What is a curry comb?

You'll sometimes read or hear about people "currying" a horse or using a "curry comb." What exactly is this?

Here's a selection of modern rubber curry combs:

(Source BLW via Wikimedia Commons).

You might also see harder metal or plastic curry combs.

The rubber curry comb is used to remove large amounts of dirt from a horse's coat. It's also a very useful device when a horse is shedding out - it cleans out the loose hair, which can otherwise get quite itchy, especially under saddle or harness. It's used vigorously with a circular motion.

Plastic and metal curry combs are very harsh and are not used on the horse - they're used to clean shed hair out of grooming brushes. I prefer the rubber curries. Note that the two bottom ones show quite a size difference - the smaller one is sized for a child or a small woman to use, but might also be kept around for use on ponies.