[reiner girl]

HORSE+SHOWSHEEN= SHINE good luck at your show!!!

[irideazip]

i also do everything the night before. My schedule goes like this:

Get to the barn around 1:00 PM
groom/ride horse
clip horse
bath horse
-quik color for body
-quik silver for white parts (fetlocks, forehead)
-pert plus for mane and tail
-show-sheen or herbal essences conditioner for tail
-aussie brand leave in conditioner for tail
-do NOT put anything slippery in the mane or else you will have a really tough time braiding/banding
graze horse
band horse
show-sheen horse
put sleazy on
clean her stall
give her some fresh sawdust
put her away
organize tack for show day
put ALL equipment in horse trailer except:
-shipping halter
-shipping lead
-shipping boots
-any sheets/blankets she will wear on trailer
I am usually done with all of this by around 4-5 PM...works well for me!

[twhlvr]

I always bathe the day before...One of my guys is a light Spotted Saddle horse who loves to lay in his own manure(why are most light colored horses pigs?)...I put alot of fresh shavings in their stalls. Most of the shows we go to are larger and over a few days, so I usually have the option of bathing again at the show if necessary...so we always arrive the afternoon before. Showing Walking horses I didn't have alot of experience with banding manes....but we did get a QH last year that we show locally in WP. I band his mane the night before and put a slinky on. He doesn't tend to rub, so this works ok for him. Make sure if you do put a slinky on that it fits properly. I had a good friend who put a slinky on her horse that didn't fit right. When she went to his stall the next day he had done some real damage to his eye. The slinky had slid over his eye and he must have frantically been trying to get it off. So good fit is really important. For muzzles and eyes, I like a product called Silverado face glo(I think that's what it's called)...probably glorified vaseline...but it smells good I use baby powder or corn starch to keep white socks white. Also...I think impeccably clean tack is a must...nothing like yucky tack on a clean horse. The judge won't see your beautifully groomed horse through sloppy tack.

[bluejay]

This may have been suggested for whitening but using a spray on whitener just in those areas usually works great, and baby powder works too

[tangopony]

I always use BLUE joy Dish soap on the socks ect. it works wonders!!

[Saddlehorse_gir]

I use a bit of baby oil around the nose, eyes, and on the knees and hocks. Of course, I ride saddleseat, so I'm not sure if you would do the knees and hocks for hunter. Also, I bath at least a few days before the show so that the natural oils in his coat have time to build up again and make him even shinier. But you can bathe right before if you use a soft shampoo that won't strip out all the oils. Make sure that you don't put a red sheet over a white horse if he's still even a tiny bit damp... he'll turn pink! For the socks, I always make sure I wash them until I can see pink. For the hooves, I use sandpaper to sand them all off, paying special attention to the white ones, then I put show polish on the black ones then black hoof paint, (the shoe polish protects the hoof from absorbing the black hoof paint, and it's much easier to get off this way). Make sure you clean your tack really well, if you don't have a lot of time, at least clean the outside (the seat and flap). I use Lexol leather cleaner and lexol conditioner, it works really well, they also make lexol wipes, so it takes like 3 seconds to wipe off your saddle before going into the ring. For manes and tails, I use either MTG, showsheen, or cowboy magic. If you have a grey horse, or a horse with any white at all on him, including socks, I STRONGLY suggest you get some cowboy magic green spot remover, it's awesome. And for my last pointer, make sure you have a friend or coach or someone with 2 towels before you go into the ring, one to wipe off the horses mouth, and one to wipe of your boots (after getting on the horse). Phew, ok, now I'm tired, I'm goin to the barn now, bye.

[Saddlehorse_gir]

Sry, Shoe polish, not show polish. hehe

[QuarterPonyGrl]

the show is this sunday, so im planning on riding him on saturday, then bathing and clipping him after, then leaving him in a clean stall overnight with mane bags and a tail bag on. then on sunday morning i'll redo the mane braids and braid his tail and do the hoof polish and baby oil and sheen. after that i'll trailer him over to the show, warm him up, and do any last minute touch ups. do you think he'll stay clean overnight? i've left him in overnight before and he wasn't dirty.

[littlemoney08]

check out this!! i made a thread of it and it has a LOTTTT of awesum tips!!

How to get a horse to look its BESTT for a show!!!??

[QuarterPonyGrl]

thanx! that was a big help!

for soaping my saddle, is it better to have the spray or the bar that you lather up? should i use black hoof oil or clear? because i think he has vertical stripes on his hooves, because he's part POA. should i clip the inside of his ears out? can i use a human conditioner on him after horse shampoo? i need help! the show's in 3 days!