# Share your "unique" ways to cleaning up your horse for a show



## PintoTess (Aug 18, 2010)

I use baby wipes for EVERYTHING!! At my show, we had people running around us cleaning our boots, wiping our horses sloppy green mouths, cleaning off the occassional bit of dust, poo stains. A servant (lol!) Is a lot of help


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

Ans sometimes they are called ~Horse Show Moms.:lol:


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## MightyEventer (Sep 28, 2010)

I would be dead with out my horse show mom!!


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

I want a horse show Mum.......or see if I can train a husband, or maybe steal a horse mad child from someone.

Helping with crusty eyes, try a used damp tea bags, ordinary black tea, to clean the eye every day, a good English remedy, we always have a damp tea bag handy, and the tannins are good for helping gummy eyes.

My hint, buy a nice sensible bay, so much easier than trying to keep a grey clean


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## MightyEventer (Sep 28, 2010)

Golden Horse said:


> I want a horse show Mum.......or see if I can train a husband, or maybe steal a horse mad child from someone.
> 
> Helping with crusty eyes, try a used damp tea bags, ordinary black tea, to clean the eye every day, a good English remedy, we always have a damp tea bag handy, and the tannins are good for helping gummy eyes.
> 
> My hint, buy a nice sensible bay, so much easier than trying to keep a grey clean


huh, I've never heard of the tea bags!! I'll try it out and see how it works! Thanks!

And yes, I could never have a grey, I love my bay!!


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## PaintLover17 (Jan 3, 2011)

I unfortunately have an almost all white horse. She's gorgeous but hard to keep clean! I always have a wet rag handy. They make it really easy to rub out any stains the horse gets. The only time it doesn't work is if the horse is really dusty or dirty. Then it just leaves a big muddy spot!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Sarahandlola (Dec 16, 2010)

The vaseline on the Bridle sounds good! Don't people put it on the horses face and other areas to add shine? Or is that just baby oil?


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

I love my grey. I wouldn't give up a gorgeous grey for anything. Of course, they're very difficult to keep clean and they take forever to dry compared to darker colors. 

I put vaseline on my horse's eyes and muzzle first, then baby oil over that.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## spookychick13 (Jan 1, 2011)

Golden Horse said:


> I want a horse show Mum.......or see if I can train a husband, or maybe steal a horse mad child from someone.
> 
> Helping with crusty eyes, try a used damp tea bags, ordinary black tea, to clean the eye every day, a good English remedy, we always have a damp tea bag handy, and the tannins are good for helping gummy eyes.
> 
> My hint, buy a nice sensible bay, so much easier than trying to keep a grey clean



AMEN!!! I am so pleased with how easy my bay is to clean.
I am also intrigued by the tea bag thing. 
We always have PG Tips on hand (husband is from the UK too). I will try the eye cleaning idea! Awesome.


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Talcum powder on grey horses for all those spots you missed. No matter how hard you try to clean a grey, dirt magically will appear just before a class, usually on the rump somewhere!

I also have used magic silver white for greys (the dye old ladies use for their hair), put too much in the first time and had a pony with a slight purple tinge!


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## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

I don't know where you guys get these magical clean bay horses but mine is a HOG! If I intend to show, he will have to be bathed an hour before the class. Even then, he would probably still find a way to get a roll in!


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## DubyaS6 (Aug 30, 2010)

What about this bay? Do you guys have any recommendations how to keep HER clean?


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

^^Shovel.


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## MightyEventer (Sep 28, 2010)

DubyaS6 said:


> What about this bay? Do you guys have any recommendations how to keep HER clean?


LOL, well my friend, i believe its time to bring out the horsey sized hamster ball to keep her away from any and all dirt/mud!! 

My boy also lovess to roll in mud. Such a pain to clean!!!


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## DubyaS6 (Aug 30, 2010)

OMG we should invent a hamster ball for horses and trademark it!

Yeah, she is ridiculous. She is just one of those horses that will find the tiny puddle in the entire pasture and roll in it over and over again. EVERY day.


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## MightyEventer (Sep 28, 2010)

DubyaS6 said:


> OMG we should invent a hamster ball for horses and trademark it!
> 
> Yeah, she is ridiculous. She is just one of those horses that will find the tiny puddle in the entire pasture and roll in it over and over again. EVERY day.


That sounds like my friends old high level dressage horse. She loveddd the muddy water puddles in her field and she would literally just lay in them all day, and napped in them!


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## DubyaS6 (Aug 30, 2010)

Yeah on the day that picture was taken, it was about 30* outside and she went to one end of the arena and pawed in a huge water puddle and rolled right in it, then proceeded to run as fast as she could to the near side of the arena and roll in the mud.

Double whammy.


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## CloudsMystique (Mar 3, 2009)

I'm lucky enough to have a black horse, haha. She's pretty easy to keep clean. She only has about three square inches of white on one of her legs, but she does have a big white nose which is a pain to clean.

Most of you probably show with your manes braided, but for those of us who have to leave them down... Take a stiff body brush, dip it in the water bucket, and brush the mane. Voila! A smooth, flat mane in seconds.


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## Hunterjumper7654 (May 28, 2010)

Oh oh oh oh heres one NOT to do, don't spray showsheen on your horse's coat right before saddling, I watched a younger girl do that, saddle her horse go into a hunter o/f class and has her saddle slip all the way to the side. 
Whether or not I have to braid or not braid I always use a neck wrap the night before a show. 
I try and do everything the night before, Bath, walk till dry, groom, braid(if need be), then a sheet and a neck wrap and into the stall they go. The other thing my barn does is they clean the horse's legs and polish the hooves and then put shipping boots on before we leave for a show so they stay clean. 
If I think of anything else i'll post 

Oh on a side note have any of you great people ever heard of putting crest toothpaste on sarcoids to shrink them? My grandmother and are old vet (my he rest in peace) were talking about it when I was younger and it was brought up not to long ago that applying crest toothpaste can shrink them, I was wondering if any of you had heard of that.
Oh I would like to edit that I will be trying this on my horse after he was checked by the vet and yes it is a sarcoid and it is not dangerous just a blemish.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

What I do to make Phantom's tail look thicker than it is (even though it's pretty thick to start) spray with a little leave in conditioner or show sheen and use a plastic curry to get the big knots out. Then take little section and use this MANE & TAIL BRUSHES - Horse.com kind of brush. And brush the tail outward away from the body...keep adding little sections when there are no knots left in the section you're brushing. Once that's all done flip the bottom of the tail up onto their butt and and brush it out like a fan. then just let it fall. My friends say it gives phantoms tail a waterfall effect. It ripples like a waterfall every time he takes a step and makes his tail look 2 times thicker than if I actually just brushed it. And it looks all whispy it's cool haha. I had someone at my show ask me if it was a fake tail


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## drafteventer (Jul 6, 2009)

Get a horse that is dirt colored like mine 

Just in general good grooming everyday helps keep mine as clean as he can get. Which is not very clean considering he pees all over his legs (doesn't park out) and poops in his tail ( barely lifts up his tail LAZY BOY!)>.< 
I read in a book on grooming for hunter competitions that a grooms best friend is a cloth, apparently it makes horses really shiny to rub them with a cloth


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Elbow grease.


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## Horsel02 (Jan 6, 2010)

I show a loud paint gelding that has a bald face. One of my favorite classes is grooming and conditioning. He has white hooves so I take a mini sander and sand his feet then apply the clear hoof polish. I also use this stuff called EQ Solutions which is a spray on and hose off cleaner it does not dry out their coats so you can use it every day. So that helps to make his show bath easier. I also use the baby oil on his nose and around his eyes and also in the inside of his ears if he lets that day.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

BWA HAHAHAHAHAHA

I no longer feel so bad about my mud monsters,:rofl:


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## Horsel02 (Jan 6, 2010)

Golden Horse said:


> BWA HAHAHAHAHAHA
> 
> I no longer feel so bad about my mud monsters,:rofl:


I would cry if my paint did that. He is mostly white.


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## paintluver (Apr 5, 2007)

Well I have a "white" (Grey) Horse and thank goodness he is generally a clean horse haha.
When we are going to shows I use shampoo for white horses, and then I show sheen him and use baby oil around his eyes and nose. I use Corn oil for a "Shiny" also, I Just put it in my horses feed and it helps them get shiny.


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## DubyaS6 (Aug 30, 2010)

I am glad that my pig makes some of you feel better about yours


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

I came across a new trick last summer by complete accident. I normally use corn starch and a toothbrush on white legs, got in my tote, corn starch was empty...dingy white legs on a jet black horse, ugh....thanks to the brilliance of my 5 yr old daughter, we got her white. My daughter had left a bucket of sidewalk chalk in my truck and she "colored" my mares legs with a big ol' piece of white sidewalk chalk  Worked pretty well too lol! 

Don't feel bad Dubya, I have muddy pigs right now too! My grey mare is a total mud/water baby and right now is about 6 wks out from foaling...caught her rolling yesterday (very ungracefully I might add) and with her mongo baby belly she doesn't get very far, she looks like a big chocolate dipped marshmallow! Muddy legs and about halfway up her belly. Hope I get a few warm enough days to give her a good bath before baby day LOL!


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

OMG Golden! I am sooo glad Nelson is a clean horse! lol. 

I have no cleaning tips/secrets to share to be honest. I just groom on a daily basis. 

When shows come, I do nothing different. I don't even bathe. For the mane and tail, I put conditioner in them to make them shiny and soft. That's about it.


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## Fowl Play (Sep 22, 2009)

Show mom here...I have pockets full of baby wipes at shows. I wipe up my daughter's boots, the horse's face, my daughter's face, whatever I can think of right before she goes in. Her horse may stay pretty clean, but she does not! SHE is our mud monster! I use a wisk brush on her pant legs, and even used a wipe to clean off mud.

To get thick mud off of the horse's foot, or her boots, I bought a kitchen dish brush meant for stuck on grease (Libman I think) for $3 and it works better than any horse product...if it's really icky mud, we get the brush wet and it works wonders. 

Helpful hint...don't try to brush mud off of black pants with the same brush you just used on a white horse. Watched the little girl stalled next to us do that. She was a mess!


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Fowl Play said:


> Helpful hint...don't try to brush mud off of black pants with the same brush you just used on a white horse. Watched the little girl stalled next to us do that. She was a mess!


Ha ha, you let her do it though without warning her - Go show Mum!! :rofl:


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## Fowl Play (Sep 22, 2009)

sarahver said:


> Ha ha, you let her do it though without warning her - Go show Mum!! :rofl:


Yesterday was not a good day for my daughter...It wasn't intentional, but her horse was being a freak and I really didn't think. It was a rough day.:? That being said, the mom was getting on my nerves, and probably wouldn't have taken my advice anyway, so sometimes saying nothing is better than trying to help. Doesn't matter anyway, everyone at the barn could hear my daughter's horse screaming like a banshee. I know people were talking about us all day!


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

That's too bad, sounds like a long day for all involved!


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## Fowl Play (Sep 22, 2009)

sarahver said:


> That's too bad, sounds like a long day for all involved!


Most definitely. Today I feel like I have 10 lbs feet. I absolutely cannot pick them up. I've tripped over so many things today!


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

Bay horses are love lol

Still though, I basically just bathe the heck outta em' with white N' bright shampoo wherever, even if they aren't white. It makes the white shine and still takes out the dirt.

After they dry I use show sheen on the mane, tail, and any other key points (Obviously not in the saddle area lol) 

I ALWAYS shine my tack leather before too

If I have a white-faced horse I put sunscreen on them about a week before if its sunny because it helps keep the skin soft and well.....not burned xD


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## BrewCrew (May 12, 2010)

Cacowgirl said:


> Ans sometimes they are called ~Horse Show Moms.:lol:


aka: THE PIT CREW!!!!!!


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## Jeni Hogue (Mar 27, 2011)

I know the is a product called Diamond eye's that is used for white and light colored dogs. To remove the staining, from weepy eyes.


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## EventingDeva (May 21, 2011)

Golden Horse said:


> My hint, buy a nice sensible bay, so much easier than trying to keep a grey clean


I can never acomplish this, I always end up with the greys. I just dont understand!


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## Indigosblue (May 9, 2011)

just get a horse that's OCD about being clean...lol, my new horse always looks ready to go to a show everyday! She will not get dirty. ever. Sorta sad to miss out on the grooming though....


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## aforred (May 12, 2010)

I use a little pink oil on leather right before I go in the show pen. I sometimes use it if I don't have any show sheen, too. Or olive oil spray.

I love the EQ body wash! Makes keeping them clean so much easier, especially when they have a lot of white.

Healthy Haircare moisturizer used on a regular basis makes tails easier to work with.


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

My horse is also dirt coloured, luckily lol.
My show grooming starts at home. Every day I idea dandy brush to remove excess dust, then I curry well with a rubber curry. Then depending on the level of dust I will use a damp rag to pull out all the dirt, followed by miracle groom and a dry rag. I may curry again and then finally I run over him well with a natural fibre body brush.
The mane is combed every day and I usually pull it twice a month. The tail is never brushed. If it is super gross I pull all the shavings and hay out with my fingers and after my ride I'll shampoo and condition it. Otherwise I put vetrolin detangler on my hands and literally go through strand by strand with my fingers. After I ride I usually hose off the sweat.
For a show if he is dusty and dirty I'll bath him with shampoo followed by a light spritz of diluted baby oil and a good rinse. Grooming is the same, legs are clipped and I use laundry blueing on those. Muzzle and eyes get shine and hooves are clear polished.

My favorite grooming trick is a good braid job!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

~*~anebel~*~ said:


> My favorite grooming trick is a good braid job!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


So true. A great braid job can really finish off the look.


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## KawaiiCharlie (Nov 17, 2010)

boyfriends make good 'horse show servants'  good for carrying stuff around, make good photographers & holding the horses while you get ready  & as for the weeping eyes, an appaloosa mare i looked after had the same problem. there are wipes you can buy especially for the horses eyes & nose, i used them once & the next day her eyes werent weeping or crusty at all. i cant remember what theyre called though >.<


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## KawaiiCharlie (Nov 17, 2010)

Golden Horse said:


> BWA HAHAHAHAHAHA
> 
> I no longer feel so bad about my mud monsters,:rofl:


 
hahahaha. you think thats bad? meet Nightmare. my friends GREY, yes GREY horse. ****. 
a picture of what colour hes supposed to be, too.


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## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

Clipping the white markings on legs? Surely everyone knows that 

Vaseline around eyes and nose.

A good clipping job is essential.


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## aforred (May 12, 2010)

Eliz said:


> A good clipping job is essential.


Oh so true!


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## momo3boys (Jul 7, 2010)

as a newbie to the showing world I find this thread helpful and hilarious!

My tips: my friend had leather friendly wipes for boots and bridles to make them shine.

The judge doesn't like dry chestnuts so we put vasleine on them to make them look better. The side effect is that they were really easy to peel off after that!


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## dezzistar (May 24, 2011)

I wish I took a picture of muddy Miraina before I sold her... every time it rained 












she looked like that! It makes me feel so much better to know that she is not alone in enjoying being crusted in inches of dry mud.


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## rc82 (Jun 16, 2011)

I've got a lot of white to keep clean with a horse that's horribly messy in his stall. My tricks: For yellow spots, use whitening shampoo and do a bit of a spot treatment first. I put it on the dirty spots while he's dry and leave it alone for an hour. Then I'll give him a full bath once those spots have soaked for a while. 

For any braiding, I always use loads of banding spray and when it's all done and pretty for the night I coat it with Aussie Instant Freeze hairspray. Trust me, nothing holds better!!! Ever since I started using the same hair spray I use on my own hair (ha!) I haven't had to fix any braids the next morning. 

The key to any horse looking like a million bucks, is doing it the right way, not the fast way. If I'm going in a hunter under saddle class, there's no cheating the braiding. I'm talking the good old fashioned yarn and a hook. I know a lot of people use bands to do their braiding, but those never look as nice and never hold as well. Nothing is prettier than a good braiding job.


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## xdamarisandsx (Jun 14, 2011)

Baby powder is a life saver .
My mare hates mud, but every horse with white legs will get dirty at least once!
At the show, I just wipe her legs down with a damp cloth, dust on some baby powder, and voilà!

And a roached or braided mane is a FANTASTIC finishing touch.

If you spray fly spray on a towel and give your horse a good wipe down (stay away from the saddle area!) will get off any of the surface dust, and keep the bugs off, so your horse doesn't freak out in the middle of your ride (;


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## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

momo3boys said:


> The judge doesn't like dry chestnuts so we put vasleine on them to make them look better. The side effect is that they were really easy to peel off after that!


I have to ask, this was for a halter class, right? Because if I was riding and the judge was more concerned about whether my horse's chestnuts were dry than if we were on the right lead, etc then I would probably have an issue with that, ****.

In the winter, it helps to carry along a couple of dryer sheets. If you end up with a fly-away mane due to static, you can use a dryer sheet to sleek it up before going into the arena.


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## Jax (Jun 16, 2011)

Some things I do:
- Baby powder on white legs or stains
- Use a sand block on chestnuts then put baby oil gel on them 
- Sand block on feet then hoof polish
- hot oil tail when you bathe them, then put in tail bag till the next day (if the show is the next day)
- Use moisturizer on body
- baby wipes on muzzle, teets, under tail, and stains
- calm coat (and lotion if necessary) in ears
- Clean clipped (ears, muzzle, chin, legs, etc.)
- use a fli comb for the mane (helps with banding and manages stray hairs) ((dont use for everyday occasion))

Thats all I can think of currently (I havnt shown in a few years)


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## momo3boys (Jul 7, 2010)

apachiedragon said:


> I have to ask, this was for a halter class, right? Because if I was riding and the judge was more concerned about whether my horse's chestnuts were dry than if we were on the right lead, etc then I would probably have an issue with that, ****.
> 
> In the winter, it helps to carry along a couple of dryer sheets. If you end up with a fly-away mane due to static, you can use a dryer sheet to sleek it up before going into the arena.


:lol: LOL it was for showmanship, yes.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Great tips! If possible, bathe a few days before the show to let the natural oils come back to the surface. I try to keep boots on my horses while warming up if the practice arena is muddy, also, and take them off a few minutes before the class.


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## Horserider33 (Jun 21, 2011)

feed corn oil (canola oil works too) to help give a few extra calories and it helps make the coat shinier too. it also helps mud come off a little easier.

for the mud monsters i let the mud dry and then metal curry comb it off (be careful!!). there will be alot of dust but it will get the chunks out. then rubber curry in circles really really well and use brushes in order from stiff to soft. it takes time but will help alot. be careful on the legs and use rubber curry on those. do not metal curry on legs!! after brushing you can bathe or just rinse your horse. you dont have to but it will get any remaining dirt out.

also, i show halter, pleasure, barrels, trail, etc. for halter how do you make them shiny where the saddle goes without using show sheen? the barrel (stomach) is a big area where the judge looks at for halter but if i ride in a class later i dont want my saddle slipping everywhere.
i have a horse for halter, a horse for pleasure, and a horse for barrels but my halter horse is my moms pleasure horse so his back cant be slippery? any ideas on how to make him shine but not slick on the saddle area?
(the oil helps with the shine but for halter i need him to be super shiny)

tip: on pleasure horses put the saddle on then spray show sheen on the horse.


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## DejaVu (Jul 6, 2011)

I bathe about two days before the show with one of the shampoos made by Absorbine (forgot the name!!). I got lucky with a horse that has a coat that dirt rolls right off of. Even if he rolls in the loose dirt, wet, right after a bath, the next day he's shiny and clean.

Trim up the mane/tail if needed, and do finishing touches around the face and legs with the clippers. Then dampen the mane, and put a slicker on, to tame the wild mess my gelding has that refuses to otherwise lay flat. If it's a western show, I'll band, then put under the slicker.

At the show, sand paper to clean up the hooves, hoof polish, white chalk for the white marks, temporary dye rinse, to blacken up his legs a bit more. That's about it. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BarrelRace4Life (Aug 15, 2010)

On a show day i put some baby powder on a regular horse brush and brush it into my girls legs so they're even more white! Works with her face but you have to be suuuper careful about their eyes
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

Great tips, can't think of anything that hasn't already been mentioned, but as I read the comments about a giant hamster ball I thought back to a picture I had seen and just *had* to share:


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## cowgirls4 (May 25, 2011)

Salt water may help his eye! all this talk about bays, my bay looks like Spirit Stallion, but he's a gelding.


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Horserider33 said:


> for the mud monsters i let the mud dry and then metal curry comb it off (be careful!!). there will be alot of dust but it will get the chunks out. then rubber curry in circles really really well and use brushes in order from stiff to soft. it takes time but will help alot. be careful on the legs and use rubber curry on those. do not metal curry on legs!! after brushing you can bathe or just rinse your horse. you dont have to but it will get any remaining dirt out.


An alternative to the metal curry is a human hair brush(Paddle brush), I found that out the other day (It's winter here and in the worst part of it right now)
Finger nails also work really well if your not afraid to get dirt under your nails :lol: just giving the horse a good scratch where he/she is itchy(or not) and Bam the mud gone.


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## jody111 (May 14, 2008)

I bath my horse and then do a warm baby oil bath all over (warm water with a decent couple of squirts of baby oil... ) agitate the water dip sponge on and wipe over horse. put in a fleece blanky to dry off then cover and turn out as normal (Or stable etc...)

doesnt make them slippery at all


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## bellagris (Dec 6, 2010)

Sarahandlola said:


> The vaseline on the Bridle sounds good! Don't people put it on the horses face and other areas to add shine? Or is that just baby oil?


Lots of really good ideas!

For shine on the body after we used show sheen we actually spray them down with fly spray and wipe with our hands, it adds a lot of shine. And for the face we use Silverados Face Glow, it works fantastic, my mare has grey around her eyes and on her nose and it shined it right up for the shows.


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## Horserider33 (Jun 21, 2011)

jody111 said:


> I bath my horse and then do a warm baby oil bath all over (warm water with a decent couple of squirts of baby oil... ) agitate the water dip sponge on and wipe over horse. put in a fleece blanky to dry off then cover and turn out as normal (Or stable etc...)
> 
> doesnt make them slippery at all


does this make them shine too? like for shows? im trying to find something that i can do to make my horse really shine for halter but where i can ride him later in a pleasure class without the saddle slipping all over.


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## jody111 (May 14, 2008)

Yep really shiney - will find a pic of my girl who would have been done the day before:



















Shes known as the shiney pony amoung my friends


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## kayleeloveslaneandlana (Apr 10, 2011)

I have a grey and he's ALWAYS dirty. But I give him a bath the day before, and somehow he always knows to stay nice and clean. Sparkley horse! . And then I have a dun who can hide EVERYTHING!


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## Eclipse295 (Nov 30, 2010)

On the bottoms of white tails where they have the habit of turning yellow out at pasture I use tide laundry detergent, It really works!!! I use just a little bit. 

If your horse gets shavings in its braids, use a small, short-bristled brush to gently remove them without damaging any of your artwork. 

If you have a breed that has feathers(such as the Clydesdale) you can put wood shavings in them to help keep them a little cleaner(tip I learned from a friend who shows drafts)

If you have to do quick hose offs or spot baths using water then if you put rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and spray it on, it will help speed up drying time

A little bit of rubbing alcohol on a clean cloth wiped on the horse with the hair can get some of the small last minute dust, especially helpful in dusty arenas.


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## Mythilus (Aug 16, 2010)

I think having the local horse-crazy kid around helps, if there is no horse show mum/hubby/boyfriend/partner/person. My friend's daughter is nuts about horses and quite competent, and will happily run around at a show, brushing, baby oiling, show sheening and touching up my mare whenever she can, then gets excited when we win something, shouting "That the horse _I_ groom!"

A tip I got for horses with black stockings (your buckskins, bays, etc) is Shapley’s Show Touch Up spray. You spray it on their stockings to make them look more solid and neater. Unfortunately they don't have it for white socks and stockings! But for that I recommend baby powder then spraying hairspray on.

And for horses with wonky markings, boot polish works great to cover up odd spots of white and to straighten your more curved blazes.


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## Horserider33 (Jun 21, 2011)

jody111: thanks!! i will try the baby oil this weekend (thats the nearest show). i might still use show sheen on the legs, booty, shoulders, and neck but for the saddle area ill leave it and try what you suggested.


also, i bathe the day before a show. i shampoo hair and body and rinse. i leave the mane if i braid or band it, conditioner makes it slippery. for the tail i put conditioner (human or horse brands. i use both and it all works fine) in and i work it through. the conditioner will moisturize the tail and help detangle it too. after working it in, hand pick through the tail until there's almost no more tangles (this also helps the tail grow from, oh whats the word... ummmm, its kinda like the sensation of rubbing the tail and stuff like that) anyway, then i kinda shake the tail and stand back and look. this makes small, thin tails poof up (good thing not bad lol) and big, thick tails look poofy but neat. if your horse has a big tail and this poofs it up too much just wrap your hand around the tail and wring your hand all the way to bottom of the tail. this leaves it poofy but pushes the hair together a little so that there's not too much poof. if there are spots that are a little less poofy and look funny pull the strands out away from the tail and let it fall. it should look evenly poofy. it makes my pleasure horse look like he has a fake tail in even though he doesnt. i dont brush the tail at all i just pick it and that works alone. brushing it makes it smaller looking doing the opposite of what you want. i hope this helps!!


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