# show makeup... on before, or after the filly slip?



## Red Gate Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

I'm interested in hearing the replies to this one.

I'm totally confused because I've never put make up on my horse before.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Not sure what you're referring to as 'make up', all we use is Vaseline or another shine product around the eyes, nose and along the tear bones. I wait until the last minute to put it on as they always seem to stick their noses onto me or in the dirt.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Whether you do or don't depends on what breed you show and of course if you show or not! My girl is unregistered so she's presented as a show hack. In theory I could present her like whatever breed she looks like on the day I take her to the show, but I won't. I'll present her as a hack. Because that's what she is - an english-style performance horse - and they are always presented as hacks.

Also depends what level you show and in what discipline, of course. As a showjumper I have never used this stuff before! We don't even braid most of the time. And I don't usually pull manes or anything like that. We're judged on performance alone so presentation is just something you do at a big show to mark the occasion. Of course clean horses are essential but nobody really braids or blacks the hooves or does makeup or any of that unless it's a "big deal" show. Or they usually ride show hacks, or the show has hack classes and jumper classes, in which case they've presented for the hack class and can't be bothered changing anything for the jumper class.

Edit; DCA here in aus we use all sorts of products on our horses' faces. What I'm referring to is a product that highlights and darkens the black on/around the muzzle and eyes, and inside the ears. I'm only using a little bit on her muzzle (where she's not white) and in her ears, and if I can find a big tub of it, it's getting used on her legs too. You use it a lot more liberally on legs.

It's supposed to draw attention to the features that are best, make the eyes look bigger, and improve the shape of the face. All optical illusions but they look pretty snazzy all done up.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Ok, then I think in principle we're talking about the same kind of thing only in the Arabians we can't use anything colored, just clear to make them shine. I would wait until the very last second to apply it, they seem to LOVE to rub their faces all over your show jacket or the lightest part of your show apparel that they can find and any dust within 100 miles will immediately gravitate to where ever the make up was put. 

When my horses are totally ready to go into the ring usually a groom or friend grabs the grooming bag and follows us up to the warm up pen. We do our warm up and then just before the gate is opened, we wipe down horse & boots with a rag and then apply the make up, and let down the tail just before we go into the ring.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

only this one doesn't shine and doesn't attract the dirt... that's the job of the clear highlighter (which your vaseline is for of course - shine and to highlight) that goes on top! So you can put the black on, in theory, quite a while before (it takes AGES to wear off!) and then add the clear highlighter at the last minute. The trouble with that, of course, is that then you're a thousand times more likely to end up with black smudges all over your show clothes.

Horses!

Last minute it is  knowing her she is guaranteed to rub on me just at the wrong moment anyway so why tempt fate and give her MORE time and therefore more chances?


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

LOL, exactly!

We also clip the eyes and face closer than the rest of the body or head. Normally I use a 10 or 15 blade to clip body and legs, then I use a 30 for most of the head and then a 40 for the muzzle, eyes and to make a diamond pattern on the face. I also use the 40 inside the ears and make a diamond on the very tip of the ear which accentuates the 'tippy' Arab ear. It actually looks good on other breeds, especially if they have nice tight, tiny ears.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

I'd do that but I only have one set of clipper blades. I don't actually know what grade they are but it's a pretty close clip. Closer than my body clippers do. I did her whole body with the little trimmers.

...my body clippers are WAY too loud, and when we sent them for sharpening, the company stuffed them up. they now clip worse than before D: will have to sharpen them for next winter (ages away yet, it's spring here) cause I'll need to clip Monty again and at least desensitise the foal, even if I'm not showing next year.

Satin has quite araby ears, actually, so it's something that I'll have to try.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I hate noisy clippers! I use the big sheep shearing ones in spring to get the winter coat off (if I allow it to grow in) and from then on I use a pair or Oster A2's for body. I have Wahl cordless for the face and then I have the tiny Wahl Pocket clippers for ears. Makes life soooo much easier.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

My body clippers are Osters :\ we sent them back because we thought there was something wrong, only to be told that it was the metal cooling fan making all the noise and it was normal. And they'd sharpened our blades (REALLY badly) and stuffed them up, and WE GOT BILLED even though they were still under warranty. That's the people that import them into Australia, not Oster themselves.

I'm eyeing off those Wahl pocket trimmers! They look great. Anything to be able to get at her ears more easily. I had to trim out all the hair with scissors. The trouble is all the money I'm spending on presentation products - I can't afford extra for a new set of trimmers. Not with my coach to pay and debts to pay off and all that jazz.

I will definitely be selling my Osters when I have the time. There's a nice looking set of Shear Magic body clippers at the tack shop that's actually quite cheap. Wonder if they'd let me turn them on to see what the volume's like? No point having clippers if you can't get them anywhere near your horse, after all.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I stuff my horses ears to deaden the sound on the ones who are a little spooky about the noise. When I clip ears I use a smaller wad of cotton or papper towel to get down in the bottom and dull the sound but more to keep the hair out of their ears. The pocket trimmers are actually noisier than my cordless clippers, but I only use them for the real dainty parts that a regular clipper can't do well anyhow. So, I'm in and out quick. 

If they won't let you fire up those clippers, keep looking, they probably know they're noisy. I don't know what you're paying in Australi for the pocket trimmers, but here they're only about $10-15, pretty much disposable. 

Since I do a LOT of clipping, I don't sharpen blades anymore, they never come out right. I just buy 3 or 4 sets of new blades each year and use them 5 or 6 times each and toss them as soon as they start to drag or leave clipper tracks. Keeps me and the horses a lot happier. I keep 10's, 15's & 30's, 40's in my kit, haven't found anything yet that they aren't sufficient for. A couple pairs of those pocket clippers and several sets of batteries for them and I'm usually good to go for the season.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Well after we found out there was nothing wrong with our Osters we went into the shop and let them know that they were so loud and they stopped stocking them so if they knew about any problems they wouldn't have them for sale. The ladies at my local tack shop are lovely. They let me have my dressage saddle while I was still paying it off because they knew I had nothing else to use. True locals in every sense of the word. (I live in a relatively small town, everyone knows everyone... so being honest and friendly has a lot of benefits)

I just won't buy any clippers ever again unless I know that the amount of noise they make is reasonable. We're going to lose money on our used Osters if we sell them but if we replace them with something cheaper (and quieter) we should still end up ahead, at least enough to get some kind of precision trimmer. There is a clip pattern I want to try that NEEDS precision!

For the little tiny pocket trimmers here I think it's about $35 and for the other cordless trimmers it's something like $50. I think they're all imported from the USA so there's transport costs on top of the wholesale price.

The big clippers I'm considering saving for are only about $130 but anything brand-name and we pay $$$$$$$$... my trimmers are Thrive brand, were free with the Osters, and they do a better job than the Osters do! The only problem is that they get clogged up easily. If Thrive came out with a full sized (quiet) body clipper I'd have one in an instant.

I struggle with clipping my girl's ears, I think it's the tickling that she objects to, but I can get them tidy enough with some good sharp scissors. You can hold the clippers up to her ears no problem but try to clip with them and she's impossible. I haven't tried with my gelding so I don't know if it's a mare thing or what!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Are you bathing and conditioning before you clip? Making sure your horse is squeaky clean and his hair coat really soft can really help keep your clippers from getting clogged. I wash really well, then give a 'hot oil' treatment and then spray with Show Sheen or Laser Sheen or a product like that to soften the hair coat. My clippers scream through the hair and almost never clog if I make sure everything is clean and soft before clipping. I also use Blade Wash and Kool Lube while I'm clipping to keep the blade clean and cool. 

When I'm clipping it's usually several horses for a show, so maybe 5-6 horses day need finishing, I don't have time to mess around with clogged blades and such. They have to be clipped, NO tracks and precise around the eyes and muzzle area.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

I didn't have a problem with tracks, they just keep clogging... I did Monty's front legs and started on his face today but I think I'll do the fine detail stuff with the trimmers (legs, face, etc) and then have the osters sharpened to do his body... he is a lot bigger than the foal so it'll take longer.

It's not the hair itself that's the problem, it's cheap design. The trimmers let the hair in and then they're not made strongly enough that they can keep going when there's hair in there. It's not a problem with short hair (makes them good for tidying up an already-clipped horse) but with longer hair it happens constantly.


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