Springtime has begun in earnest in Upstate New York. Last week we saw temperatures up into the 70s (Fahrenheit). With the lengthening of days and warm weather the horse coats are shedding in full swing. I have a few tools I rely on this time of year. One of them is my SleekEZ grooming tool.

The SleekEZ grooming tool is a handy and simple item you might want to add to your grooming tools. It features a robust wooden handle and a thin blade and comes in different lengths (2.5″,5″, and 10″). The teeth of the blade are very small and help to grab the loose hairs while providing a positive scratch to your horse (or dog/cat).

I discovered the tool nearly 4, possibly 5 years ago when shopping around for tools to use on Blade. In fact, as I wass examining my SleekEZ I realized the handle says “patent pending” and the patent was officially awarded in February 2017. The tool is available in many tack stores. The company is owned and operated by Jen Tipton, a former equine dentist. In 2018 SleekEZ was in the 500 fastest growing private companies, with her being one of the 12% woman owned businesses on the list.

I can tell you it has grown fast because it works! Several years later the very same tool I bought is still my go-to during the spring shedding season. Blade, Happy, Vai Via, Zeno Bay, Sadie, Tiger, and Nahe all approve.

I own the 10″ shedding blade. It’s designed to be used with two hands and works fantastic over the barrel and bum. It’s pretty good over the neck. I often use only one hand but the handle is a bit large and difficult to manage. The larger tool can also be awkward around the chest (where Nahe loves getting groomed), shoulders, and withers. I most definitely want/need to add the other sizes to my kit!

I’ve also learned that SleekEZ has added a new injector molded tool that is more ergonomically designed. The SleekEZ Pro comes in several different color options and looks like something I MUST add to my grooming box!

The grooming tool is available all over the United States and Australia. The website at the bottom has a link to all major retailers that stock SleekEZ (or you can buy directly from the site!).

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PROS:

• Affordable
• Three sizes to choose from
• Additional option to purchase the ergonomic handle
• Effective
• Stays useful years after purchase

CONS

• The wooden handle is large and bulky making it uncomfortable to hold
• Several counterfeiters so make sure you get the original!

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Tips:

• Keep the tines and blade clean. It will get gunked up from your horse’s dirt and oils. If you keep the blade clean and wipe it off every time it will last you years.

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Alternatives:

Finding a good de-shedding tool is a mission on every horse-person’s mind (unless you body clip). The market has several different options available:

• Traditional shedding blades. Every barn has at least one. It’s the metal blade on a handle. Some people separate the handle to create a long metal blade with the handle on both ends.
• Strip Hair: The tool is unique and interesting but doesn’t appear (I haven’t tried it) to be as effective in deshedding the thick winter coats we get here
• Tiger’s Tongue: While I love this tool I prefer it in the summertime and it begins to disintegrate towards the end of the season
• Farnam Slick and Easy grooming block: This is affordable but not nearly ass effective

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Final Word:

For several years the SleekEZ grooming tool has been my number 1 item in the springtime. It’s simplicity makes it easy to use; you don’t need anything super fancy to get the job done. SleekEZ removes shedding hair and dirt in one easy step. I simply wipe off the blade to make sure the gunk (dirt and oil buildup) is gone before putting it away and it has lasted and stay effective for all the horses I’ve used it on. I don’t clip and I let them all grow thick winter coats to withstand our bitter cold winters. By the end of each session it looks like we could create a miniature horse.

If I knew how great of a tool this was from the start I probably would have purchased the combo pack. The combo pack gives you all three sizes. By doing this you can use the small one around the face, cheeks, and legs; the medium around the neck, chest, and shoulders; and of course the large one on the barrel and bum! Alternatively you could use different sizes for your other pets, too.

Get yours today at sleekez.com…or almost any other tack shop!