My horses are busy filling in their winter coats. And while I am happy they turn into gigantic furry teddy bears over the winter, it does make grooming a little more challenging. So I thought I would share with you some of my favorite grooming tools to tame their long winter fur.

wintertime grooming kit

Hands On Grooming Gloves

Where I live, it gets cold during the winter. And while I usually have gloves on while I am working with my horses, sometimes this isn’t the easiest thing to accomplish while grooming.

hands on grooming gloves

But one of my most favorite grooming tools to use during the winter is the Hands on Grooming Gloves. They have a dimpled surface with different raised bumps and lines that my horses really enjoy. It’s like they are getting a massage with these gloves, and they love it. I also like that they come in a pair, so I have a glove on each hand and can basically rub my horses all over. These gloves make fast work of their long winter hair. And in the spring time when they start to shed out, the gloves remove the loose hair easily.

An added benefit is that you can also use the gloves for bathing, they will withstand water. Which means easy clean up.

Epona LOVE Curry Brush

This is one of the latest additions to my grooming tote. It came in a previous Saddle Box subscription box, and it is fantastic. The bristles are hard and long. Which again, are great for getting down to my horses skin under their winter coats. The stiff bristles give a nice massage while loosening the deep dirt and crud. Just don’t scrub too hard, or over sensitive areas!

Winter grooming essentials for horses

This brush also works great on manes and tails. If you are trying to get your horse’s tail to be long and full, you want to leave as many hairs in place as possible. This brush can run through tangled manes and tails while removing only a few hairs. I am not sure if this is what the creators intended for this brush, but it works great for manes and tails.

Hoof Pick with A Brush

Ok, so this is my favorite hoof pick for all times of year. But the brush is so helpful when it comes to removing snow and mud. I have even used the stiff brush while bathing my horses, to really get the dirt scrubbed off of their hooves. The hoof pick part of it is also very strong, and works great for removing packed snow from hooves.

Best tools for winter grooming

And the handle is pretty beefy, making it easy to grip, even when you are wearing heavy winter gloves.

I do like to add a piece of twine or rope to the end, so I can hang up the hoof pick in my barn. You can never have enough hoof picks in my opinion.

Stiff Short Bristled Brush

After I have given my horses a good curry with my Hands on Grooming Gloves, and the Epona curry, I need something to whisk away the loose dirt and hair. This is where the stiff bristled brush comes in. It helps to whisk away the loose hairs and dirt. And I can use the grooming gloves to get that out of my brush in between the strokes.

short stiff brush for winter grooming

The short stiff bristles are great for working through longer hair where as a soft bristle brush won’t remove the excess dirt. It will kind of just push it back into your horse’s coat. And a good stiff bristle brush is inexpensive. You can find them for about $6.00 and they will last a very long time, if you take care of them.

Creating A Winter Grooming Kit

I like to keep my grooming items in a kit for easy use, especially during the winter. And the items I talked about are kept in a heavy duty wooden grooming tote that I made. It was easy to make, and you can find the instructions for making your own here.

DIY wooden grooming tote

I don’t have a lot of tools I use during the winter, not nearly as many as I have for getting ready for a show, and when my horses are sleek during the summer. But I find that keeping my grooming totes separated by season makes it easier for me to just grab the tote and go.

making a wintertime grooming kit

I have a few other items in it as well, like first aid supplies, and Ethan’s sarcoid cream. But having these tools in one place makes it easy for me to spend some extra quality grooming time with my horses.

A Great Gift Idea

If you are looking for a great gift idea for a fellow equestrian, this would be something you could put together fairly quick, and affordably. It would make a unique gift for your favorite trainer, or friend and it would be something they would be able to use all the time.

The items in the grooming kit are:

  • Epona Love Curry ($11.95)
  • Hands on Grooming Gloves ($22.00)
  • Hoof Pick with Brush ($1.57)
  • Blue Ribbon Brush ($4.57)
  • Wooden Grooming Tote (DIY for about $15.00)

Total cost for this kit: $55.00

Not too bad for a grooming kit right? I was able to find these products at State Line Tack, and Dover Saddlery online. The grooming kit is something you could buy, or build. I had always wanted a wooden grooming tote, but didn’t want to spend $100.00 for one, so I built it myself for around $15.00.

But if someone took the time to make this for me, well I would be ecstatic to say the least!

If you put together a kit like this for winter grooming, I promise you won’t be sorry. And you can have a dedicated winter time grooming kit. This kit will make grooming easier for you, and more enjoyable for your horse!