It’s not often that I review something super cheap that could be a useful tool for every single horseperson, but hold on to your britches, because that’s exactly what I’ve got today. This might actually be the cheapest thing I’ve ever reviewed…

I first heard of the Tiger’s Tongue horse groomer on COTH, where a bunch of people were raving about them. They weren’t very specific about the tool itself, mostly just saying all the things that it was useful for. I figured for $6 it was worth a shot, even if I just ended up using it as a sponge or bucket scrubber, and tossed one in with an order I had already built up at Big D’s.

I’m not really sure what I was expecting, but I was surprised when it came in a flat little vacuum-sealed package.  When you open it, the thing springs to life, taking the size/shape of a sponge. It LOOKS a bit like a big pumice stone, but it’s got the texture of a pot scrubber, but it’s squishy like a sponge. Interesting combination.

At first I wasn’t so sure about it, but once I started using it, I realized that it is indeed an incredibly useful little tool. During the summer I used it mostly for bathing and removing cannon crud/elbow scurf/face funk. It’s awesome for both of those applications. The sponge-like quality means that it can soak up your water/soap, and the texture means it can really help scrub away all that ground in dirt and funk. For the cannon crud it’s just abrasive enough to help slough it off, but not so abrasive that it bothers the horses (and I have a super delicate flower, so I feel like his opinion is pretty solid).

Now that we’re into fall, I’m really appreciating it’s value as a shedder, sweat mark remover, and mud remover. It even works better than my beloved jelly scrubber, and Henry doesn’t make rude faces at me while I’m scrubbing away. I especially love that you can use on delicate areas like hocks, elbows, and the back of the pasterns. Works like a charm, with no discomfort for the horse.

 

Yeah I know, fantastic cinematography in that video. I’m as impressed as you are by the production quality.

Anyway…

I’ve also used it as the aforementioned bucket scrubber, to remove super sticky Magic Cushion residue from my hands, poultice from Henry’s legs, and even to scrub mud or poop off of the trailer walls. I feel like I’m still discovering all the possible uses of this thing.

Presto’s personal favorite application is for scratching all of his favorite itchy spots, a job at which is apparently really excels.

Of course, his favorite itchy area is inner thigh/sheath/tiny baby colt nuts, so… poor Tiger’s Tongue.

It really is an all around useful tool, with as many applications as you can think up. Totally worth the $6 and then some. It seems super durable too – mine still looks as good as the day it first sprung out of it’s packaging. Lot’s of stores carry these (except RW, sadly) so it’s easy to toss it in with another order to help meet the free shipping requirement or with your monthly Smartpak shipment. The Tiger’s Tongue is one of those staples that I think anyone would find to be very useful, and it definitely has a permanent place in my grooming bucket.