What brush is best for my horse?

More recently, some brands have aimed their marketing at categorising types of brushes into coat colours.  This is an easy way for the purchaser to select a range that is aimed for their horse and colour, but not always the most beneficial and a more accurate choice is more essentially down to the coat type. 

Certain colours of coats produce more natural oils or hold onto stains for longer, but it is the density of hair or sensitivity of the skin that will guide you to the correct type of bristle and brush type. It is definitely not "one type of brush fits all’ in the world of grooming.

Fine or Soft Coats
Fine, soft coats can hold lots of dust and if not groomed properly will show no shine. The skin is usually more sensitive to hard bristles, so choosing the right bristled brush is crucial to your horse's comfort.

In this case a stiff bristled, Dandy type brush would be too harsh on the skin.  The best choice for these soft coats are the densely bristled medium firm brushes that have long bristles that can work into the coat to remove deep seated dust and grease. 

Once this has been done, move across to a flick type brush.  These are either very soft bristled for the finer coats or a medium slightly denser bristle is more effective on the coarser ones.

By using this type of bristle it will flick away any remaining debris brought to the surface by the first groom. Lastly, buffing the coat with a super soft brush will help bring shine to the coat.

Heavy or Coarse Coats
Typically found in Native breeds, but commonly found in part breds or traditional breeds. This type of coat is designed to battle nature; for warmth and rain protection. While the skin can be tough, it
can also produce excess oil, making the coat greasy, scurfy and dirty more quickly. 

 A dense hard bristled brush is best to use for this purpose as you will need a brush that will work effectively and deep into the coat to remove any dirt or debris from the base of the coat. Following a brisk brush all over, move on to a stiff medium bristled one to bring more dirt to the surface.  This has more flexibility in the bristles to sweep the coat without brushing against the skin. 

Lastly, a densely bristled body brush will remove any remaining dirt, producing a naturally healthy shine and clean coat.  

A body brush can be used on all coat types at the end of the grooming routine.  This used together with a metal curry to clean the brush after every couple of brush sweeps across the coat will encourage more blood circulation, healthy skin, and in turn a shiny coat.