Horse Show Grooming Tips/Ideas

Grooming Tips:
- If you are going to body clip be sure to do so at least a week in advanced before your show, simple things like ear & muzzle clipping can be done (again) the day before the show if desired. Be sure to place cotton balls in your horses ears before clipping to help prevent hairs for falling into the ear canal and it will deaden the sound of the clippers.
This is a great site for clipping all areas of the horse, NOTE: the length of a bridle path can vary from discipline to discipline, they also suggest using a twitch if your horse has issues with getting his ears clipped which doesn't have to be your choice. http://www.stock-horse-show-source.com/horse-show-grooming.html

- Be sure to bathe your horse a day or two before the show, once your horse is try you can apply a thin layer of show sheen (or your chosen product) over your horse to help prevent stains if your horse laydown in his stall overnight.
- You can rub a touch of baby oil over your horses just clipped bridle path to eliminate the just-clipped look.
- Too polish the feet you can use a wax-based, cake shoe polish which will help protect the hoof from drying effect of hoof laqure which you can apply over the hoof polish. Something I like to use for white hoofs is WD40, Idea taken from my friend Pam.
- Be sure to make pulling your horses mane a daily grooming task, especially if your horse has a full thick mane. You can do your pulling after you ride since the pores will be open and the hairs will come out easily. I have also been told you can use.....
-When braiding and banding your horses mane have some hair gel (I use L.A. Looks level 10 extreme hold http://www.epinions.com/reviews/La_Looks_No10_Gel_Sport_Look_Extreme_Hold_Blue_16_oz ) during each braid & band to help the hairs stay nice, neat, and flat. I find that using a sleezy after braiding helps keep unruley hairs in place. Then in the morning weting your hands a little and running them over the wild parts in the morning helps move them back.
- If you have a horse with white legs you can use Baby Powder, corn startch or show touch-up (http://www.smartpakequine.com/ProductClass.aspx?ProductClassid=6239) to help make them super white before entering the ring. I have personally found that corn startch works better than baby powder but there are also a variety of ways to apply both. I'm also a big fan of show touch-up (which can be found in more colors than white) for some potentially difficult stains that just won't come out.
- If your horse has a hard time growing a tail you can always purchase a tail extention AND/OR keep your horses tail braided to prevent hairs from breaking off and to help it grow. I've also been told that MTG gel helps tails grow but have not personally tried it.


This is a great site I found a while back for the beginner to advanced shower. It's a great little read!
http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-training/30-blue-ribbon-tips-26591.aspx