Grooming order: which brush comes when?

Cover image: AI-generated illustration (symbolic image)

Everything is laid out at the grooming area, your horse is tied up, and yet you may reach for a different brush first every time. The order makes a noticeable difference, though: if you loosen first, then pick up and finally smooth, you groom more thoroughly and usually faster too. Here we go through the routine step by step and look at which brush comes when.

The basic rule is simple: from coarse to fine and from top to bottom. First comes everything that loosens dirt and loose hair, then what lifts it out of the coat, and finally what picks up dust and smooths the top coat. Head, mane and tail get their own tools.

Step 1: Picking out the hooves

Many people start with the hooves, and there is a practical reason for that: whatever falls out of the hooves lands on the ground and not in the freshly groomed coat. You also see right at the start whether a stone is stuck or something looks different from usual. The hoof pick LILO has a sturdy shape that lets you remove dirt, mud and small stones from the hoof, and densely set metal bristles for firmer dirt.

Work from the heel towards the toe and don't skip the grooves beside the frog. If you notice anything about the hoof, such as an unusual smell or a spot where your horse flinches, talk to your farrier or vet.

Step 2: Currying - loosening dirt and loose hair

The curry comb is the tool that does the groundwork. With circular movements you loosen dried dirt, dust and loose hair so that the brushes can pick something up afterwards. Start at the neck and work your way back over the shoulder, back and croup. Bony areas and the legs are best left out when currying.

Which curry comb suits depends on the coat and the season. The rubber curry comb FLORESTANO loosens loose hair, dust and light dirt with circular movements. The curry comb CORNET has a flexible nubbed surface that adapts to the body shape and prepares the coat for the body brush and shine brush. During coat change, the spring curry comb ALICE loosens loose hair from the coat with its flexible spiral structure. You can find an overview in our curry combs for coat change.

Light pressure is usually enough. Watch how your horse reacts: if it stands calmly, the pressure is right. If it moves away or tenses its skin, ease off a little.

Step 3: Dandy brush - removing heavy dirt

After currying, the loosened dirt still sits loosely in the coat. Now the dandy brush with firm bristles comes in. Work in short, brisk strokes in the direction of hair growth and flick the dirt out of the coat at the end of each stroke. The dandy brush CARA has sturdy, firm bristles for heavy dirt, dust and dried-on earth and is suitable for legs and body. The notched wooden handle sits well in the hand.

On the legs, the dandy brush takes over the job of the curry comb. Work from top to bottom here and take your time at the pasterns and heels, because dried mud often collects there.

Step 4: Body brush - lifting dust out of the coat

With the body brush you pick up what the curry comb and dandy brush have loosened. Draw it through the coat in long, calm strokes in the direction of hair growth and wipe it on the curry comb after every second or third stroke. That keeps it clean so it doesn't spread the dust back into the coat. The body brush TORI has soft, dense bristles that pick up dust and is suitable as a finish after currying.

If the coat is very dusty, it is worth spending a little longer on this step. It often has the biggest say in how the coat looks in the end.

Step 5: Head and finer areas

Head, belly, inner thighs and the area behind the elbow get their own, softer tools. On the head you work slowly and calmly, with one hand on the headcollar and an eye on your horse's reaction. The head brush MÄXCHEN has extra-soft bristles for finer areas such as the nostrils, eye and ear area and is compact enough for pony heads and smaller hands.

If your horse is ticklish when being groomed or doesn't like a brush on its head, a glove can be the easier way in. With the grooming glove HANNI you groom with the flat of your hand. The soft nubs pick up loose hair, dust and dander and also reach the head, legs and belly.

Step 6: Mane and tail

The long hair comes once the coat is done. That way no dust from the mane and tail falls onto the clean coat. Work from the bottom up: detangle the ends first, then start a little higher bit by bit. Loosen larger knots carefully with your fingers beforehand. You can read more about which brush suits the mane in a separate article.

The mane brush VIDI has densely set metal bristles that loosen knots and tangles and is suitable for mane and tail. For denser, stronger long hair there is the mane brush TRUDI with particularly strong plastic pins.

Step 7: Finish - last dust and shine

At the end it is only about the last fine dust and a smooth top coat. Very soft, fine bristles are needed here. The shine brush MO has extra-fine bristles that pick up fine dust and is also suitable for the head and finer areas. The shine brush FREDO with a soft core and a fine bristle rim is meant for the final finish after grooming. The coat shine brush FAVO with soft light and dark bristles picks up fine dust and dander and is also suitable for clipped horses.

If you prefer to work by hand, use the grooming mitt BONNY for the last pass. Its soft grooming surface picks up dust and is also suitable for finer areas.

After grooming: a quick clean for your brushes

Knock your brushes out briefly after grooming and pull the hair out of the bristles, and they will be ready to use next time. Don't leave brushes with a wooden body lying in water, and let them dry with the bristles facing down. We explain step by step how to clean your brushes thoroughly in our guide to cleaning horse brushes.

Adapting the order to your routine

Not every day needs all seven steps. Before a short hack, hooves, curry comb, body brush and a look at the saddle and girth area are often enough. During coat change the focus shifts to the curry comb, before a show to the finish. All that matters is that you groom coarse before fine and don't forget the hooves.

Over time the order becomes a habit, and you soon know which brush has which place in your grooming box. Then grooming becomes a calm routine in which you get to know your horse a little better every day.

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