Are you having a hard time finding an in-depth, honest and detailed review of the Strip Hair Gentle Groomer? Is it worth the cost? I am writing the beginning of this post right after ordering this new grooming tool then continuing my writing after opening it. The remainder of my review will be after I give it a try on my two horses.
My first impression of the Strip Hair Gentle Groomer was that it was expensive! At $39.00 I couldn’t believe I was ordering it. But I want to provide honest feedback for you based on use of actual products. After searching for reviews on this product, I didn’t find too much except some reviews that could be fake and the most in depth reviews are on the website that supplies the product.
My OTTB Gin is super sensitive to grooming. He doesn’t like anything too rough or he gets mad (ie walks away with ears his slightly pinned). I’ve tried all of these shedding tools on him:
He hates all of them except a rubber curry. Unfortunately a rubber curry doesn’t pull off much of his yak-like coat when shedding season rolls around. I’m not exaggerating when I say this horse has such a thick fluffy coat – he has more hair than my childhood ponies ever did! All of these other tools are too hard for his sensitive skin and he gets fed up and leaves if you try to use them on him. Thankfully I have two horses so I can use these rejected tools on my mare, but it’s still an expensive quest to find something he likes. So I am ordering the Strip Hair Gentle Groomer mostly for him. I am getting the sensitive version (it’s red not black) but I think the regular black version would work almost the same.
First impressions:
Right out of the shipping box, it comes nicely packaged.
Wow, I paid $39 for this piece of rubber.
Well, I hope my horse will appreciate this! Here are some more photos after opening the groomer.
Gin, my sensitive OTTB, was in a feisty mood the first day I tried this on him. He was a bit agitated – there was snow falling off the roof, I fed him the not-so-good hay, and I don’t even know what else. Normally grooming him would make him more frustrated. BUT…. using the Strip Hair Groomer actually made him happier!!
I always know if he likes something because he either stays and wants to be groomed or he will walk away with his ears pinned if he doesn’t like something. He stood very still (except for the lip quivers) and enjoyed the Gentle Groomer. I was kind of shocked. Before trying this, he really never enjoyed much other than plain ol’ brushes.
The packaging says you can use it as a curry with the “diamonds” on the top and bottom, or hold it at a 45 degree angle to pull out shedding hair. I used it both ways and got out crusty poop, mud and lots and lots of hair. Did it work better than other shedding methods, no not really, BUT I am thrilled that he is enjoying this grooming! I will happily buy something that makes my sensitive horse happy AND works to pull out hair and dirt. Here is the result of just a minute or two using the Gentle Groomer on Gin.
Using it on the Warmblood:
Next up was trying it out on our warmblood, Dede. She is not sensitive and enjoys being scratched and rubbed with anything. Gloves, brushes, curries, blades – she thinks they’re all just fine if you keep grooming her indefinitely. I again used this both at a 45 degree angle and as a curry on her and it lifted hair and dirt out. She enjoyed it as well but I did have to scratch her more because she was saying it made her itchier. I had to apply quite a bit of muscle behind this on her to get the same results as using a scraper and curry like I would typically.
The Husband’s Opinion:
I did not tell him how much it cost (I still haven’t – tee hee hee). But I asked him to give it a try on Gin to see what he thought. If Gin doesn’t enjoy my grooming with something, it is magnified with my husband because he is a man and men are not to be completely trusted in Gin’s world.
The day he tried it, our OTTB was completely coated in dried sand/mud from rolling in the wet arena. He started soft expecting to get an annoyed reaction, but soon he was currying and pulling out hair like crazy. I was riding around on our other horse and asked “sooooo what do you think of that thing?” He replied with a “I love it. I just can’t believe he likes it and it actually works”. So there you have it folks – husband and sensitive OTTB approved on the Strip Hair Gentle Groomer.
The important points: Do I think this is better for a shedding horse than other tools? Such as a curry, shedding blade or SleekEZ? No, I honestly do not. The big EXCEPTION is if you have a sensitive horse. Then I do think this is better than other shedding tools because you can actually use it with some pressure and elbow grease to get out hair and dirt without getting an adverse reaction. I do think it saves time no matter what horse you use it on because you can pull out shedding hair as well as use the groomer as a curry without switching tools. But you could do that with a few different items you may already have in your grooming box and just a little more time.
Would I buy it again? Depends. For my warmblood? Nope, probably not worth the cost. For my overly sensitive OTTB? Yes, I would buy it again in a heartbeat. It made grooming happy and effective for him and that makes me very excited to recommend the Strip Hair Gentle Groomer.
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