[flyingmonkeys2]

NEVER EVER BRUSH THEIR TAILS!
after washing then and using a good conditioner, I put in show sheen and then just pick threw all the knots.... This keeps your horses tail from breaking off and thining out.

[lilrider]

Originally Posted by flyingmonkeys2

NEVER EVER BRUSH THEIR TAILS!
after washing then and using a good conditioner, I put in show sheen and then just pick threw all the knots.... This keeps your horses tail from breaking off and thining out.

Actually brushing it to make it look full and thick is ok... briushing to get the tangles out is not ok. As long as you are not pulling hairs out I think its fine.

[WesterPlesure]

ahh my horse is always so clean lol i can;t stand her being dirty drives me bonkers!But when i give her a bath after shampooing if you use half a bottle of show shin (after the horsie is dry) and then add condtioner and baby condtioner. Spary that on their body in there tails and mae it makes them really soft and shiney. Umm washing your horse alot in the summer then the day befor you brack out the winter blankies give the horse a really nice warm bath and it keeps there coat smoother and it prevents thouse icky winter coats after winter ^_^. i have more but i don't know what others said so yeah.

[DressageGirl]

Originally Posted by lilrider

If you want a thicker fuller tail do not use hairspray. It is damaging to horses hair just like it is to ours. It can easily cause breaking of the hairs and if at the dock that means a less full less thick tail.

It works for me, but maybe I should have mentioned to carefully remove it afterwards........

[Kizza]

I was legs and tails, carefully brush through the tail while it's wet and then loosely plait the bottom. I really scrub the legs, especially Ace cause she's got feathers. Then I towel dry the legs. I brush then over with a dandy to get the mud off, and sometimes use a big flicka brush over after to get the dust out. Carefully brush through their manes, band it into sections, and then plait and roll up the sections.
If the legs are totally dry, I get baby powder and whiten the legs with that. Dinah doesn't have much white so I don't ususally bother with her but I do with Ace. Then I put a little powder on their blazes just to make them sparkly white. (and I always wash the powder off b/c it dries up skin or something like that)
I get a damp towel or cloth and just run that over to get off any loose hair and then spray them with coat shine/show sheen/whatever you want to call it.
By this time the tail is usually dry(ish) so I undo the plait and spray it with detangled stuff and brush it through again. Then french plait the top.

And then go do whatever I'm gonna do!

[Barefoot]

This isnt really a show tip as such - but i LOVE hessian or Jute rugs.
They work wonders on thier coats, pulls the dead hairs out and buffs at the same time.
Only, it does't reach those shallow areas, ie behind elbow/legs/flank.

[SouthernChick]

Okay here are a few tricks that I use at my stable.....

Body clipping your horse in the winter will make grooming and cooling out much easier. If it is warm enough, give your horse a soap bath before you clip him. Do a final rinse with a fabric softener solution. This will make the clippers glide through his coat and reduce the number of tramlines. If it is too cold to bath your horse, a thorough grooming is a good idea. Dirt dulls the blades and leaves the coat looking rough. When you have finished clipping, dip a rag in either warm water and baby oil or warm water and alcohol, ring it out, and go over the entire horse. This will remove loose hair and scurf and leave your horse smooth and shiney. Be sure to keep a clipped horse warm and dry.


When you give your horse a bath, rinsing with white vinegar will help to remove the soap. White vinegar also acts as a natural hair conditioner and fly repellant.


Put half a cup of pine cleaner and half a cup of fabric softener in a small bucket of hot water. Wring out a rub rag in this mixture and use it to remove dust, dirt, and germs from the coat. This solution will also soften the coat and leave a great shine.


To untangle a matted tail, wash it with soap and water. Ivory liquid will work well. Rinse and apply a hair conditioner following the instructions on the bottle. Allow the tail to dry and then carefully untangle the mat. A plastic comb with large teeth will work well. You will loose some tail hair as the tangle comes out. For a really bad tangle, repeat the process a couple of times.

hope I helped

[twhlvr]

One of the horses I show is bald faced...I got so tired of getting him all clean, only to have his white face get all dirty right away from his halter, so now I keep a new, clean halter in a zipped plastic bag and only use it after his bath and to go to the show...when we get home, the halter gets put away until next time. It's helped keep his white face nice and clean

[horsesR4life]

well i cant compete with everyones great ideas (i will be using them )

but if you have a horse with white markings, use white chalk to cover up any last minute stains (they always find a way )

use vaseline to rub onto their noses (some people say you can put it near their eyes, i dont know if you would want to do that....) this will put an extra SPARKLE to your horse's overall shiny look.

[QuarterPonyGrl]

great thread! my friend has a paint, and he always manages to get himself dirty at shows. so, she keeps a spray bottle of Green Spot Out and a rag on hand to clean any last minute stains. hope that helped a bit.