How do you get your horse to shine like a SUPERSTAR?
Tips for your Horse's beste appearance for a show, photoshoot, or event.
A show is coming up, or a photoshoot, or maybe it's the annual trail ride with friends. How do you make sure your horse looks its best? In this article, I’ll give you some tips to make your horse shine. These tips are geared towards shows but are also useful for photoshoots and other occasions when you want your horse to stand out.
Experienced riders know that you can't wait until just before a show to focus on your horse's appearance. With balanced nutrition and regular grooming, your horse should stay in good condition year-round. Then you can fine-tune details such as hooves, mane, and tail in the two weeks leading up to the show or photoshoot, etc.
Grooming should be part of your horse's daily regimen. Daily grooming of the coat stimulates the hair follicles and massages the skin, resulting in a natural shine. Be sure to include the base of the tail and mane. Use a comb or your fingers to gently remove any dirt and tangles from the mane and tail and massage the base. To activate hair regrowth, you can use Original MTG. The most important thing, however, is that a radiant coat starts from within. Your horse needs a diet that suits him/her and the required performance. Often, a dull coat is the first sign of poor health. A horse in poor physical condition due to parasites, a painful mouth, malnutrition, or an underlying health problem is simply never 'show-ready'. Always consult your vet if in doubt. Also, be mindful of what your horse eats in the days leading up to the show. You don't want any sudden changes in the diet that can upset his digestion.
If your show class requires your horse to have short and neat manes, try to maintain this all year round. If your horse doesn't mind having his mane pulled, using a pulling comb and pulling a little daily after training should do the job. If you keep up with it, you won't have much to do the day before the show. Never pull from the top; always pull hairs from underneath and only a few at a time. Every time you clean and brush the tail, you can decide whether to leave it loose or braid it and put it in a tail bag. Don't braid without a tail bag, as a braid is more likely to get caught and pull out a chunk of hair. If the tail is loose, there's less chance of pulling out a chunk of hair because it will simply comb through if it gets caught on something. If a braid gets caught, there's a high chance of pulling out a chunk from the top. Also, consider the season. If there are flies, ensure a loose tail or multiple tail bags. For many horses, such as Reining horses, the tail is often tied up while being ridden to prevent stepping on it and pulling out hairs.
Once you have an effective grooming routine, it's time to focus on the details for the show. For many trainers, the ideal time to shoe a horse is one to two weeks before a show. You don't want your horse shod right before the show, as there's always the risk of nail pricks or sensitivity. During the show or photoshoot, your horse's hooves must be in perfect condition. Work with your farrier to find the best timing and plan the shoeing so that your horse is not shod right before the show, minimizing the risk.
To avoid possible side effects, such as stiff or sore muscles, do not vaccinate your horse just before the show. Many competition organizations do not allow this either.
Start washing your horse at least a week in advance. Many horses get dirty again in between, but the first wash makes it easier to clean them again the day before the show. If you wash at the last moment, you may need to use shampoo two or three times, which is too much for the skin, even with a horse-friendly product. Don't forget to wash your horse's head. You might let the shampoo sit on the head for a while, so you don't have to scrub as hard. The week before a show, but also during the show, a color-enhancing shampoo like UltraCruz Bright White shampoo or Black Diamond shampoo is ideal. The first is especially useful if you have a palomino, buckskin, or other light-colored horse with a lot of white. The Black Diamond is especially recommended for horses with a lot of black, like bay-colored horses with black tails, manes, and legs.
For a well-groomed appearance, you can touch up excess hair growth with clippers or scissors. If you're going to clip, I advise doing this three to four days before the show unless you're a real professional! Always use clippers or scissors on a clean horse for the best result and to preserve your blades. To do the ears, you can gently fold the ear 'taco-style' with one hand and trim the edges and any protruding hairs with your other hand. Do not shave the ears out, as the hair in the ear provides protection against insects. Trim the head by removing any long hairs on the jawline. You can also remove the so-called 'third ear' with clippers, so everything around your bridle lies smoothly.
Shaving or braiding the top of the tail shows off the horse's hindquarters and gives the illusion of a more formed and muscular hindquarters. For a neat leg, remove all the long hairs along the back of the legs, pasterns, and around the coronet band. For the Allround classes, you can also shave the legs. However, do not do this for horses that, for example, compete in Reining and wear leg protection. Due to the nature of the discipline, the sand creates more friction on the skin, making shaved skin more prone to irritation and wounds.
The day before you leave, wash your horse with a high-quality shampoo and conditioner. There are fantastic shampoos available to get your horse spotlessly clean, whiter than white, or to enhance his natural color and shine. My personal favorites are the UltraCruz shampoos. They provide a deep clean with color enhancers and/or optical brighteners to intensify the natural color and shine of the coat while thoroughly cleaning it. The shampoos are also pH balanced, so they are gentle on your horse's skin and rinse out quickly and easily. For horses with dry of sensitive skin or those suffering from tail and mane eczema, I recommend UltraCruz Plus shampoo. This shampoo also has an anti-fly effect due to its tea tree, clove, and cedarwood oils, which is always a bonus. When you wash your horse with real horse shampoo, the pH is ideal for your horse but slightly less so for you. Therefore, rinse your hands well after use, and when washing the entire coat, use the Classic Equine wash gloves. These also help massage the shampoo in well and make it lather nicely.
The optimal pH value of horse skin is between 7.0 and 7.4. For humans, a pH between 4.0 and 5.5 is optimal. Human shampoos and grooming products are designed accordingly. A product aimed at humans with an average pH value of 5 will cause your horse's skin to dry out. A pH of 7 is neutral, and pure water has this value, so fortunately, you can spray your horse with water. After washing, use a leave-in conditioner or anti-tangle/detangler gel to later comb through the mane and tail when dry. However, if you still want to braid the mane, wait with these anti-tangle products to maintain grip. Wearing a blanket and/or sleezy helps keep your horse clean during the show days or between events.
On the day itself: For horses with stable or grass stains or those needing a touch-up just before the start, I recommend Cavalor Bianco Spray. This is a dry shampoo that removes stubborn poop and grass stains at the last moment. If you have applied detangler gel to the mane and tail after washing, you can start brushing them out from the bottom. If you've used good grooming products, you shouldn't encounter huge tangles, but if you do find one, untangle it with your fingers to prevent hair loss. If you need extra detangling or shine, use a detangler spray. The spray doesn't need to be used after washing and still makes brushing easy while giving the tail and mane a beautiful shine.
Fake tails can be used to make the tail appear fuller. The horse's natural tail should be in the best possible condition before attaching a fake tail. Between shows, it’s best to wash the fake tail and then braid it and store it in a tail bag for protection. A week before the show, remove the braid and comb the fake tail so it hangs straight.
If you like to make many small braids, have the mane trimmed to the proper length before you arrive at the show. Additionally, avoid treating it with detangling products after washing. Now it’s just a matter of touching up and using good quality bands. Choose a color that matches your horse's mane or one that contrasts nicely, like white. Use mousse to lay the hair flat, and after you're done, apply a detangler spray for a beautiful shine. Trim any stray hairs and you’re all set.
To achieve a nice shine on the hooves, try Absorbine® SuperShine® Hoof Polish & Sealer. It’s available in clear or black polish and should be applied to clean hooves for a mirror shine. This polish also repels dust and dirt, keeping the hooves shiny even in the show arena. Use high-quality brushes and ideally have a separate set for each horse to prevent the spread of fungi, for example. After brushing, always generously spray your horse with fly spray if there are flies.
To make the white on your horse’s coat truly sparkle, use Show Touch Up sprays from Shapley's. The sprays come in various colors and, besides white, you can also make black legs sparkle. These sprays are also ideal for covering up scars. Always test the spray during a training session and not just before the show. With the right color choice and skillful use, it’s invisible, but if you haven’t practiced, it can look like beginner’s painting.
Just before you enter the show ring: Make sure to have a well-stocked yet organized grooming bag and take it to the warm-up arena. Preferably with a groom ;-) Cleaning and preparing your horse for a show doesn’t end in the warm-up arena. The finishing touch should be done just before your horse enters the show ring. Ensure you have at least two towels and a sponge to wipe the nose and mouth, remove sweat, and clean off any sand. Have a good quality shine brush and a hoof pick on hand just in case. You can accentuate the eyes and nose with horse makeup or oil. Do this just before entering the ring, as it attracts dust otherwise. Run a brush through the tail and mane once more. Give the legs and belly a final generous spray with fly spray if flies are present. The rest of the body gets the most important treatment: the shine spray! I have two products I really like: Hi Gloss from Shapley's and Ultra Cruz Show Polish Spray. Both products give an excellent shine. Never use these sprays before saddling up, as they make the horse so slippery that the saddle can slide. Also, let someone else spray and rub them in so you don’t get slippery hands.
It may seem like a lot of effort to get your horse show-ready, but a horse that looks good can give a big boost to your confidence. The time you spend grooming your horse’s appearance makes you look and feel like a winner, even if you don’t win.
This article can be found in issue 54 of The Western Rider! Not a subscriber yet? Go to thewesternrider.nl.
