Glam time!
Whether it is a renewed dressage campaign, riding club shows, showing at county level or fun classes at a local show, everyone wants to look their best! Apart from sorting out major items of essential equipment such as tack, travelling gear, jods, boots and jacket, its time to stock up on new products and trusted favourites for adding that all important polish and shine to your appearance. Few horses are perfect, but a lot of work can be done to emphasise the good points and hide the less perfect ones, and attention to detail and an immaculate turnout will always go down well with judges. Why not look afresh at your tackroom shelves and grooming kits and check that you have some of the newer convenience products as well as more traditional ones.
Well groomed
In the build-up to the start of the show season, regular grooming a little at a time is recommended. Time spent grooming can be a great opportunity for a thorough visual assessment, and the chance to step back and look at the big picture the horse is portraying. Curry combing to remove loose hair followed by a soft brush and hot towel will give good results.
Wardrobe
Rugs needn’t be expensive but if they are well cut and correct fitting it will avoid problems such as rub marks on the shoulders or flanks, though if necessary a bib can be used to avoid unsightly rubs. Neck rugs or hoods can be used to keep horses clean and help the mane lie flat. For those keen to impress, there are specially designed outfits available which cover the horse from nose to tail, and offer protection from fly bites, sunburn, sun bleach, stains and dust. For show days most horses will be turned out in a smart traveling rug for the occasion. Depending on the weather this may be a woolen day rug, a heavyweight thermal cooler, or a light fleece or cotton sheet. A waterproof sheet is also very useful in the good old British summer. Of course for traveling the usual protective gear will be required: traveling boots, wraps or bandages, a leather headcollar, tail bandages and tail guards are all important items of kit.
Looking trim
Manes and tails should be presented according to competition and breed rules for turnout - this will vary so check the rule books and consult the breed society. Trimming is almost a science and it can be difficult to work out how far to go. At local level, a standard horse in a more generic class, for instance riding club horse, will need to have the mane pulled and plaited, and the tail either pulled or plaited. Heels should be trimmed and a tidy up round the ears and jaw line won't go amiss either! At higher levels the rules get complicated, for instance show cobs should be hogged and clipped out, and Mountain and Moorlands should be shown fairly natural – unplaited with a tidy mane, razored tail and brushed out feathers.
Showjumping trends seem to change rapidly, and horses can be plaited or unplaited, although if unplaited the overall appearance must be tidy and trimmed. Dressage horses are almost always plaited, pulled and trimmed too.
If in doubt, find some photographs of horses competing in your discipline to get some idea of what is expected – and go to events and shows to watch.
Hair care
Washing isn’t usually necessary on a regular basis, but if and when it is done it is important that a shampoo designed specifically for horses is used. This will be of the correct pH balance will clean thoroughly with out stripping the oils from their coat.
The show time spruce up has its greatest impact if the effort and time have been put in beforehand. If this has been done then the pre-show preparation will far less stressful. There are many products on the market targeted towards the final show time spruce up. As every owner of a grey or coloured horse knows, it is a fact of life that it will find the only pile of droppings in an otherwise spotless bed to lie in – and the resulting stains can be too much for many cleaning products. There are plenty of shampoos designed specifically for white socks and coats. These include whitening shampoos, deep cleaning stain removers for ingrained stains and discoloured tails, quick stain removers for regular use, as well as whitener products to go on after the shampoo as a final rinse, or to be applied like a paste to white socks. Other people prefer to use french chalk for socks and other white markings, so have some of this handy as well. There are also colour enhancing shampoos for just about every coat colour there is, including bay, chestnut, palomino, black and coloured horses, not to mention mane and tail conditioners to enhance those silky locks. Special towels can be used to help reduce drying time and make life easier. These are ideal for pre show shampoos, after show wash downs and emergency cleaning before entering the show ring.
Coat gloss is designed to produce the ultimate show finish and can usually be applied to wet or dry coats and will also help hold quarter marks in place. It will help reduce grooming time and repel dust on a daily basis, as well as adding that extra sparkle on the big day. On the day, oil or gel is also used to add that extra sheen to the face, legs, hocks and dock. This may be plain and clear if rules are strict, or coloured or even include glitter when rules are no object! Detanglers make mane and tail grooming so much easier, avoiding clumping especially of thick tails, and keeping them flowing beautifully.
Plaiting and preening
If you do need to plait you will need some essentials – plaiting combs and scissors, thread and bands in black, brown or white. In addition to these basics, additional items can make your lives easier. Gel will help to keep plaits looking good, and special plaiting liquids are popular as they help to make plaiting easier and keep the plaits firm. The key to good plaits is practice and preparation. Leave yourself a good hour before you need to load up to plait your horse's mane and make sure it is clean and pulled thin and short, but not so short that it makes it difficult to grip. Good plaits are fairly small, tight and evenly spaced along the neck. They should also be sewn in for a more professional look but bands can be faster and less fiddly. One top tip for good plaits is to make sure the first plait down is very tight from the top – use your thumb to hold it down and pull!
Nail polish
There’s no point having the expensive hair-do without the manicure! Various products from oils and glosses to varnishes and paints are available to keep hooves looking good in the ring. These are usually available in both black and clear versions for black or white hooves.
Make up
While frowned on by some, for the perfectionists in search of the ultimate presentation, makeup is used to highlight features on the horse’s face and body. Applying make up is an art and should be practised at home when there is no pressure on. The options these days are much wider than just Vaseline, baby oil or boot polish. Oil, gloss or gel is used to add sheen to the face, legs, hocks and dock, with or without colour. The equine equivalent of foundation – specially designed ‘cover up’ – is also available in black, white or brown - black to blacken legs or unwanted colours in tails or to ç; white to cover up unwanted yellowing in tails, or in an emergency to cover up stable stains; brown to cover up marks and scars or unwanted lighter coloured tail hairs.
Top turnout tips
- Putting a cotton sheet that can be washed regularly under the main rugs will help keep the coat clean.
- Putting a drop of baby oil in the water when shampooing is a great way to add shine to the coat.
- If the mane is to be plaited it should be washed a few days prior to the competition as it can be difficult to plait a freshly washed mane.
- Avoid putting coat sheen or detanglers on mane or the tops of tails that are due to be plaited.
- Prevention can be better than cure. Minimise stains by doubling up or plaiting tails overnight and bandaging the lower half.
- To keep the tail clean, cut the leg and then the toe off an old pair of tights. Pull the nylon tube over and up the tail and apply a tail bandage as normal.
- Type up a list of the things needed when competing away. Laminate it and hang it in the lorry. Items can then be ticked off using a white board marker and the list wiped clean on returning to the yard.
- For dressage, to avoid spoiling white saddle squares use neutral polish on the tops of boots.
- Before you apply hoof polish, use a brush or sandpaper to gently remove dirt and stains from the hoof.
- If you want to create a natural and fuller looking tail, shampoo the tail and whilst it is still damp, plait it into several small sections from top to bottom. Then leave the plaits in overnight and in the morning you’ll have a wavy, full tail!
- To cut down on static electricity in the mane and tail, use damp dryer sheets, a little fabric softener, or hair gel on a damp cloth.
- Microfibre clothes like the ones used for dusting are great for putting the final shine on a clean coat.
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