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Box: A Horse Box
Price: Monthly subscription is $29.99, longer subscriptions are less
Shipping: Free and around the 15th of the month (I say "around" because once it shipped a day early!)
Contents: 4-6 horse and horse-related products with a value of $35+
Note: I'm aiming this review at both horse-people and non-horse subscription box fans, so some things may be overly explained or simplified. If you're confused about anything, feel free to ask! I've been around horses since I was a child, so sometimes I forget that certain things aren't common knowledge.
My April Horse Box subscription arrived without the signature info card that they usually have inside it. It looks like the USPS opened and re-sealed the box not quite tight enough and the card slipped out before delivery. I emailed A Horse Box and they sent me the text that is on the card:
Spring has sprung and with it comes a new show season and LOTS of horse hair! Keep that horse hair healthy & shiny with Absorbine's ShowSheen Detangler Gel! A little goes such a long way…
After bath time comes treat time! Horses and ponies love these Omega Nibblers! These are the BEST natural Omega-3 treat supplement for horses made from top quality ingredients for hoof, joint, and skin health.
Keep your horses happy with Farnam SWAT Clear. This formula protects wounds, open sores, scratches and abrasions from dirt and disease-carrying flies. Botanically derived pyrethrin formula repels house flies, stable flies, face flies and horn flies, killing them on contact. This stuff is amazing!
I've mentioned before that A Horse Box (AHB) has very no-frills packaging compared to more mainstream subscription boxes. While a logo sticker or something on the outside would be nice and snazzy, really I don't care. I would rather have AHB put more money into quality products than a fancy box that is just going to get thrown away. On to the products!
The subscription box gods have answered my prayers! Spring and summer are the Seasons of the Fly. Horses attract flies. Horse food attracts flies. Horse poop attracts flies. Flies annoy the crap out of horses. The usual solution is an equine fly spray, but that is more of a scorched earth method of coverage that can't be used on a horse's delicate face.
This SWAT ointment goes on clear and can be used around the horse's ears, face, and wounds to keep flies away. Note: this should be used lightly rather than being gooped on! And while you can use it around wounds, don't put it on top of wounds or very close to the eyes/mouth. It's not for use in humans, but can be used on dogs.
Product #2: Absorbine Showsheen Detangler Gel (4oz/$10)
Horses do not care if they look pretty. They don't care if their tail is knotted and tangled with burrs. However, horse show judges don't seem to feel the same way.
This detangler is in gel form (most horse tail/mane detanglers I've used are in spray form) which will be good to get right at the spots that need it the most. It also contains argan oil, proof that the horse industry is picking up on mainstream hair care trends! I read a review of this product that is pretty positive.
Product #3: Omega Fields "Omega Nibblers" treats (3-treat sample pack. A 3.5lb bag containing ~215 treats costs $25, so I'd give this an approximate value of $2)
The brand that makes these treats also makes a supplement called "Omega Horseshine" that I adore, so I have high hopes for them. They're packed with good omega fatty acids and things that benefit a horse's digestive health. I've been wanting to see if my current project horse likes these, but couldn't bring myself to drop $25 on a bag of cookies that she might dislike. So yay for sample packs!
Product #4: Mrs. Conn's Bath Day sponge in "Fruit Smoothie" (1 sponge/$10)
So this isn't just any old sponge- this is a shampoo sponge! You just unwrap the sponge, wet it, and then scrub away at your horse. Bathing a horse is like bathing a giant dog: the animal gets clean, but somehow the human always ends up soaking wet and dirty. Anything that simplifies horse bathing is good with me! This sponge says it contains enough shampoo for multiple washes, of course that will vary by the size of your horse and/or how overzealous you are with the suds.
Product #5: HorseGuard Trifecta supplement (sample of unknown size, 20 day bag costs $70. Serving size is 8oz/day for most horses...so really estimating value here to be around $15-25?)
Trifecta is like a super supplement combining hoof, joint, digestion, performance, and general health into one package. It looks really interesting and seems to have good reviews, but I wish there would have been better information in the box itself regarding feeding instructions. I went to the brand's website to see what the dosage was, but after working in customer service for years I've learned to never assume that people won't have brain-farts or just plain not know any better.
Also included in the box was a $10 off coupon for the Trifecta supplement.
Final Thoughts: So the total value of April's Horse Box is approximately $50, give or take a few because I had to guesstimate two things. I'm happy with the box (especially the SWAT) and I leave you with a picture or two of my current project mare named Baby who actually isn't a baby at all:
I paid for this box myself. All thoughts and opinions are my own, but you can borrow them sometime if you ask nicely. Feel free to leave Questions, Comments, or Casual Insults in the space below.
Baby is gorgeous! I laughed about the horse bathing getting the washer just as wet!
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