-end pair. However, do buy cordless clippers; they are much easier to work with.

And if you intend to regularly clip their coat, you should buy a strong-high-quality pair. It is a good idea to invest in some extra blades for your clippers.

That way, you can still groom your horse should the blades become dull. Nothing is more annoying than having to stop grooming until you can sharpen your existing clipper blades.

C.      Hoof Picks

You need to use hoof picks to clean the underside of your horse’s hooves. This tool has a V-shaped metal head mounted on colored rubber handles. Alternatively, you can invest in solid plastic scraped with nylon brushes, efficiently cleaning the hooves.

D.     Sponges

Another important item in your horse grooming kit is a couple of sponges. You can use them to wipe off sweat and dirt from your horse’s coat and to wipe your horse’s face.

Sponges are also useful when bathing your horse. These days, you can buy special horse sponges in different colors, shapes, and sizes.

E.      Sweat scraper

Despite the name of this tool, I recommend that you use it only for grooming a freshly bathed horse. This is because horses need regular baths to remove the salty sweat from the skin. Simply dry brushing and scraping won’t do the trick.

Sweat scrapers come in two different styles: long straight plastic wands or metal wands with two edges (one-toothed and the other straight). The second variety is useful in removing loose hairs during the shedding season. I prefer the wand style.

F.       Hoof sealant/conditioner

Some horses’ hoofs dry and crack; to prevent this, I typically apply a hoof conditioner on their hoofs after grooming. This will protect your horse’s hooves from cracking and makes them look shiny.

G.      Tack organizer bag/box

Instead of throwing all of the above in a plastic box or a bag, invest in a tack organizer tote bag with different compartments and pockets and a handle for easy carrying. You can get horse grooming kit bags in really cool colors these days.

If you don’t intend to travel with your grooming kit, an open tote is often preferred.

How to put together your horse grooming kit.

When putting together your own horse grooming kit, all you need is the basic tools mentioned above. These are the tools and products that can help you get started with regular maintenance.

Next, choose the bag or tack box to store your tools and products. I used a five-gallon bucket for years. It was convenient, large enough, and easy to carry.  Now I prefer a large canvas bag with a zipper top.

You can also buy complete horse grooming kits, which are readily available in the market. I have shortlisted 5 great products for you later in this guide.

Your grooming kit bag/tote/box should ideally have the capacity to hold at least 8 to 10 pieces of grooming tools and products you commonly use during your regular grooming session.

If you go for a tote bag, select at least 8 to 10 inches deep and 11 to 12 inches wide and also equipped with several pockets to place your combs and brushes.

Look for tote bags having ergonomically designed handles/shoulder straps measuring at least 42-inches long. This will enable easy carrying and storage. If you plan to store shampoos, fly sprays, and coat conditioners, then look for bags having the depth to carry these bottles easily.

5 Best Horse Grooming Kits

A good grooming kit includes many different tools like brushes, combs, sweat scrapers, and a hoof pick which all help groom horses in different ways. I’ll tell you about the features of my favorite types of kits below!

Best Overall: WEAVER Grooming Kit

WEAVER grooming kit bag is a bestseller for the following reasons:

The Weaver Leather Grooming Kit is a complete grooming kit containing all the basic tools you need to care for your horse. This convenient and durable bag with an adjustable shoulder strap holds everything you need to keep your horse looking great.

The kit includes a comb, hoof pick, palm-held curry comb, palm-held soft/face brush, mane and tail brush, dandy brush, and sweat scraper/coarse curry combo. Choose from fun colors, including pink, purple, red, blue, and green!

Features

• Comes with 7 basic grooming tools
• Drawstring closure for easy storage
• 6 deep pockets. Big enough to hold conditioner, shampoo bottles, fly spray, and towels, etc.
• Ergonomically designed handles with padded shoulder straps for comfortable carrying
• Plastic feet on the bottom protect the bag from dirt.
• Available in fun, sparkly colors

Pros

• Comfortable
• Attractive
• Easy to clean.

Cons

For a beginner’s grooming kit, this is an excellent product for the price. However, the brushes from this kit are cheaply made and often break after just a few uses; I recommend investing in good-quality natural brushes; they last longer and do a better job than synthetic ones do.

Best for Kids: Weaver Leather Youth Grooming Kit

This cute grooming kit is ideal for young riders to groom and maintain their horses or ponies. It has all you need. In a pinch, I pulled it out and was surprised at how sturdy the tools were.

Features

• 7 grooming pieces in attractive colors. Includes mane-tail brush, dandy body brush, hoof pick, and sponges.
• Portable, easy to store, and carry.

Pros

The small-sized tools are easy for kids to handle and give them a great way to learn the different tools needed to groom a horse. My granddaughter rides and loves grooming her horses, but at only 6 years old standard-sized grooming tools are awkward for her to handle.

Cons

The grooming tools are small and not really practical for grooming a full-sized horse. The kit is more useful for training young riders on how to care for their horses.

Value for Money: HILASON 10-Pc Horse Grooming Kit

The 10PC grooming kit is perfect for any horse owner who wants to spoil their equine friend. The set includes natural horsehair brushes and a pair of grooming gloves.

It also has a body brush, flexible finishing brush, sweat scraper, mane and tail brush, comb, heavy hoof pick, and cleaning sponge- all designed with love!

With so many tools in one bag, it’s easy to have everything you need at your fingertips when the time comes that you’re brushing out Nelly or taking care of her coat after a hard day on the trail.

Features

• It contains 10 pieces for horse grooming for beginners and experts
• Ergonomically designed straps
• Convenient for carrying and storage
• 6 pockets and bands for convenient organization.
• Available in 3 attractive colors

Pros

• Functional and attractive

Cons

• Some brushes broke after a few uses.

Best Premium: DERBY Originals 9-Pc Premium Horse Grooming Kit

This deluxe horse grooming kit is perfect for the serious horse lover! The matching carry bag makes it easy to take along on trail rides or camping trips. It has everything you need to keep your horse looking his best.

This attractive grooming set has the following features:

Features

• Available in 8 attractive colors.
• It contains 9 items for complete equestrian grooming (mane-tail comb, dandy and curry brushes, hard and soft brushes, sweat scraper, sponge, hoof pick, etc.)
• Spacious bag measures 8 x 9 x 10 (d x h x w)

Pros

• The bag’s lid zip closes so items won’t fall out.
• Comfort grip for long grooming sessions

Cons

• The bag has no room for extra items.

Best Budget: Yutiny 10 Pc Horse Grooming Set

This simple horse grooming kit does not come with a bag/tote; this isn’t a bad thing; it allows you to choose the style tote that fits your needs. The most important thing is that this set provides everything you need to groom your horse at a reasonable price.

Features

• Contains 10 grooming tools like brushes, combs, scrapers, hoof picks, etc.
• Materials – silicone and wood.

Pros

• Lightweight and portable
• High-quality, durable, practical

I like that this set comes with the hoof pick brush combo and the pulling comb.

Cons

• You need to buy the bag/tote separately.

Conclusion

A horse grooming kit should ideally contain mane and tail combs, curry brush, dandy brush, hoof picks, and sweat scrapers. You also need towels and/or sponges, fly spray, hoof sealants, and coat conditioners. To carry all these items, you need a nice tote bag or an organizer that can help you carry and store all these items conveniently.

I recommend the WEAVER horse grooming kit because it has 7 basic grooming tools and is deep enough to add your own shampoo/spray bottles. The bags come in sparkly and attractive colors as well.

Below is a YouTube video that goes over what you need in a grooming kit.

FAQ