# Shine a grey coat?



## Aine (Mar 10, 2012)

I have a beautiful filly. She is dapple grey but turning lighter. Its so hard to shine a grey coat and in a show when she's next to all the shiny bays its hard to make her stand out (coat wise). Any tips on making a grey coat look as good as possible?? 

Cheers!!


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## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

I'm just interested in the answers - so "joining" the thread. I have always wanted a dapple grey, or alternatively a "silver grey creme" grulla...so, to me...the bays can _glow_ if they want, the grey is going to get noticed first!


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## Nevreme (Feb 23, 2012)

Quic Silver is your new best friend.

I showed a beautiful dapple (and then flea-bitten, silly mare) gray Arabian for five years when I was younger. I still have nightmares about getting to a show and finding a grass or manure stain on her side -shudder-

Anyway, like I said, go buy as many gallons of Quic Silver as you can afford. Make sure you follow the directions very closely though because if you leave it on too long you'll have a dapple purple horse LOL. Mane N' Tail can really help shine up a coat of any color, grays included.

Cowboy Magic has a really good stain remover for gray horses or paints that like to get messy, I would invest in some of that as well. There are many other products you can find at your local tack store (or online at Dover) that are specifically to add 'shine' to your horse's coat. Just remember not to use them under your tack because they can be kinda slippery, haha.

There was a boarder with a big dapple gray at my old barn who had a grooming glove/mitt made of sheepskin that she used to shine up his coat after she finished grooming him. I don't know where you would find one. Dover maybe?

Other than that....lots and lots of elbow grease! Bathe the night before the show and then sheet/blanket/wrap/sleezie/whatever you need to do to keep her clean. Good luck


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## Aine (Mar 10, 2012)

Nevreme said:


> Quic Silver is your new best friend.
> 
> I showed a beautiful dapple (and then flea-bitten, silly mare) gray Arabian for five years when I was younger. I still have nightmares about getting to a show and finding a grass or manure stain on her side -shudder-
> 
> ...


Wow thanks very much for the info. I'll try to shine her as best as I can this summer and show those bays LOL. Thanks


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## GoAppendix (Mar 22, 2012)

Look at your feed program. I don't use any "shine" sprays on my dapple grey and he looks just as good as the other colors at shows.


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## 2horses (Oct 11, 2009)

I have tried a lot of different shine supplements, but I think I am seeing the best results on my gray this year with Triple Crown feed and Smart Omega from Smart Paks. I am also using a new spray called Wahna Win. I'm not sure that it makes my horses shiny, but it does make them soft and sleek.


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

I don't believe that a good coat comes from grooming products, it comes from what they eat. High fat, or oil products give a shine when they eat it.


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## Pilot (Jun 16, 2010)

Some of the shampoos have a corrosive ingredient such as salt as a solvent and it can damage the coats shine by taking away the coat's natural oils. I tried commerical products for a long time but what I have found best to work to creat a shiney coat is mayonnaise. Let me explain 
After cleaning the horse rub mayonnaise all over it's body. Let it sit for 20 or so minutes. It is like a hot oil treatment for humans' hair. Then you rinse well and tada a lustrious coat.
Hope this helps.


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## Pilot (Jun 16, 2010)

You also may want to add some grounded flax seed to their feeding regiment.


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## Nevreme (Feb 23, 2012)

Oh yeah, flax seed does wonders. At the time I was riding the gray I had no say over feed (not my horse), nor did I even know what she ate. Grooming products was all I had to work with, so that's what I remember when I thought specifically about grays


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## Black Beauty 94 (Dec 26, 2011)

I would say get a vitamin supplement for your horse, that seems to work well with most horses.

Keep up on vaccinations, dental work, worming etc, etc to keep the horse healthy, that seems to keep the coat looking good.

Good luck!


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## Trinity3205 (Dec 21, 2010)

My flea bitten grey shines and I don't do anything special or even groom him daily. He gets flax and triple crown feed. It definatly comes from the inside.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## countercanter (May 18, 2011)

Flax seed and lots of currying.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Agree with others, the shine comes from the inside first. Lots of good feed, no soap at all, lots of brushing (or if they roll a lot in sandy ground, that works just as well).

This horse is bathed maybe 1 time per year, seldom groomed and only then just before a ride, not blanketed or kept stalled.... This is what he looks like just standing out in the pasture.


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## flyingchange1991 (Mar 27, 2012)

Nevreme said:


> Quic Silver is your new best friend.....
> Anyway, like I said, go buy as many gallons of Quic Silver as you can afford. Make sure you follow the directions very closely though because if you leave it on too long you'll have a dapple purple horse LOL. Mane N' Tail can really help shine up a coat of any color, grays included.


I use mane N' tail for my roan and works pretty good on her darker parts but its not like a "Oh my gawd I'm blinded from the shineyness of that horse!!!" shine like I see on a lot of bays around my barn (oh how I hate them:wink 
anyway! have you used the quic silver on a roan before?


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## PaintedShanty (Dec 28, 2011)

flyingchange1991 said:


> I use mane N' tail for my roan and works pretty good on her darker parts but its not like a "Oh my gawd I'm blinded from the shineyness of that horse!!!" shine like I see on a lot of bays around my barn (oh how I hate them:wink
> anyway! have you used the quic silver on a roan before?


According to the company's website, QuicColor would probably be better than QuicSilver for a roan, especially if the base color is chestnut/sorrel or bay.


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## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

AlexS said:


> I don't believe that a good coat comes from grooming products, it comes from what they eat. High fat, or oil products give a shine when they eat it.


I find that this is limited a bit by the environment they are in. If they are in pasture, they will shine like glass; if in arid areas w mostly dirt - they just won't be as shiney as when in pasture, but they will be more shiny than those standing next to them w/o appropriate amounts of fats in their diet.


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## christabelle (Feb 13, 2011)

Pilot said:


> Some of the shampoos have a corrosive ingredient such as salt as a solvent and it can damage the coats shine by taking away the coat's natural oils. I tried commerical products for a long time but what I have found best to work to creat a shiney coat is mayonnaise. Let me explain
> After cleaning the horse rub mayonnaise all over it's body. Let it sit for 20 or so minutes. It is like a hot oil treatment for humans' hair. Then you rinse well and tada a lustrious coat.
> Hope this helps.


Lol, lol!!! It may work wonders... I just can't stop laughing at the thought of spreading mayo on my horse. Hold still hoss! I'm makin' a sammich.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

I bet the mayo would work well, though...I just can't stand the smell of it...ugh. I'll stick w coconut oil.


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## Pilot (Jun 16, 2010)

Coconut oil is better but I know lots of people are on a limited bugdet


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## Aine (Mar 10, 2012)

Thanks guys  I have started giving her Karron oil now so hopefully it'll make a difference. It contains 9 fatty acids or something  dont want her getting too fat though


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## arrowsaway (Aug 31, 2011)

coconut oil can be bought at walmart pretty inexpensively... that's where I get mine. For ultimate shine, I wash the body, mane, and tail with cowboy magic shampoo, and condition with the coconut oil. It comes in a solid, so just rub a hunk between your hands and it will melt. Apply it everywhere... Massage it into the coat [the horse should love it!]. The upsides of coconut oil: it replaces any natural oils lost in the hair shaft, and actually seals in that moisture so none is lost. It softens hair, promotes shine, and smells a lot better than mayonnaise... lol. sorry pilot! 

-steps down from soapbox-
other than that, brush, brush, and brush some more! It sounds silly and simple, but besides the oil and good nutrition, it really is the best way to make your horse shiny. It's time well spent, too. The grooming builds the bond with your horse. Have fun!


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## Amir (Nov 18, 2009)

Sunflower seeds in feed can really add some shine to any horse. It just makes their coat glow.
My grey gets a big scoop of no grain gold, which has a ton of sunflower in it and he always looks great next to all the other coloured horses at shows. Always place in presentation classes - and we ALWAYS rock up with poop stained hocks  Mad rush to get the stains out with as little water as possible since the water will stuff up the white leg makeup on his socks.
I don't use the spray shine stuff, I prefer a good feed and elbow grease. IMO you can't beat those results.


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## Ripper (Apr 1, 2012)

I showed a red roan gelding, this is what worked for him.

Body clip the dark legs about three weeks before a show in the spring.

Also the dark face.

At about a week finish the rest of the horse. (body clipping)

Leave the hair on inside legs.

Just before going in the ring, fluff that hair up and use hair spay. The inside leg will look huge.

Use motor driven clippers.


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## BigGreyHorse (Sep 28, 2009)

Last summer I switched from straight vegetable oil to cocosoya & flax seed. Huge difference. My greys began to shine from the inside out.


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## Ripper (Apr 1, 2012)

Crack a raw egg over their grain.

That will help with a shine.


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## Aine (Mar 10, 2012)

Guys I looked everywhere for flax seed, nobody heard of it. Just realised we call it linseed in Ireland  feel like a right goof. Getting it tomorrow so hopefully she'll look good. Just wondering, does it take long to see results??  she's on a good diet too.


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## BarefootBugsy (Dec 30, 2010)

Sunflower oil. Just a tablespoon or two in their hard feed. Gives a nice shine to my grey.


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## Woodland Eventer (Jan 26, 2011)

I have been using old lady greying shampoo(the purple stuff) on my gray. He's completely grayed out, but it gets the stains out and doesn't turn him purple if it's left on. He shines like crazy and it's much cheaper than buying the expensive Quic Silver(which is really just the same thing but manufactured "for horses"). We use pyranha fly spray and that seems to have a high shine property to it. It's good stuff, stays on very well, and seems to work.


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## flyingchange1991 (Mar 27, 2012)

Ripper said:


> I showed a red roan gelding, this is what worked for him.
> 
> Body clip the dark legs about three weeks before a show in the spring.
> 
> ...


what does this exactly do?


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## DressageDreamer (Feb 29, 2012)

I wash my grey flea bitten mare with Betadine surgical wash (pour some in a bucket of water and sponge on). She absolutely shines after she dries!! It whitens the lighter parts but doesn't fade her black specks. And...she feels like silk


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## Aine (Mar 10, 2012)

Thanks for all the tips guys


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## Ripper (Apr 1, 2012)

flyingchange1991 said:


> what does this exactly do?


When I clipped the legs I let the hair grow a little.

It made the red points really pop against the roaning.


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## cloudismyhorse (Dec 14, 2020)

Aine said:


> I have a beautiful filly. She is dapple grey but turning lighter. Its so hard to shine a grey coat and in a show when she's next to all the shiny bays its hard to make her stand out (coat wise). Any tips on making a grey coat look as good as possible??
> 
> Cheers!!


definitely using blue or purple shampoo and spot removers. don't bath all the time because that can strip the coat of all the natural oils instead hose down after a long ride or a roll in the. paddock and only use spot treatments on areas that you absolutely have to. a fatty diet also helps allot with shine usually if you have a horse with a dull coat you need to work from the inside out . flaxseed, vegetable oil ,coconut oil etc... another thing that helps is elbow grease if your not grooming your horse properly than your horse will automatically have a dull coat no matter how good you feed. overall as long as your horse is neat and tidy in a sea of bays and other coat color will stand out . good luck( try your best you wont get it perfect on the first try.


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## ksbowman (Oct 30, 2018)

My grand daughter puts baby powder on hers before a show and it really makes him look good. It also helps cover any stains he has too.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Thread is eight years old


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