The "tools" generally used in grooming (Fig. 55) are :

Body-brush. Water-brush. Mane-comb. Burnisher.

Dandy-brush. Curry-comb. Hoof-picker. Scrapers.

To these we must add rubbers, wash leathers, sponges and soap. A hoof-brush would make the list complete.

Stable brushes, like almost all other brushes, have a large number of tufts (bundles) of bristles or vegetable fibres which are respectively doubled on themselves, passed through holes in the wood and secured behind. The brush is usually completed by a wooden back, which should be screwed (not merely glued) on to the wood that carries the bristles or fibres.

The "hairs" of all stable brushes, except those of dandybrushes, should consist of pigs' bristles, which are usually obtained from Russia. The hairs of inferior brushes are often largely adulterated with vegetable fibres which closely resemble bristles; but the fraud can be easily detected, as Mr. T. U. Clarke, the Rugby saddler, showed me, by applying fire, a lighted match for instance, to the hairs, which, if false, will readily burn. Bristles will frizzle, char, and give off a characteristic odour, but will not ignite. The vegetable fibres, which appear to be a kind of grass, stand wear badly, and become soon spoiled by the action of water.

Fig. 55. Grooming Tools. - 1. Dandy-brush. 2. Water-brush. 3. Body-brush. 4. Burnisher. 5. Half-moon sweat-scraper. 6. Mane-comb. 7. Curry comb. 8. Hoof-picker. 9. Double-handed sweat-scraper.

After a brush has been washed or used in a wet state, it should be put to dry with the hairs down, so that the water may not rot the wood or the roots of the hairs.

The hairs of a body-brush (Figs. 55 and 56) should be strong bristles, which are well suited to clean the coat without irritating the skin, and are made of equal length. The shorter the bristles are, the stiffer will they be, the better will they clean the coat, and the more liable will they be to irritate the skin. Hence we may conclude that horses with delicate skins would require brushes with longer bristles than animals with thick skins, supposing that the bristles were of the same kind. These bristles are usually about 3/4 in. long, but one inch would be better for fine skinned horses, for which animals brushes that have been in use for a few months might be reserved; because the bristles get softer in wear, chiefly on account of absorbing oil from the skin. I think it is better to increase the softness of a brush by adding to the length of the bristles, than by using finer bristles.

The brush should be used only in the direction in which the hair lies, and not against it; because, when it follows the grain, it will more effectually remove the dandruff, which is thrown off by the skin in the form of scales that are pierced by the hairs. The groom should place the brush lightly on the coat, so as to avoid irritating the skin, and should then press on it. He should stand a little away from the horse, so that, while he is making his stroke on the coat with the brush, he may be able to utilise the weight of his body in rendering the pressure effective. After every three or four strokes with the body-brush, he should rub it backwards and forwards once or twice on the curry-comb, so as to clean the brush, and from time to time he should tap the side of the curry-comb on some convenient spot on the ground. In this way, a hard-working groom will leave on the ground a series of small rows of dandruff, the presence of which, at the end of the brushing, will show that he has done his duty in this respect. The not uncommon and filthy practice of. blowing the dust out of the curry-comb causes the air of the stable to be more or less filled with particles of floating dandruff.

Fig. 56. Dandy-brush. Body-brush. Water-brush.

Some grooms in their excessive desire to accumulate a large quantity of dandruff for the sake of "eye-wash," give the curry-comb at least four or five strokes with the brush for every one they bestow on the animal's coat; in fact, they strap the curry-comb far more than they do the horse. This practice should of course be checked.

The chief object of brushing the coat is to clean it.

Formerly, the fibres of the dandy-brush were often made of whalebone, which now costs too much to be employed for that purpose. A dandy-brush of the present day has stiff whisk fibres, about 1 3/4 inch long, and is used chiefly to remove mud and other rough dirt, and to save time in grooming horses, especially those with long heavy coats. As it is apt to irritate the skin, and as it possesses no advantage over a body-brush except that of economising labour, it is better suited to common horses than to high-class animals. Cheap dandy-brushes are made of Mexican whisk, and the best ones of French whisk.

A water-brash has the same kind of bristles as a body-brush, except that they are about 1 1/4 inch long. It is generally used for straightening the mane, tail and fore-lock, and often for washing the legs and feet. As it is narrower, softer and more pointed than a body-brush, it is admirably suited for the dry brushing of the legs, ears, face and other uneven surfaces. Hence I would advise that a dry water-brush should be kept for this purpose. Water-brushes have generally the bristles in the centres and down the middle shorter than those at the ends in order to facilitate the cleaning of the feet and back of the pasterns. This is a matter of taste. Personally, I prefer the bristles to be of a uniform length.

A hoof-brush is a necessary adjunct to the grooming tools, when the pernicious custom of washing horses' feet is not practised; for its use will save brushes that are applied to the body, from becoming dirty by contact with the feet. It should have strong bristles, and should be of small size, so as to get into the hollows about the sole and frog. For the sake of convenience, it ought to be provided with a handle, the end of which may be furnished with a hoof-picker.

Each rib of a curry-comb should be made of wrought iron, and for the sake of strength, rivetted to the back. The teeth are generally too sharp, in which case they should be filed down, so that they may not unduly wear out the bristles of the brush. The two front ribs have projecting pieces of iron on each side for knocking out the dust. The cleaning of the body brush is the only portion of the grooming that should be performed with a curry-comb, the teeth of which are of too irritating a nature for application to the skin, except with an amount of care that cannot be expected from an ordinary groom. Although a curry-comb may serve to loosen dirt which has caked on the coat, that work can be done quite as well with a straw wisp, which has the further advantage of stimulating the skin.

Mane-combs are made either of horn or of metal. As horn generally cracks in the course of time, especially in hot and dry weather, mane-combs of that material are liable when they get old, to pull out some of the hairs upon which they are used. Consequently metal mane-combs are safer, and, besides, they are more durable and can be kept cleaner. I fail to see the use of a mane-comb in a well-regulated stable; because it is merely an incentive to a groom to scrimp his work, and to pull out and break the hairs in combing. The dressing of the mane, tail and fore-lock does not consist only in putting the hairs straight, but also includes thoroughly freeing them from dandruff and other dirt, and opening out any knots in them, which is an operation few grooms with an all powerful mane-comb in their hand, would care to spend much time on. It is evident that a mane-comb is of no use for cleaning purposes. Experience proves that its action has a very thinning effect on the hair to which it is applied. The dry water-brush or body-brush fulfils every legitimate requirement in cleaning and disentangling the long hairs of the horse, and does not injure them.

A hoof-picker is generally made of iron, and though pointed at one end, it should be rather blunt, so that it may not be liable to hurt the foot when used. Its other end is formed into a ring to enable it to be hung up.

The ordinary burnisher used in stables, consists of a square surface made of small steel rings linked together.

Although an ordinary semi-circular or "half-moon" sweat-scraper is more handy to use than a double-handed sweat-scraper, it is not nearly so efficient, because it is hard and unyielding to the skin, and its shape cannot be accommodated to that of the surfaces over which it passes. An improved form (Fig. 57), has a piece of india-rubber about a third of an inch thick, placed inside the brass "half-moon," so that either the rubber or the brass can be used on the skin of a horse. The double-handed scraper is very pliable, as it is made of thin copper or brass which can be bent in any way the user desires. Its handles are usually covered with leather.