Comments on How to Groom Your Horse for an English Show

If you are braiding your horse's mane, plait backward and across. The plaits will stay in better. If you're braiding the mane the night before a show, put a hood on your horse when you are finished braiding.

You never want to start braiding at 10:00pm the night before the show! You will get tired and frustrated and your horse will pick up on it. Begin braiding your horses mane and tail before dark.

As you may already know, horses get very tense and alert at shows. To help soothe them, choose a less severe bit than normal and use looser reins. This has been effective for myself and a few friends who have been riding in shows since they could walk.

The day before a show, bathe your horse, clip him (shave all white legs, white on the face and all other whiskers), band or braid the mane, put the tail in a tail bag to keep it clean, then put a sheet and a quilted blanket on them, as well as a sleazy to make their mane lay flat. Before you go in the ring polish their hoofs, and spray them with a shine spray.

When you clip your horse, the main areas you need to focus on are the ears, the muzzle, the hair under the jawbone, the bridle path, and the fetlocks. When clipping the ears, if you want just a tidying up job, pinch the ear shut and run the clippers against the folded ear. When clipping the muzzle, run the clippers up against the grain of the hair for the closest shave. When clipping under the jawbone, lightly run the clippers just to tidy up the hair underneath. When clipping the bridle path, shave the hair so there is a close shave without seeing flesh. Finally, when clipping the fetlocks, trim off the hair so that there is only a little hair left. Trust me, this clipping job scores valuable points with the judges!

To give your horse an extra shine and if you have the time, instead of pasturing it, keep it out of the sun such as a stall. Also putting oil in the grain will help with the shine too.

Never give your horse carrots. Orange foam will be everywhere and you might get points off for looks. If you are going to give your horse a treat before a show, I recommend Mrs. Fields horse cookies. The cookies are delicious and good for your horse's health!

Don`t feed your horse treats (such as carrots) right before your event. Wait until afterward. You don`t want orange foam all over your horse's muzzle (or you) while in the ring!

You never want to start braiding at 10:00pm the night before the show! You will get tired and frustrated and your horse will pick up on it. Begin braiding your horses mane and tail before dark.

I always make a checklist when I am getting everything ready for a show. Heres a list of the things in my show kit: Body brush Curry comb Dandy brush Hoof pick It's always good to have extras, and make sure they're clean. You can wash your body brushes and dandy's in a bit of water. Make sure you get them dry. Sponges, clothes, scrubbing brushes, and household items always come in handy. Don't forget Show Sheen, hoof polish (paint hooves last), braiding bands, combs, and a bot egg knife. It's always good to spend hours on your horse, even if you think your horse is perfect. Wash your horse before a show. Sometimes hours before, or the night before. Don't forget about rugs, to keep your horse as clean as possible.

If you find it hard to do lots of braids in your horses mane, then just do a running plait. It looks great and you will stand out from the crowd, too. It also takes less time then braiding the whole mane, leaving you with a chance to have more time in bed before the show.

For some horses, shows are very scary. Even if you did not win a ribbon, you still need to reward your horse. Your horse is the one doing the most work. Never punish your horse for doing a bad job. Try your best and have fun. I remember when I had no horse to ride in a show and I was so scared. They put me on a horse that spooked (literally) every second and it was so fast. Me and Earl Grey won third place (a rider on this beautiful Quarter horse didn't place and she started smacking the horse with the crop).

If it gets really hot I recommend wearing a sleeveless show shirt, and don't put your jacket on until your class begins so you don't get dehydrated or overheated. Also, always have plenty of cold water and Gatorade. Make sure your horse has plenty of cool water.

To keep your horse's tail extra soft and shiny, use Johnson's baby oil!

A candlewick bedspread is a very effective "rug" to help dry your horse off after a bath. Nice and cheap from a car boot sale or ask your Gran!

If you are braiding your horse's mane, plait backward and across. The plaits will stay in better. If you're braiding the mane the night before a show, put a hood on your horse when you are finished braiding.

To make your horse's hooves stay dark and moisturised afetr you wash your horse apply a very small amount of clear hoof oil to your horse's hooves straight after washing. Work it well into the horn with your fingers. The next morning the hooves won't have that dry, whiteish look that you can get after washing and hoof oil will stay on better at the show.

If you are going to bathe your horse before an event, do not wash his mane and tail more than a week before. If you do, the plaits will fall out before you get to your class!

When preparing for a horse show, wash the horse two days before the show so that the horse has time to regain the natural oils in its coat and it shines. But be sure to put some clean rugs on him and not let him roll or sweat.

if your horse has a scar on one of its hocks or legs and they haev baclk points, an excelent way to cover them up is to use shoe polish.. it comes up great and stays on longer than any horse chalk. this is an awsome way to cover up any scars for black brown or white on the day of a show.

If your horse spooks in the show ring, and the judge sees this, you're not out of the running. If the judge sees that you know how to handle your horse when it spooks, the judge will be respectful of that. You may not get first place, but you probably won't get disqualified either!

When going to a show, bring some white chalk or baby powder with you. Rub the chalk or powder on any of your horse's white markings, or on white manes and tails to make them glow.

The day before a show, give your horse a bath, depending on the weather.

It is always a good idea to bring all of your grooming items with you to the horse show so you can groom before your event. Also, put a summer sheet on your horse the night before the show and put him in a stall so he won't get dirty.

When you clip your horse, the main areas you need to focus on are the ears, the muzzle, the hair under the jawbone, the bridle path, and the fetlocks. When clipping the ears, if you want just a tidying up job, pinch the ear shut and run the clippers against the folded ear. When clipping the muzzle, run the clippers up against the grain of the hair for the closest shave. When clipping under the jawbone, lightly run the clippers just to tidy up the hair underneath. When clipping the bridle path, shave the hair so there is a close shave without seeing flesh. Finally, when clipping the fetlocks, trim off the hair so that there is only a little hair left. Trust me, this clipping job scores valuable points with the judges!