[hil529]

what do i need to do?
obviously he will get a bath, but what else should i do?

should i braid him up? leave it out?

how do i keep a stocking white over night with a pony who will go to ALL means necessary to get dirty.

any tips would be great!!!
ive never done it before, and have 4 weeks to learn everything

[Mutrok]

What breed horse and what type of show?

[hil529]

hes a pony. its not a rated show or anything. its an open schooling show. but there is a real judge, melvin dutton, and it is a real show, just open to anybody.

[firefly881]

I bath the horse and clip after the horse is dry (helps to keep the clippers clean and sharp).

When bathing, make sure you get all the soap out. You will be able to tell if you got all the soap or not by using a sweat scraper after you rinse. Once my horse is almost dry, I put on a sheet to help keep him clean. I always keep the horse stabled the night before the show. It helps tremendously to keep them clean. My horse has a leg with white markings. After he has gotten a bath and been clipped, I spray show sheen on a towel and wipe down all four legs with it, giving an extra dose to that white area.

With clipping, I do a bridlepath, the long feelers around the eyes, the whiskers on the nose, the visible hairs inside the nose, under the jaw, around the coronet, up the back of the leg from coronet to knee, and all of the white on the leg. Do not clip the eyelashes!

The morning of the class I start by cleaning out my horses feet and blacking them. If a horse has white legs and the corresponding lack of pigment in the hoof, I use clear hoof polish. My horse has a combination hoof where part is black and part lacks pigment so I get to use black and clear (I do the black first). I do feet in pairs. While the first pair of feet are drying, I work on the mane and tail and getting them tangle free. I do put show sheen in the mane and tail, but I don't braid. Once the hoof black is dry I black the other pair. I have a board that horses stand on so stuff doesn't stick to the polish while it is drying. I also black the chestnuts (even on chestnut horses).

Then I groom my horse using clean brushes. I keep a set of brushes that are only for shows. I do lightly curry, then a stiff brush, and a soft brush. I then go over the horse with a towel.

When it is getting closer to the time to head to the ring, I add gel to my horse's mane along the crest and to the top of the tail so I can part it. I use a rubber band in the forelock and tuck it under the bridle. I make sure to wash my horse's ears, around the eyes, the nose, in between the hind legs, and under the tail. I use a little baby oil on the bridlepath, under the tail, around the eyes, and on the nose.

Make sure your tack is clean and that you are presentable looking.
I have never braided for an in hand/halter class even horses that I have shown hunt seat. Part of that is due to the fact that I have Morgans and it's not a requirement to braid for any class. It's not necessary to braid any horse at an open show.

Make sure you practice setting up with your horse at home so it knows what to do when in the ring. All four feet should be square.

This is all the stuff I could think of off the top of my head. I've been doing this sort of thing for so long that it's second nature and I've probably forgotten to mention something. It's difficult to actually stop and think about it. I'm sure other people will have suggestions for you too. Let me know if you need anything clarified. Good luck with the show!

[hil529]

wow! thanks so much!!!

i will try my best to get him clean .. although i think it will be a problem because he does his best to get dirty, even in the stall. hed actually be better off out because hes out on grass, and in the stall he gets worse. however, im going to braid him and that DEFF wont stay in if he does out. lol. too many things to scratch on.

wish us luck ;] lol we are gona need it.


just one dilemma we have for preparing .. he does not bath. you cant get near him with a hose. we are working on it but no wear near good enough for a whole bath. so im thinking i may just spend a few hours sponge bathing him. and hope that works well enough.

either that or the vet did say we could just give him some tranqs to bath him, but i really dont want to do that. i have using them unless absolutely necessary, and this is not necessary. well it is for showing, but it is only a schooling show. i just want the best for him.

[Preppy_Ponies]

My boy loves to get as dirty as possible as well! I really like using some Vetrolin shine spray every few days. It seems to help a lot when it's time to clean him up, the dirt just comes right off. I like it a lot better than other sparys like showsheen.

Give him the best sponge bath you can and hopefully that will be good enough. Make sure you clip him up nice and neat. Clip his bridlepath, muzzle, underside of his jaw, the long ones above and below his eyes(not his eyelashes), inside and egdes of ears, fetlock, corenet band and anywhere else that needs it.

Make sure his mane is the right length for what you do. Pull it if you need to and try to avoid cutting it. Make sure to condition his tail and work out any tangles.

If you are planning on braiding the night before I would recommend getting a sleazy for him. You can put it on after you braid to keep the braids in place and to counteract any ribbing on his part.

If you are really having trouble with the white sock you can rub some baby powder in to it. It really does the trick! Just make sure you put the baby powder on before the hoof polish.

Are you going to show in a halter or bridle? Whichever it is make use it is in good shape and as clean as can be. If using a halter make sure it is a nice leather one and use a leather lead if you can. For a bridle make sure it is breed/ disicpline appropriate and is well fitted to your pony.

And between now and the show make sure you practice the things you will need to do in the class. Have little practice sessions in the ring and if you can have someone tape you so you can go back and see anything that needs work.

But most of just have fun at the show

[hil529]

thanks ... yeah well his stocking gets really dirty .. but it is sooo easy to clean. strange i know. but thats easier than the rest of his body! lol

we are going to be using a halter. for this show at least. i posted another thread about what halter to buy him (i dont have a nice enough one so im going to buy a new one)
halter class help
if you can help with that too that'd be great!!! idk if i should bling it out, or keep it simple ;[



im going to practice right now! lol ill video tape it and post it to get critiques

[irideazip]

do a bucket bath! Just fill a bucket with water and a dime sized amount of soap and rubb a sponge or rag all over him dipping int he bucket constantly to clean it. It will clean him up alright....and clip beofre the bath...much easier. Wrap his white foot with vet wrap or a polo after you show sheen the cr.ap out of it to keep it white and YES, i would braid

[hil529]

thanks guys