The most fabulous grooming tool you’ll never find in a tack shop or equine catalog is [drum roll] the inexpensive plastic kitchen scouring pad. Yes, we’re talking the humble “scruffy” pad, the one found in your local grocery store and usually reserved for scrubbing pots and pans.

Take it out to the barn—its terrific for easing mud off legs and spiffing up other delicate equine areas. It’s simple to use, and so gentle that even thin-skinned horses, won’t mind it.

Available in a selection of designer colors (well, red yellow, and blue, anyway), and priced at about 50 cents apiece, the scruffy is a frugal horseman’s dream.