# Grooming a Grey for Auction



## 1dog3cats17rodents (Dec 7, 2007)

Try quicksilver. It is a miracle for white/light grey horses. Scrub it in really, really well and then wait 5-10 minutes before rinsing. You can also oil his feet right before, and of course brush out his mane and tail. It can't hurt to trim his whiskers either


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## xilikeggs0 (Sep 14, 2008)

Use Cowboy Magic Stain Remover to get rid of the brown/green spots.
Regular Cowboy Magic will make his coat smooth, shiny, and soft, as well as detangle his mane and tail.

I prefer long manes, but I would suggest at least trimming his so that it's all even.


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## Ne0n Zero (Dec 25, 2008)

Cowboy Magic & QuikSilver. 

Rio Vista Mane & Tail Conditioner does WONDERS for mane and tail.

Also, braid the mane overnight so it's all on one side. If you have time, leave it in for a few days, then leave it out for a few so it has time to straighten itself out.


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## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

There is a blue shampoo (I forget the name, but I got it from TSC) that works wonders on light colored horses - including greys. It gets the spots out great when you follow the directions and makes them gleam. If its too cold or you can't get him to work with the water well - they do have dry shampoos you can use, but they aren't going to work as well.

Your friend probably would not appreciate the mane to be pulled and I don't think just combing it will make it "neat" looking. How about a braid for it?

Trim ears and whiskars.

Also, use a nice looking halter - maybe leather?


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## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

I have about two weeks to prepare for this project, and I can get started at anytime, I don't have to do it all at once. I plan to braid his hair into small braids and set it will gel or something (does normal human hair gel work on horses?) to get all the hair to one side. I'm not going to actually cut any of his hair or whiskers because #1 he's not my horse and #2 he's a pasture horse and he needs the hair for his natural defensive against the elements. 

I'm a little concerned that it may be too cold to bath him completely, but I could spot bath him with warm water and stain remover. I don't want to get him chilled, but I figure that if I work on a small portion at a time he will be fine. The temp is in the Forties right now (Fahrenheit). On the final day I may give him a hot towel bath to spruce him up for the final pictures.


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## MINIATURE SHETLANDS (Nov 26, 2008)

This presents a challenge with it being chilly. If you could bath him I would use Silverado Silver Shampoo. This is what I use on all my horses including the one in the avatar, and I have won many championships with him. This shampoo really brings out the color on them and helps get rid of the stains. Generally one bath will really get them most of the way stain free. Since you cannot clip him (I had a whole clipping segment in my head LOL) can you braid the mane down his neck, and hunter braid his tail, I think that would give his mane and tail a nice finished look. As for your question about gel. I use gel with my horses, one thing I have found is gel can yellow the mane. I use a leave in conditioner to smooth, then use gel for just the top of the mane to hold the flyaways.
Cowboy majic is a miracle worker! 
Oil the hooves, after a good scrubbing, makes them shiney without drying them, great for short term, and no dust around.
Trim the ear hair even with his ears, that way it cleans them up some but you don't loose any beneficial hair.
Last but not least, after buffing his coat with a good moleskin cloth, spray with Healthy Hair Care Coat polish, and finish with Healthy Hair Care Silverado Shine Areosal spray, really brings out the shine and highlights. and baby oil the nose and around the eyes. (play with the baby oil, never used it on a fuzzy horse before so not sure of the outcome)
Hope this help, Fingers crossed for an A!


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## Miss Katie (Dec 30, 2007)

In addition to what miniature shetlands said.
Have a look at pictures of other percheron horses to determine what is common or acceptable in their presentation.

When you do your final photos, present him on cleared ground so that they can see the legs and hooves. Also, stand him up square, see if you can get the head up and ears pricked forward.
Present him in a nice halter or bridle.
Get a side on picture of each side, and a head shot.

If you know anything about makeup, use a little around the eyes and muzzle. If you dont know what your doing its better ust to leave it.


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

I would really talk your friend into letting you go at him with some clippers. When I am selling/showing on of my horses I clip the bridle path, wiskers (and they are pasture ponies as well) feathers etc, etc, etc. In my opinion horses look 100% better all clipped up.

Also Vertroline shine is great for getting rid of knots in the mane and tail and it adds some pretty spectacular shine to them. Just be sure not to put it where his saddle will go if you are going to be riding him.


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## Miss Katie (Dec 30, 2007)

He is a draft cross so I wouldnt clip the feathers.


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## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

I'll see what I can do about clipping his ears and bridle path, but I know they won't let me clip his body. It wouldn't be fair to him with the cooler weather.


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## Curly_Horse_CMT (Jun 8, 2008)

Jubilee said:


> Okay, so I'm not actually bring a horse to auction. But I have a school assignment for my Equine Care class where I need to groom a horse as though I were preparing it to sell. I have a doozy of a horse to work with. He is a Grey Percheron/Arabian gelding. His name is Pride and as far as I know he has never been bathed before. He has lived in a pasture all his life and he's got the stains to prove it. He also has a pretty messy mane and tail.
> 
> Here are some pics of him. He's not my horse, he belongs to a friend:
> 
> ...


I think that this is a awsome idea for a 4-H club thing or something...it sounds really fun! Great for learning how to clean for show too! haha


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## 1dog3cats17rodents (Dec 7, 2007)

Jubilee said:


> I'll see what I can do about clipping his ears and bridle path, but I know they won't let me clip his body. It wouldn't be fair to him with the cooler weather.


 
I definately wouldn't do a body clip, but a bit of trimming of whiskers and ears won't affect him staying warm, and it's suprising how just a bit can really make their face trim and neat


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## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

I'm going out tomorrow to get started on some of the things that will take longer than one sitting. I'm going to curry and brush him REALLY good to see just how stained he really is. A lot of it in the pictures is just mud. I'm also going to address his tussled mane. I'm going the comb it then braid it into small braids and use setting gel to tame it all to one side. I'll let the braids set for about a week, adding more gel as needed, and then hopefully all of his hair will stay on one side. I'm going to wait to pull his mane until after this process is finished.


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## somersetfarms (Jan 6, 2009)

Be sure to post pics of the finished product!


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## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

I plan to take a lot of pictures through out the whole process. I'll be sure to post them.


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## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

Just curious but why is he just a pasture pet? Hes such a good looking boy! I cant wait to see him all spruced up!


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## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

Saddly, in my area it is very common to find perfectly good and healthy horses, with good breeding and lots of potential, simply living their lives as pasture pets, never being worked a day in their life. It's very sad. But at least these people take pretty good care of their two horses. How it happened is that they bought Pride's mother as a retired broodmare. They didn't want a horse to ride, they just wanted a pet. Rose is in her twenties. They were surprised to find out that she was pregnant. Pride was not planed for. They had the space and the means to feed both horses so the decided to keep him. But now he's four years old and quite a handful, very sweet but has no manors. I offered to work with him and train him as much as I can. He's a really nice boy. I wish I could buy him, but that's really not an option at this time. 

I went out to work with him today and I got his mane braided to one side. I only braided the half that needed to cross over his neck, the rest is upbraided. I figured it would be more comfortable for him that way. He was really jumpy today. There was a lot of static electricity in the air today so every time I rubbed him he got shocked! Poor boy. So I didn't curry or brush him because I want his grooming training to be a positive experience. It has rained a lot resently so he's actually CLEANER than when I first met him. Some mud, but not bad. Their pasture is pretty well eleveated. 

I'll be posting pictures soon.

Jubilee


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## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

Okay, here are a few pictures I took today. 



















Here are the braids. Not very pretty but they do the job. 



























And then here is a video I took too. Kind of funny.


Him rolling afterwords, haha!


Jubilee


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## ohmyitschelle (Aug 23, 2008)

he looks better already... i love his dapples!
x


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## MINIATURE SHETLANDS (Nov 26, 2008)

Do you have any dryer sheets? They help with the static, rub on him, on your brushes and on your hands. Spritzing the brushes with water help to. Just dampen them.


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## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

Awww dappled greys make me drool every time I see them. They always remind me of Merlin's horse. =D


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## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

Thanks for the tip about the dryer sheets I'll have to try that. It's quite a pity I wasn't able to do much with him because of that. He is normally such a laid back horse but the shocks were really freaking him out. 

Oh, and Lucara, I know what you mean about Dappled Greys. There is something sort of magical about them.

Jubilee


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## CremelloBeauty (Jan 7, 2009)

He looks a lot whiter! Good job!!


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## kershkova (Jun 25, 2008)

I would wrap up his tail if he will let you. If not braid it it helps to keep them clean. I would towel bath him with quick silver. And put show sheen on his maine. Thats about it


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

He is looking great! I can't wait to see him all spiffed up and looking perfect!


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## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

Well I went out again today and for the most part everything went well. I forgot to bring dryer sheets, which a had made a mental note to do. I wish I did bring them because the static was just as bad today and it still freaked him out. They have electric fencing in their pasture so I'm sure he thought he was touching a fence every I touched him. Not cool. But I went ahead and curried him today anyway. He really needs a bath. I was able to get a lot of surface dirt off but I can see the deep down stuff that needs to be washed out. I'm going to have to hot towel bathe him though because it is just too cold for a bath. 

As far as training goes, I worked with tying him today. I wrapped the lead rope around the tree without tying it so that it would put pressure on his face but could still get away if he were to really fight it. He did pull back a few times when he got startled (by my shocking him, poor baby), but I was able to grab the end of the rope before it unwrapped from the tree and I was able to regulate the pressure until he relaxed. It seemed to work well and he was pretty well relaxed by the end.

I won't share any pics this time because it's really not much of a difference. He still looks dirty :?. I really hope that I'm going to be able to complete this project. 

Jubilee


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## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

Aww I would still love pictures even if he hasn't changed, **** I just love looking at him! I would love to purchase a horse who looks like that good, even dirty! =D


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

Baby powder can help "whiten" the coat too. Just dust him a little and brush it through. I know it's not a perfect solution, but it's better than no bath and better than trying to bath a horse in the cold.


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## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

I've heard the of baby powder thing before but does it actually whiten by cleaning or does it simple add white to his coat, kind of like makeup? I guess it could really help for the final pictures, but I also actually want to whiten his coat.

Oh and Lucara, since you asked so nicely, here is a cute picture I took of him today.










Jubilee


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## MINIATURE SHETLANDS (Nov 26, 2008)

Dumas' your avatar is so not nice I smacked my computer screen!
He is looking better, Keep up the good work!
I know it may not look as though you are getting anywhere since you see him often, but from the pictures he is looking cleaner. You will get through this project, you have the HF cheering squad behind you ;-)


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## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

Thanks for the encouragement. It's good to know I have people cheering me on. 

I'm going to try to go out again today if time permits. I think I'll work on picking up his feet. He is in bad need of a trim but for the most part he appears to have pretty good hoofs. His owners are wanting me to work on his feet so that he will be easy for the ferrier. They are waiting to call him until I give the ok :neutral: No pressure. I don't like it when ferriers have to use tranquilizers but I'm afraid they might have to with Pride. He's just so big and so green! He hasn't tried to kick at me yet but I wouldn't put it past him. Honestly, I don't know if he has ever had his hoofs trimed. I'm a little nervous to see how this goes. 

Jubilee


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## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

Ooohh I know what your going through! My old job used to tranquilize all the drafts for the farrier. It was tough getting Samson used to it but after a couple of weeks, he was picking up his own feet!!
Good luck and keep it up!


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## moomoo (Feb 21, 2007)

You're doing well  He is so clean it looks like you brushed some of his dapples of :lol: Can you do a running plait on him it would look very nice for the final pics


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## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

Yeah, I was thinking of doing a running plait, but I've never done one before. I was definitely going to pull his mane but I can't find a pulling comb anywhere! I went to the only two tack shops in town and neither of them have any. I don't know how else to pull a mane. I don't trust myself with scissors. Can I do a running plait without pulling his mane?

Jubilee


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## moomoo (Feb 21, 2007)

yeah!  long manes work best for running plaits


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## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

Good, then I think I will give that a try for my final pictures.

Jubilee


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

The baby powder is like make-up....But with you're fella being so green and needing a bath, it just didn't sound like a good combo. I'd hate to hear of you getting kicked trying to clean him up. 

I'd really just spot clean him and use the baby powder for final pics.

Be careful and keep up the good work!!!


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## kershkova (Jun 25, 2008)

use cowboy magic green spot remover


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## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

Arn't there powder or "dry" baths for dogs. Would that work on him as well?


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## hunterjumpergirl (Jan 11, 2009)

He looks A LOT better!! Good luck with getting the rest of the stuff off of him. He's owners sound kinda picky. (no offense to them)


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## kershkova (Jun 25, 2008)

> posted by LucaraArn't there powder or "dry" baths for dogs. Would that work on him as well?


there are ones for horses too lol


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## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

I thought about doing a dry bath but I don't know of any good dry bath cleansers for horses. Can you guys recommend one?

Oh, and HunterJumperGirl, no offense taken. His owners really are not that picky. I've talked to them and they have given me permission to do anything I want with him. It's just that Pride is very green and there are only certain things I think he would tolerate. Plus I don't own any clippers anyway so I wouldn't be able to body clip him even if I thought I could. I'm going to trim his bridle path and ears using scissors, I think that is the best I'll be able to do. I was going to pull his mane but no one sells pulling combs around here! I'm just going to do a running braid for the final pictures, hopefully that will help. 

Jubilee


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

for his trimming his whiskers, I would suggest using a razor (like one you would use to shave your legs) and I would use scissors that have blunt tips incase he isn't too cooperative.

For shampoos, I love the mane and tail shampoo. I like the way it cleans my horses (I have a grey so in the summer I try to keep him clean) and I like how soft and such it leaves them when they dry. You could also try quic silver, it's a whitening shampoo. Just don't leave it on too long or it'll turn Pride purple!


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## kershkova (Jun 25, 2008)

miricil groom and quick bath


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## kchfuller (Feb 1, 2008)

use Fanciful (i think that is how you spell it) .. it's old lady grey hair shampoo ... you can get it at Longs (a drug store)


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## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

Well, I finished the project. I didn't get to do everything I wanted to do but I ran out of time. The results weren't as dramatic as I wanted them to be but he still looked good. It has been way too cold to bathe him so that never happened.

I hope you like how he turned out. Here are some before and after shots:

Before




























After




























Tell me what you think,

Jubilee


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## kchfuller (Feb 1, 2008)

looks sooooo much better


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## hunterjumpergirl (Jan 11, 2009)

He looks WWWWAAAYYY better!!


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## xilikeggs0 (Sep 14, 2008)

He looks amazing! I think it would look better if you evened out his mane, though.


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## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

Yeah, I wanted to pull his mane but I couldn't find a pulling comb anywhere! I checked every store in town that sells take supplies and I couldn't find one. 

Jubilee


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## hunterjumpergirl (Jan 11, 2009)

You could've maybe ordered one from online.


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## MINIATURE SHETLANDS (Nov 26, 2008)

Great Job!!! Two Thumbs UP!


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## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

Thanks! It had fun doing it.

Jubilee


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## bumble (Jan 30, 2009)

jubilee, i have a question. i'm trying to eventually work with horses, but i have no idea what to major in that would be right for my situation. what are you majoring in?


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