Fiberglass Blocks
Slick n Easy Blocks (Compare Prices) work. Except I don't use that brand, I go to a restaurant supply store and buy grill bricks. Same thing but costs $2 instead of $5 and is the size of a brick so you can cut 8 blocks out of it. In fact, our co-op here sells them side by side..grill brick for $2, and brand name for $5. Guess which stack never decreases in size? gdyupgirl
Don't Wear the Hair Home
I took an old sweatshirt out to the barn. Every day, when I groom Ami, I slip on my sweatshirt, groom, brush the shirt out with a finishing brush, and throw it in the hay shed until tomorrow. At the end of the spring, I'll just toss the shirt. SherryNE
Elbow Grease
Once it warms up, I use a metal currycomb every couple of days to get what I can off. A lot of it ends up all over my trees where the horses rub on them. I do enjoy seeing the horsehair in birds' nests. Rebecca
I use (in order) a Grooma (Compare Prices) massage brush-works to bring all that dirt and loose hair to the surface(you brush in a constant circular manner and the brush collects some of the loose hair), a metal shedding blade, then the charcoal block (making sure to scrape off the goo that accumulates in the holes), then a stiff horse brush, a soft horse brush, and then a softer horse hair brush
I use a shedding blade to remove large amounts of hair, then a large toothed rubber curry in a circular motion, then a small toothed rubber curry, also in a circular motion, then body brush, finishing brush, tack cloth, coat conditioner. Seems to do the trick.
For eyes and ears, I use a soft bristle Grooma groomer on the face, and then a damp (not at all drippy) clean sponge for getting debris directly around and in the eyes and ears. Then I wipe the entire face with another clean cloth -- pieces of old t-shirts or flour sack towels work great for this. I also have a dedicated sponge for cleaning under the dock. gliter
Bath Time
...I know a couple of people who give baby oil baths. It sounds really messy--I'm sure it is. But you just sponge it on, rub it in, let it sit for a little while--I'm not sure how long, maybe an hour?--then give them a good regular bath. They swear by it.arabluvr
Katherine's comment. This might work, but you'll want to make sure the weather is warm enough for a bath and that the horse will be protected from rain. Bathing can strip the natural protective oils from a horse's coat, diminishing their natural waterproofing.
