Gear Guide Tried & Tested
Yard forks and brooms
We test some of the best tools on the market to find out which one made light work of your dirty work!
The products
RRP
£28.00
KBF99 shavings fork
Lightweight design that helps to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria and fungus, thanks to its coating of KBF99.
BUY IF… you want a versatile shavings fork and you’re concerned about biosecurity.
Tel: 01239 614648
www.kbf99.co.uk
“The shape of this fork made poo-picking really easy and prevented the prongs snagging on the grass. The curved shape made it harder to create level banks, but the benefits of the unusual shape far outweighed this.”
RRP
£29.20
Eazitools Muck Fork T-Handle
A lightweight fork with four prongs, and an ergonomically-angled head and handle to encourage good posture during use.
BUY IF… you want an attractive, solid muck fork.
Tel: 01522 529206
www.battles.co.uk
“The colour was really lovely and it felt really solid. The tines were a bit short, which made the work a bit harder.”
RRP
£30.00
Fynalite rubber matting fork
Designed to pick up manure and wet bedding without damaging rubber matting.
BUY IF… you’ve got rubber matting or fields to poo-pick.
Tel: 01789 764848
www.fynalite.co.uk
“Genuinely better on rubber matting than other forks and also surprisingly good for poo-picking as you don’t end up with lots of grass on the fork. The handle was comfortable and it’s good quality. It can be harder to pick up smaller pieces of poo.”
RRP
£41.99
Swedish Fork – Ultra lightweight shavings fork
Designed by equestrians in collaboration with a physiotherapist.
BUY IF… you want an excellent fork.
Tel: 01953 606666
www.herbiesyardsupplies.co.uk
“I loved the position it put my back in when I mucked out. It was surprisingly robust, too. The cage style was excellent for sifting bedding so there was less wastage. I had to get used to the longer handle when I first started using it, but then I didn’t look back. I was really impressed by this fork.”
RRP
£12.99
Shires Equestrian Lightweight chip fork
Made from tough plastic with a lightweight aluminum handle.
BUY IF… you have one horse to muck out.
Tel: 01568 613600
www.shiresequestrian.com
“It’s very light and an excellent price. It felt a little bit flimsy, but it survived the three-month trial with no problems.”
RRP
£39.95
Noble Outfitters Wave fork
Lightweight with an aluminium handle and textured handgrips. The tines come in multiple colours and are made from plastic resin for durability.
BUY IF… you want your tool to stand out at the yard.
Tel: 01572 772508
www.nobleoutfitters.co.uk
“Really light and attractive. I liked the easy-grip handle and the fact you can personalise the colours is fun. The tines flexed when I used the fork, but none broke and it was robust.”
RRP
£14.99
Cottage Craft scoop fork
A plastic shavings fork with a wide, scooped head to carry large amounts of material.
BUY IF… you’ve got a pellet bed or your horse doesn’t mix his poo into his bedding.
Tel: 01274 711011
www.cottagecraft.co.uk
“The basket design meant that poo was easily collected and none of the bedding was wasted. If you’re not careful, the basket can become heavy and tipping the waste into the wheelbarrow took a little bit of getting used to.”
RRP
£17.99
Spear & Jackson manure fork
The tubular steel shaft has heat-treated, square tines for maximum strength. An epoxy coating offers resistance against rust, humidity, acidity and alkalis.
BUY IF… you have straw beds or for use on the muck heap.
Tel: 0114 2814242
www.spear-and-jackson.com
“Excellent craftsmanship and the tines were angled to help you not to hit the bottom of the muck trailer when forking up the heap. This is a tool for straw beds or muck heaps only, but it was really good at those jobs.”
RRP
£18.99
Faulks – The Riddler fork
A shavings fork with wavy tines designed to make mucking out easier.
BUY IF… you want a durable fork for shavings beds.
Tel: 01455 848184
www.faulks.co.uk
“It was heavy to use and the poo sometimes rolled off the tines.It’s sturdy, really well-made and the design worked once I got used to it. It was heavy to use and the poo sometimes rolled off the tines.”
RRP
£28.99
Quickie 24” Super Bulldozer broom
Ultra lightweight yard broom designed for use in wet or dry, even on rough surfaces. The longer handle eliminates stooping.
Tel: 01953 606666
www.herbiesyardsupplies.co.uk
“Soft bristles sweep well and the width made it excellent for tackling the whole yard. The long handle was comfortable on my back and it was efficient to use.”
RRP
£10.00
Lincoln large corn broom
Traditional broom with a large sweeping head and a strong handle. Shaped to help you get into small nooks and crannies in your stable.
Tel: 01522 529206
www.lincoln-equestrian.com
“Excellent for quick sweeping and gathering piles of swept material into scoops. Not wide enough for full yard sweeping and a few of the tufts fell out after lots of use.”
RRP
£16.00
Equerry British Bulldog broom
Stiff fibres at the front remove stubborn dirt and softer fibres at the back catch lighter debris.
BUY IF… your broom gets clogged with long hair.
Tel: 01239 614648
www.valebrothers.co.uk
“The two fibre strengths really worked to prevent the broom becoming clogged with hair. I needed to adjust my sweeping action to use this broom.”
RRP
£16.99
Faulks – The Gorilla broom
The bristles have a gap between front and back that helps cut down clogging and dust. An incorporated scraper blade helps with those nasty dried-on bits.
BUY IF… you’ve got a big yard with lots to sweep.
Tel: 01455 848184
www.faulks.co.uk
“Excellent sweeping tool. Robust and light. I loved the scraper on the front for stubborn bits. Sometimes the bristles are too firm, so horse hair gets trapped and needs removing.”
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