Grooming for Greatness: Learning to Listen to Horses

Don’t just groom the coat. Notice the horse.

You know the satisfaction of a clean coat. But the most valuable part of grooming is not always what you can see when you step back.

Grooming for Greatness: Learning to Listen to Horses is a horsewoman’s memoir of learning to notice more, question familiar habits and value the care that happens before the saddle goes on.

From a childhood stable in Poland to working yards in Britain, motherhood and the beginnings of Eqclusive, Marta Kotońska shares the horses and experiences that changed the work in her hands.

A different perspective on a familiar task

Pamela made a frightened child slow down. Everyway’s stubborn dust made her question whether more effort was really the answer. Years later, a business grew from the habit of looking closely and being willing to change her approach.

Alongside the horses are the realities of the person caring for them: tired wrists, muddy pram wheels, parcels packed at a kitchen table and the responsibility of beginning again the next morning.

This is not a promise of perfect horses or perfect people. It is a personal story with practical insight into the judgement behind everyday care.

Inside the book

• Learning to listen: Childhood at Ułan and the horses who first made attention matter.
• A method made by hand: How questioning familiar tools and routines shaped a working approach to grooming.
• Care in a crowded life: Competition mornings, changing seasons, motherhood and the physical demands of the yard.
• What remains: Teaching the next pair of hands and understanding the value of ordinary, consistent care.

Choose your edition

Paperback: Your reading copy of Grooming for Greatness.

Hardback: A thoughtful Christmas gift for someone whose life revolves around horses.

The first 100 copies will be personally signed by Marta Kotońska at no additional charge. Give a copy to someone special, or keep one for yourself.

Pre-order and delivery

Publication date: 4 December 2026.
Pre-orders begin dispatching from 4 December 2026.

Reserve your copy ahead of publication. Orders will be packed and dispatched in sequence, with delivery charges displayed at checkout before payment.

Please note that 4 December is the dispatch-start date, not a guaranteed arrival date. Delivery times vary by destination and service. International arrival before Christmas cannot be guaranteed.

For the person who always puts the horse first

For owners doing the daily work themselves, grooms whose best decisions nobody sees, and readers who know that a life with horses is made as much in the stable as in the saddle.

You do not need Eqclusive brushes to enjoy this book. It is a memoir with practical reflections, not a step-by-step training manual or a substitute for veterinary advice.

The story includes family separation and the death of a horse. Some readers and gift buyers may wish to know this before choosing a copy.

About the author

Marta Kotońska is a Polish-born horsewoman and the founder of Eqclusive. Her experience of caring for horses shaped the approach described in this book, bringing together the work of the yard, the demands of family life and the beginnings of a business.