Comments on: How to Groom Your Horse for an English Show

on 5/4/2007 If you have a leather saddle that has wear marks because was your "favorite" show saddle, dont get rid of it! All you need is kiwi shoe polish. It comes in different colors & makes your saddle look like almost new!

on 9/20/2006 Never use a show shine on the mane and tail before plaiting it as it is very difficult, although when finished, it is a great finishing touch.

on 9/19/2006 If you have a fuzzy girth or sheep skin, use a wired brush (a brush you would use for a Collie dog or Poodle) and brush the girth and sheep skin, it will fluff it up and take out stains.

on 8/8/2006 A day or two before the show, wash your horse once with cheap shampoo to get rid of dirt. Then, using gloves, a bucket and a sponge use washing bleach (I use "Blue-o"). For a large horse, tip the whole bottle into the bucket and add about the same amount of water. Using the sponge, wipe the Blue-o all over the horse till he is blue. Leave for a few minutes and then wash off. Follow this with a horse shampoo to give the coat an extra shine, and to wash out any blueness that may remain.

Another tip: Do not feed your horse while it has a bit in it's mouth! It is hard for them to get it over the bit and ends up making them froth at the mouth.

on 8/8/2006 If there are stray hairs sticking up from your horse, and you don't want to start over, just use hair spray like you do for your own hair.

on 8/8/2006 If your horse is misbehaving (shying when there's nothing there, bucking, kicking, etc.) look around, for shying there might be something making the light shine in their eye. My horse when she bucked it was because she didn't feel comfortable riding in mud so as soon as we switched surfaces she went great. With kicking and tossing her head was because she was really anoyed with flys. So when your horse does something look around and make sure YOU're not the one making the mistake!

on 8/8/2006 My horse has a really thick mane, and I just couldn't get all the tangles out. So I tried a normal human hairbrush on his mane and he looked the star of the show. It really worked and it didn't break the hairs either!

on 8/8/2006 The day before the show, make sure your horse is not stiff or lame. Keep checking over and over. After that, give your horse a rubdown. Then curry your horse and brush your horse the next day. Do this on show day, too.

on 8/8/2006 Warming up not only prepares your horse physically for your class, but also gives you the chance to mentally prepare. So, when everyone else is trotting and cantering aimlessly around the ring, try a few of these exercises to get their focus on you. Shows can be extremely stressful and exciting, it's easy to get distracted. These exercises will not only keep them focused, but also get them responding to your aids better. Thus reducing your risk of struggles in the ring. So, without further ado -

- Lots, and lots, and lots of movements. I would definitely suggest schooling haunch and forehand turns even if you don't ride Dressage or Western. Try this exercise. First start out straight, and side pass to the right a few feet, stop, and perform a quarter haunch turn until you've turned 90 degrees, keep your horse slightly bent in the direction of travel. After this, side pass again to the right and repeat the turn 90 degrees, keep doing this until you make a full square. Once your "box" is completed reward, trot, walk, or canter straight for a bit and stop and repeat, do this in both directions. It's excellent for getting their attention.

- As I said, work on lots of movements, mix them up, trot around the ring a bit and stop and do a forehand turn, canter off and do some half passes, then go ahead and try haunch turns, side passes, etc.

- Work on pushing their hip and shoulder around, this is awesome for improving their gait(it will feel amazing after ten minutes, so I suggest short sessions of this before your show to improve their gaits). Bring your inside rein to your hip to bring their head around (no jerking, no pulling, no death grips, focus on lighter hands) in a small circle, bringing your inside leg discreetly behind the girth push their hip out. Make sure you have contact with your outside rein as well, your hands may have to widen slightly. You can do a variety of things; shoulder-in, hip-in, shoulder-out, hip-out. Try it in a straight line after you master the circles and work in both directions. Try completing a circle, trotting a little ways and completing it again for about five minutes each direction. I also find this effective in calming a horse, if they're getting to fast than work on this and bring them back. It's also great for flexibility, coordination, and even helps with horses that are arthritic.

- Back your horse up, continue backing circles. This may look stupid, but it will get your horse's mind on you,

- Try working on simple lead changes using the hip-out exercise. Choose a straight long line across the arena and begin trotting when you come to the end of this line complete a circle pushing the horses hip out, when the circle is completed canter on the lead in the direction the hip was pushed (i.e. if the hip was pushed left canter on the left lead). Canter down the line and do the hip-out exercise pushing their hip toward the left again at the trot immediately, canter down the line on the left lead and repeat. When they master this start working on the simple lead changes, at the end of the line do hip-out and canter on the left lead. Halt in the middle and switch to the right lead, at the end break to a trot and circle right, canter on the right, simple lead change, and so on. You can mix this up as well. For instance; circle left, canter on the left lead, break to the trot and circle right and canter back down on the right lead.

All of these tips are compatible with any breed, any discipline.

on 8/8/2006 Don't put Show Sheen where the saddle rests unless you are doing a halter class. If you do, the saddle will slip all over the place and could be a problem if your horse bloats, spooks easily or you don't have great balance yet. If you are doing a halter class along with riding classes, spray (or wipe) Show Sheen around the legs, haunches and forehand. Your horse's natural shine should be enough and it's only a small area.

on 8/8/2006 I use Xcaliber rugs on my horses. I find that they give them a great natural shine, they even keep them dry and mud-free on rainy days! A Hechum rug also works well in getting rid of loose hair and gives them a shine, also.

on 8/8/2006 Before you enter the show ring, wipe your horse off with a clean swiffer towel (yeah thats right, the thing you wipe your floors off with) and then put on some show sheen! The swiffer towel will take the dust off the horse and the show sheen makes em' shiny!

on 7/25/2006 The best thing I have ever used on my horse's main and tail is Mr.Sheen. It definitely beats anything else I've used! It helps keep the hair together while helping with fly aways and split ends. And it gives an amazing soft and shiny look without feeling yucky. Do try this, honestly, it's amazing.

on 6/30/2006 I have an Appaloosa, and when I wash her, I always use Equinade Glo-White Shampoo! It is a fantastic product and really brings out the white highlights!

PHP Top Tails is great for untangling knots in the horses mane or tail, and keeps dust and grime away, as well as adding shine!

Buy a cotton rug set, including a rug, hood and tail bag, if you are planning to compete a lot.

on 6/30/2006 When braiding your mane or tail, never put showsheen on before you braid it or it will be too slippery. But getting it damp works great.