# Show tips please? Making blue eyes stand out, whitening up mane, etc.



## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

before you start accentuating things you need to make sure that they are a desired thing in the show/breed standards.

Personaly i hate blue eyes and think them ugly, you may also get a judge that thinks the same. I wouldnt accentuate them unless the breed standard says they are an IDEAL conformation

as for your pony. I think he looked far better hogged. He seems to have lost weight and lost topline.


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## Zeke (Jun 27, 2010)

I'm with Faye here, although I generally like blue eyes against a colored face, some judges do not and may actually hold them against the horse. I showed a QH mare locally who had blue eyes and would be questioned about her breed often. Some judges would insist she had to be paint, a breeding stock one, and would place us lower thinking she wasn't ideal/I was trying to lie. 

Yes, purple shampoo will have similar whitening effects on the mane as the body, be careful not to leave it in too long. I'm not familiar with minis but for halter classes I would think the mane would need to be tamed up out of view of the neck so the judge can see conformation better.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## chelz (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks for the replies. This show is very low level (county fair) & the class is literally just called "Under 56" Halter" so there shouldn't be any breed standards that come into play. That's why I want him to look a little extra flashy. Thank you for the advice in his weight as well. Right now he is kinda in between how fat he was when I got him & how thin he was in that last pic so hopefully he'll look okay. I'm trimming him today so I got a lot of work ahead if me lol


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Stallions at Bear Branch Ranch, World Champion Miniature Horses, Colts and Geldings, home of Stonehenge Painted Feather

Here's what your horse needs to look like.


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

See I dont think he was overweight in the first photo.
Showing is not all about looking flashy, you need a well conformed, decent weight pony with a good topline. Only then should you start thinking about "flash"
Breedstandards will always come into play. Most judges in my experiance dont like "wall" eyes so making them stand out more will make you stand out for all the WRONG reasons.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

I think that could be another cultural divide thing Faye, where as we will talk about wall eye, out here there are plenty of people who like blue eyes, and if you have a paint preference judge, then they may like a nice blue eye.

If he is between those two weights then he could look good, and I thought that the roached mane was all kinds of cute to be honest. 

Good luck, clean and tidy, that is the first trick, so wash and trim tidy up his ears, without clipping them full out. Big smile from you, and good luck.


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## chelz (Apr 20, 2010)

Here is what he ended up looking like. He cleans up pretty well considering a few days ago he looked more like a wooly mammoth! (I got so mad at him because I had his legs sooo clean and he tried to roll and got them slightly dirty again. Uggh! Lol) But here he is:

I know some of you guys weren’t exactly fans of blue eyes, but for blue eyes lovers, here are his: 

Thanks for the tips guys!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I love his blue eyes. You can put baby oil gel or vaseline around his eyes to highlight them just before you go in the ring. Do the same thing for his muzzle. You can give him a "hot oil" conditioning treatment the day before the show, smear a good thick conditioner all over him and cover him with a cooler and let him stand out in the sun for 20 mins. Then rinse out well. That will help tame down his mane and forelock too. Then put LOTS of Cowboy Magic or another product like that, in his mane before you go in the ring. It will keep that mane and forelock tamed down. Lots of Show Sheen or another shine spray. Cornstarch for his legs and brush out the excess with help keep those legs looking really white.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

He is all sorts of cute, and I like his weight a lot better here. Looks likeyou need to invest in a ton of conditioner for his mane, he has quite the do there:lol:

What do you do with an abundance of mane when showing a mini?


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

They're thinned and super-conditioned and they use a lot of product on them to keep them laid down.


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## chelz (Apr 20, 2010)

Unfortunately (after spending hours getting him and my QH dolled up) the show ended up being cancelled because it was "too muddy." Ugh hopefully it will be rescheduled soon but it was a great opportunity to see how exactly he'd polish up. I definitely need to work more on his mane (it's a little wild, that's for sure lol) so thank you for the tips on how to make it less unruly. He's such a goof, I think his mane matches his wild personality.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

chelz said:


> He's such a goof, I think his mane matches his wild personality.


LOL! I think that fits a bunch of mini's. Most of the ones I've gotten to know have HUGE personalities in those little bodies. :lol:

Too bad about the show, but you had a good dry run for getting him ready.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

If you have clippers, clip from the base of his ear to the boney bump on each side. It will narrow the forelock and make his eyes "pop" Also trim out his hears, even if you don't go down inside. I fold them then clip. It gives a cleaner look and leaves the protection. Or do them with scissors. Clippers are better. Clip under the jaw to give it a sharper look.


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## chelz (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks Saddlebag. He is absolutely terrified of the clippers (I think he thinks its a big bumblebee coming to get him! lol) so just getting him as trimmed up as he was was a huge pain. With more practice hopefully he will get calmer around it and next time I can have him clipped even better. Thanks for the advice!


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