Brush Cleaning
Now that spring is here, we are all anxious to replace our horse's old winter coat with the much sleeker summer version...............
which means............LOTS OF BRUSHING!!!!!
Your brushes can be a source of contagious skin problems if you do not keep them clean. The hair and dirt you remove from your horse will accumulate at the base of the bristles and eventually reduce the effectiveness of the brush as well as provide an environment for bacteria to flourish.
To clean:
First, using a long tooth comb, get as much hair and dirt out as you can. If you can use a vacuum hose to get deep between the bristles, so much the better!!!
Once they are cleaned up, it's time for a bath! Mix up a bucket with hot water, some dish detergent (Dawn, Ivory, or an anti-bacterial) with 1/4 cup of bleach and soak for at least an hour. (**soft natural bristle brushes with wood handles should be swished in the wash water and then rinsed promptly instead of soaking!!)
Finally, rinse them under running water and set them out to dry. A warm sunny area is best, but not always possible. Plastic and rubber curry combs, grooming mitts, hoof picks, etc...can all be washed this way.
Here's to clean, happy, healthy horses!!!
