[elle]

does anyone know of a way to give your horse a really REALLY good shine??...also is it ok to use human shampoo on a horse, coz my friend does, and im not sure if ur meant to

[Blistering Winds]

Most human shampoos are ok. As long as your horse isn't hypersensitive to the ingredients.

I use mane and tail on my sorrels. It really brings the reds out on a horse. I've used the 97 cent Suave shampoo and conditioner (but I rinse the conditioner out)

Just don't get the one's for "oily hair'. They strip the horse's hair too much.

[CANDYGIRL]

Elle,

I have only ever used Human Shampoo on their manes and tails, and conditioner. I find that they lather up so much on the body, that it is real hard to rinse all out. The horsey ones, which aren't exspensive don't give as much lather(hope I'm spelling that right), so are eaeier to get out, and you don't get scurfy problems.

I am no good at conversions, but the one I use is called Bloom over here in UK, and it's about £2.50 a bottle, and will last me 3 baths.

Now if you want a really really good shine, and mines is grey, hard to get a shine on, and only used it for affiliated shows, because expensive is Asorbene, shampoo, then their show sheen. On his tail and Mane, which are black at the minute, winter and rolling, I would use Happy Tails for Silver manes and tail. His tail would turn blue while washing it but when rinsed out would be a lovely silvery white.

[H/J Princess]

For shiny tails, I'm a huge advocate of Pantene Pro-V believe it or not...my horses tails end up really silky and don't break as much. For my gray I use QuikSilver shampoo, and for my dark bay i generally use this shampoo by Rio Vista that makes him look darker (he's also on Black as Knight which helps a lot too).

[CANDYGIRL]

H/J

I use Pantene on Pics tail and the conditioner, and agree, it's great(wish it had the same affect on my mane)

[elle]

ohh good, because yeh, i just wasnt too sure. Well i am a big fan of pantene pro V for my hair so maybe ill test is out on dainty. well thank you all.

luv ellie

[jrmorgan]

The number one thing in shiny hair coats is a healthy horse! Good nutrition and worming work wonders on a coat. You can also feed corn oil or a coat supplement. I use one called super 14 with good results. We also feed our horses two cups of alfalfa pellets at each meal, which is good for their coats. Alfalfa hay is supposed to be really good too but it costs like $10 a bale here in texas and with four horses thats just too much for us!

The next thing is to keep him from getting furry! Furry horses do not shine like slick ones. This means at least keeping him warm under blankets and many people (myself included)keep their horses under lights 16 hours a day, which makes the horse thing its summer so he doesn't grow a long hair coat. Don't expect a pasture kept horse to stay as slick in winter as one who is stalled under lights all day. Also put a "sleezy" or lycra hood on your horse. It will rub his coat and polish it!

I wash my mane's and tails once a week with Aussie shampoo and then condition with mane and tail leave in conditioner. I keep the tails braided and bagged.

Be careful not to bathe your horse too often. We only bathe right before shows. If you bathe him all the time it will strip off the oils which make him shine. This is an old secret of both horses and humans. Ask a supermodel how often she washes her hair and you'll be amazed. It's usually only once a week.

The next thing is to keep the sun off the horse. If you turn him out, have him fully blanketed with a hood and try to turn him out at night rather than during the day when its warm outside. When you ride, if you are outdoors at least, spray him with a commercial fade protector and a sunscreen.

Make sure you brush your horse every day. Curry like crazy, that's the most important part! After you curry, use a hard bristle brush followed by a soft one. You should spend no less than 30 mins on brushing. If you can get ahold of a vacuum, then do that every day too. Then spray a commercial coat conditioner (I use one made by Sante Fe), followed by a coat polisher like show sheen or laser sheen. Use your hands to rub in, all over his body (but not where the saddle goes, because it will make him SLICK!). Using your hands brings out the natural oils and helps work the polish into the coat.

Do all this and you should have lovely shiny horses!

[Pony Magic]

Human shampoos are not specifically pH balanced for horses it won't hurt them to occasionally bathe them with human shampoo, it would be better to use a shampoo more specifically designed for the job. There are alot of good horse shampoos available and I'm a big fan of Rio Vista Products. I specifically like the Herb N Oats Shampoo and Mane and Tail and Mane conditioner. The tail and Mane conditioner great for detangling tails and manes too!

[The Flying Moose]

jrmorgan: You say that there is no better way to get a shiny horse then by keeping them healthy, but you also say that you keep your horse in most of the day. A healthy horse should be kept outside as long as possible, so they get fresh air.

Also, rinsing with plain water doesn't strip the natural oils, so do it as often as you like.
My horse gets bathed after every ride in the summer when she is sweaty with just plain water, and gets a soapy bath before every show, which is pretty much every week or every second week for about 4-5 months.

[belle4]

I have kept horses both ways inside and out. When we lived in Louisiana, Joe was boarded at a big facility (46 horses) on only 10 acres. He was in a stall all day and all night. He was under lights, blankets hoods, slinkeys the whole deal. He had minimal turnout, maybe 2 hours, two times a week. He was worked daily, sometimes twice. He was fed minimal hay because hay was $6-7 a bale. We were showing heavily. He was fit and buff. His coat gleamed and he always performed beautifully. He was eager to see us, always calling and hanging his head over the door. He did need to be lunged to blow the stink off before we rode.

We have since moved to Michigan and keep the horses on 50 acres. We put up our own hay and only feed oats and corn mixture in the winter. Joe did get grain in the summer because he was showing. The other 4 horses did not, only pasture. They are all fat as ticks. The horses are out 24/7 when it's about 40 or there abouts. He does have a winter coat, no blankets here. It would be impossible to keep a horse slick when it is -10 outside. Also, it would not be fair. He is allowed to be more of a horse and is still successful in the show ring. Our last shows were in Oct. and many of the horses had winter hair. Our first show in 2004 will be in March and they will still have winter hair. There are pros and cons to both methods. When you are hauling for points to promote your horse, yourself, your farm, or your stud, you will do what ever it takes to stay competitive. Horse showing is expensive. People that haul are going to win. We go to have a good time, but we haul to win also. You can stay at home and play, it's free. Your horse needs to be peak and keeping them in is a good way to make sure they are. Sure, there are always accidents but in is less likley that out. Those have been my experiences and both ways have worked for me.