After Margaret and I had such a fun time at the fall hunter pace, we opted to go again this spring! This time, while I rode Rejoice again, Margaret rode her horse Jester and had a friend ride Ladyhawke. All Kennebec Morgans!! Jester and Rejoice have the same dam and Jester and Lady share the same sire. Unfortunately instead of a lovely late spring day, we had one of the first intensely hot and humid days of the year. It was definitely a bummer, but the ride was mostly in the shade of the woods and we had a great time! most of the fences were 3' coops but we found a small log and this hay to jump haha Until we didn't. 😑 We brought along a third friend who rode Margaret's older mare, Ladyhawke. She's a good rider but hasn't known Ladyhawke for very long and didn't realize how much of a cranky boss mare she could be at times. She kicked Jester right in the front leg just about halfway through the ride, and while the cut itself ended up not being a big deal in the...
While we are waiting for ALL the media to arrive from Championships from both the pro photographer and groom extraordinaire Rachel, I figured it was time for another "What's in YOUR tack room?" This one is the grooming tote edition, which was what I was planning to review next anyway but also I felt inspired by Terisé over at Breeches and Boatshoes after she did her own post on the subject.
I have used various grooming totes over the years, ranging from my first ever tote, the tried and true Fortiflex grooming tote (it was blue with yellow horsey bumper stickers all over it LOL!), to this grooming stool box thingy (kinda wish I still had it), to a handmade (but SUPER heavy) wooden box made by my father, to various fabric totes that eventually fell apart (two I know were won as prizes at horse shows) and I have no idea what brand. Right now I am using a cute little Kensington plaid tote, one in hunter green for Snappy and the tan/black "blackwatch" for Dreamy.
I like these totes because they are durable and not overly huge. I only use my grooming totes to hold brushes, as they are stored next to the crossties in a small trunk in my aisle (along with my riding boots and helmet), with my first aid kit right above and bug spray hanging right there. So I don't need a larger tote to hold anything but brushes.
I use a generic hoof pick and prefer the ones with the little brush opposite the pick. Though I have no idea why I have a regular pick in Snappy's tote haha. (I have lots of hoof picks kicking around!) Both mares have a shedding blade and a simple black rubber curry that I love for the shape and the fact the thick rubber knobs are perfect for shedding season. Once they are shed out, Snappy has a soft rubber round curry that she prefers and Dreamy loves the Epona Shed Flower. Snappy is prone to skin crud so I also have a rubber grooming mitt for her face and legs as needed.
Both of them have a generic hard brush, though I do prefer the type with a handle (I don't know why). I also cannot find them online anywhere and have no idea where I got them, hence the reason why they are old and I have not replaced them. I don't like super hard brushes and these are perfect to use after currying. Snappy has a Winner's Circle Beastie Brush that is a great stiffness for cleaning dried mud off legs. For soft brushes, I prefer horsehair bristled brushes like this one.
There is also a Roma body brush that I bought for Reva (her colors were pink!) and Snappy inherited it. Mostly I bought it because it is cute! I also have a Furminator that I bought for Sparky years ago and does work well for shedding; Dreamy and Snappy do not grow coats like Sparky used to, so this doesn't get as much use. For manes and tails, I just use a human hair brush like this.
My brushes are fairly boring and utilitarian though I have lusted many times over the fancy personalized painted brushes I see online! I am fairly picky about my brushes though, so I would hate to spend the money on a set and then not love them (other than the cute artwork) when they arrive. I have a separate set of brushes for showing that stay right in the trailer inside my show trunk, but they are basically the same types of brushes, so I didn't even bother taking them out for pics! ;-)
I have used various grooming totes over the years, ranging from my first ever tote, the tried and true Fortiflex grooming tote (it was blue with yellow horsey bumper stickers all over it LOL!), to this grooming stool box thingy (kinda wish I still had it), to a handmade (but SUPER heavy) wooden box made by my father, to various fabric totes that eventually fell apart (two I know were won as prizes at horse shows) and I have no idea what brand. Right now I am using a cute little Kensington plaid tote, one in hunter green for Snappy and the tan/black "blackwatch" for Dreamy.
I like these totes because they are durable and not overly huge. I only use my grooming totes to hold brushes, as they are stored next to the crossties in a small trunk in my aisle (along with my riding boots and helmet), with my first aid kit right above and bug spray hanging right there. So I don't need a larger tote to hold anything but brushes.
I use a generic hoof pick and prefer the ones with the little brush opposite the pick. Though I have no idea why I have a regular pick in Snappy's tote haha. (I have lots of hoof picks kicking around!) Both mares have a shedding blade and a simple black rubber curry that I love for the shape and the fact the thick rubber knobs are perfect for shedding season. Once they are shed out, Snappy has a soft rubber round curry that she prefers and Dreamy loves the Epona Shed Flower. Snappy is prone to skin crud so I also have a rubber grooming mitt for her face and legs as needed.
Both of them have a generic hard brush, though I do prefer the type with a handle (I don't know why). I also cannot find them online anywhere and have no idea where I got them, hence the reason why they are old and I have not replaced them. I don't like super hard brushes and these are perfect to use after currying. Snappy has a Winner's Circle Beastie Brush that is a great stiffness for cleaning dried mud off legs. For soft brushes, I prefer horsehair bristled brushes like this one.
There is also a Roma body brush that I bought for Reva (her colors were pink!) and Snappy inherited it. Mostly I bought it because it is cute! I also have a Furminator that I bought for Sparky years ago and does work well for shedding; Dreamy and Snappy do not grow coats like Sparky used to, so this doesn't get as much use. For manes and tails, I just use a human hair brush like this.
Snappy's brushes - Top: hoof pick, hard brush, mud brush, Roma brush, soft brush, mane/tail brush, shedding blade. Bottom: shedding curry, regular curry, grooming mitt, Furminator |
Dreamy's brushes - Top: hoof pick, hard brush, soft brush, mane/tail brush, shedding blade. Bottom: shedding curry and flower curry |
This looks so tidy and neat. My grooming box(es) look like six horses exploded in them. I collect *stuff* for my two retired horses LOL
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