Spring Grooming Supplies for My Horse Nemo

Spring is officially here in Massachusetts, and my horse Nemo and I love it. I'm still awaiting the first day that’s warm enough to give him a proper bath, but in the meantime I’ve been hard at work getting him cleaned up and shedding his winter coat. It's a great time of year to really prep his skin and hair for his first big bath and summer riding! Here are some of my go-to grooming supplies I always depend on for Nemo.

Getting Started

First, the Spiral Curry Comb. This comb is my go-to. It is great at brushing off and flicking away dried dirt from his blanket-less field adventures, and does a great job at helping his stubborn, very thick winter coat to shed. I trace clip Nemo, so I use this primarily along his upper neck and back. It also has the dual action of helping to get all the itchy spots for him, which always makes Nemo happy. The currying is really important to help loosen up all the mud and dirt as well as all the dead and dry hair on his fluffier parts. It's always worth going over him a few times when he's feeling patient, especially in the spring! Sometimes it feels like the dirt and hair just keeps coming, but it's so satisfying when you break through to the beginnings of the sleek, summer coat underneath.

After I’ve finished currying him down, I always reach for my bottle of Vetrolin Shine. This helps me clean up any remaining dirt and adds some gloss and shine to his coat (which I especially appreciate when we haven't had the weather for a bath just yet!). I love that it has PABA sunscreen in it, too, so Nemo’s black coat has extra support to keep from sun bleaching. And, once I've finished going over his body, this spray helps me to coat and detangle his double mane, and long, thick Morgan tail, without risking hair breakage due to any tangles. I won’t touch his mane or tail without using this first! As an added benefit, it makes him smell great as well.

Mid-Groom

After I put a good amount of elbow grease into currying his body and detangling his mane and tail, I get to break out my hard and soft brushes. The SmartPak Natural Bristle Stiff Brush is durable and great at really brushing into his coat, yet being gentle enough to use everywhere. I find I use this one a few times over each side of his body, really flicking through my brushstrokes to bring up as much of the dirty, dull hair as I can as well as lots of old dry skin loosened up from currying.

The Haas Diamond Noir Soft Brush is my favorite choice for a soft brush and it's a bit smaller and narrower than others I’ve seen, which I love. It gives me more ability to use it on his face and around his eyes, without overwhelming him. (Nemo’s not a huge fan of having his face handled a ton, but he's very sweet about tolerating this brush.)

Final Touches

When I am doing a deep grooming session like this on Nemo, I like to finish with one more coat of the Vetrolin Shine spray and then give him a nice rub down all over with the Sheepskin Groom Mitt to catch any stray dirt particles. It’s so soft and fluffy, I find Nemo really snuggles into it, and it's a nice way to connect and really look over him one final time. Sometimes I'll catch a scrape I didn't see before or I'll notice a place that he really seems to be enjoying and show him some extra love and scratches in that spot. I admittedly have one for my dog Goose as well, who also loves it.

I find our grooming sessions a great way to help both Nemo and I relax, decompress, spend time together, and enjoy each other’s company. I always end each grooming session by giving Nemo a couple handfuls of his favorite SmartCookies, as well.

I’m very much looking forward to lots of quality time with Nemo and happy grooming sessions this spring. It's always a nice reminder to slow down and enjoy the moments spent doing the little things before we get wrapped up in the craziness of summer adventures!