# Favorite Show Grooming Product



## KellyAlaska (May 7, 2012)

We have a small local show coming up in June. I have my outfit together and my apron but I need to focus on my pony. In the past he was body clipped, razored, flat ironed and shaved within an inch of his life and he hated every minuate.LOL I call him my little miniature man he does not want to be a pretty show pony. I am planning on cleaning him up but I will not be going to the extremes of using a razor on his face or body clipping ect. I am hoping those of you that show quite a bit can recommend some cannot live without show products that you recommend using on your horses and ponies. I will be showing him in halter and driving so I cannot put too much stuff on his coat that might interfere with his harness.


----------



## Marsha Cassada (May 8, 2012)

Oh, good luck! He is a handsome boy so he is bound to look great.

What did you decide to do about the bridle path?


----------



## Sue_C. (May 8, 2012)

Mineral oil. I use it to make muzzles shine, and eyes glow. It is great to put on natural feet; then wiped off, and buffed, leaves a nice semi shiny hoof that doesn't need polish remover when you get home. IF the arena isn't dusty, I also put a teeny bit on my hands, rub them together, then draw my hands through tails and manes...this makes them shine like nothing else, especially in an indoor when the lights are on. I will also do the same, running my hands across an area such as a great shoulder or hip to help accentuate it in the ring. I always carry a small concealed scrap of cloth somewhere so I can clean up a spot here and there before the judge gets to us...or just before entering the ring...and usually it has a spot of mineral oil on it.


----------



## KellyAlaska (May 8, 2012)

Thank you so much for your kind comment about my pony. I decided to allow his bridlepath to grow back. There has been a lot of braiding and banding and brushing but it is starting to look pretty good. He has graduated from the Zebra look.LOL I like my pony to have more of a natural look. I left tons of forelock and I am going to let all his bushy pony mane grow back in. I never thought about using mineral oil. That is cheap and available. I figured I would start asking now so I have plenty of time to order products and allow for delivery. I did order these braiding wires that I can't wait to try. I love the button braides people do on there horses and ponies. I am not a skilled braider so hopefully these will help. I will post a photo when we do a pre show run through.

Kelly


----------



## sundancer (May 8, 2012)

LOVE LOVE LOVE PEPI Spray on for the coats - it smells awesome too! So many people ask how I get my minis hair to glisten--- its Pepi Spray

Julie

Victory Pass Stable

Maine


----------



## susanne (May 8, 2012)

I love the natural look, but a few cosmetic effects can be nice.

Cowboy Magic. Doesn't attract dust, but in addition to removing tangles, it conditions the mane and tail and makes it glow with good health and natural (or is that semi-natural?) shine. Especially nice on black mane and tail.

Pink. Available in stores selling ethnic hair products in aerosol. Adds shine to and conditions the body coat.

For the full forelock: To avoid it getting tangled in crown, browband, winker stays, etc., braid the forelock before harnessing and then undo braid and smooth it out -- much simpler and quicker.

A sanding block can do wonders for cleaning and polishing hooves.

Cordless clippers for cleaning up the throat latch, under the chin, fetlocks, and/or any minor trims. In late spring, also handy to run down their belly to remove shagginess. I rarely do this, but when needed, it can make a huge difference.


----------



## circlesinthesand (May 9, 2012)

I read some of these suggestions and I realize the halter world hasn't changed in decades. I haven't seriously shown halter horses since the late 80's and didn't even know Pepi was still on the market!! lol.

I'll chime in here since 'natural' is all I do. I'm all for a more natural look! That's all I'm used to @ stock horse shows, reinings, cuttings etc. (where there is always dust being kicked up and all that oil and product...ick..makes a horse ugly quick, especially if they sweat any.)I like to keep them pretty bare of products on show day, a nice groom job will go a long way, start with the rough brushes (curry &stiff) and work your way to the soft brushes and rags. On show days I go all out and use every type of brush in my arsenal to pull out the natural shine. I also do a lot more prep work at home over the long term. Making sure they're fed and groomed regularly etc. and my horses usualy look great on show day. There really is nothing like elbow grease on a healthy horse. For a little help, I like to use a little Vetrolin Shine (you'd be surprised at how little I put on a big horse) on their mane, tail, hip and shoulders just after a bath while they're still wet, let 'em dry then groom to the max. I also keep an extra set of brushes that I keep super clean just for show day. Brushing a clean horse with a dirty brush on a show day...well it's useless. If I do all this, I usually just have to wipe the dust off of them with a soft cloth as needed before each class. _Clean _always attracts less dust than Pepi or any of the other sprays I've used. Dirty dulls. I do use the Vetrolin Shine pretty regularly anyway because it has a sunscreen in it and my big horses are always turned out so it keeps the hair from fading and drying out (and we have a hot intense sun here, fading is already starting to happen with my non show horses that I don't waste the product on!) So for a long term maintenance, it keeps the hair always looking healthy and nice and is awesome for keeping a tail nice and tangle free on a regular basis. I haven't seen it give any problems under tack but it is a silicone product so I also don't use it in the critical areas such as where the saddles and girth sit. Also, for braids I wouldn't recommend it or any oil based products, too slippery. 'dirty' manes are usually easier to braid. Dried hairspray (don't bother trying while it's still wet) is sometimes is good for braiding too. Once it's dry it gives the hair a little tacky feeling that will help the braid. cheap ones usualy work best, lol. The expensive 'natural' feel ones are too soft.

A decent ph balanced shampoo will also benefit the natural look and leave them with a nice shine on show day. You don't want to strip the natural oils on show day or any day for that matter....I like the Jeffer's shampoos, particularly the citronella one. It's been great for me.

For hooves, IF we do anything, we still use shoe polish and hairspray vs hoof shine that you have to remove, it's very easy to apply and easy to touch up as needed as well as it just hoses right off.

A week before the show I also like to give 'em an olive oil treatment, I put olive oil in the mane and tail and let it soak for at least a half hour (usually longer) then wash it out, rinsing well. If it's really dry hair, I might do a few of these treatments over the course of several weeks, but this is all in advance of the actual show day. I wouldn't recommend all that oil on show day, just attacks dirt and leaves 'em full of grime. oh! I have a friend who says braiding with olive oil in the mane is the best way to train manes but I haven't tried it yet. To be honest, I just remembered she said that...I think I'll be giving it a try since my little guy has zebra/donkey mane going on right now. olive oil is also great for curly hair, that want so cord into witches knots! I use it when I want to straighten my own hair, I put olive oil on before my shower on the mornings I want to straighten it, wash it out, then after I blow dry it I just have to touch it up with a flat iron and trust me I have curls in my hair! enough that all it takes is a little gel to get the curly look to come out perfect.

For stock horses, we will give them the tiniest bridle path, just about the length of my thumb which is probably around 2 inches, maybe 2.5 at the longest. Just enough to be able to place the bridle without the mane interfering. Gives a very clean but still natural look. I am trying to convince myself to give the mini's longer bridle paths to show off their neck but it's going against my grain at the moment! Again, with stock horses for the more natural appearance, we cleanup the ears but not all the way in the ear like a halter horse. I usually don't even clip, just take a pair of shears, fold the ear & trim the excess along the ear (this can be done with a clipper too, for speed) then take a pair of thinning shears and clean out some of the extra fuzz that might make them look like a fuzzy bear or might collect wax and dirt. They still have plenty of hair left for bug protection but it looks a lot cleaner that if they were just pulled out the pasture. I usually maintain that all year anyway so this is not a big deal for me on show days. Rarely, if ever, will I shave the whiskers, sometimes we'll clip off the excessively long ones, if the horse is just extremely hairy or the hair color contrasts strongly but most of the time I don't even touch it. I honestly don't think it detracts from them that much in a performance class but that's just me.

I will however clip hairy legs, sometimes even in winter (I have a very warm, wet climate, so it's mostly for health reasons as mud and hair usually leads to nasty.) Give the hair at least a week to grow back in especially if you're not experienced with a set of clippers.

Most of my show day grooming is pretty simple and I try to get most of it done well ahead of time. It's also less stress on me and the horse! Since I do so much prep grooming (I seriously groom in some form every time they come in the barn) they're very used to the routine and just settle in for the duration. It helps calm us both down.


----------



## Sue_C. (May 9, 2012)

Speaking of hoof polish, it reminded me of a hint for putting black polish on white legged horses, that I read several years ago...and works wonderfully. Use a black perm marker around the coronary band...then you don't have to get up so close to the hair with the dauber, and have much less chance of making "those" messes.

I don't like the hoof polishes either, and usually just use mineral oil, but like the shoe polish and hairspray idea. Will that hold up in the driving ring, or just halter?

Oh yes, something "new" I just found, for those who braid. You can now get braiding WIRE! So much easier than string, yarn, or elastics.


----------



## Grace67 (May 9, 2012)

circleinthesand such great tips, I'm saving these!!!


----------



## Jetiki (May 9, 2012)

There is the olive oil spray (works like Pepi) you can get at walmart or other places in the same isle as the Pink oil spray More natural but does a great job.


----------



## JMS Miniatures (May 9, 2012)

I'm personally not a huge fan of the pepi show sheens. I've used them in the past and it sure does leave a shine but I don't like how it feels on their coat. I personally like to find a sheen product that also has a conditioner in it and I use eZall Show-N-Go Shine and Conditioner. It may not get them near as shiny as pepi sheens but it really leaves their manes and tails soft and manageable and it still gives them a shine.

I also bathe mine with eZall and the more you use it the better their coats are, it doesn't harm their coats if you use it a lot like the other shampoos on the market. I also use the eZall Tail and Mane Treatment, Not the Shine and Detangler that they currently sell I used it last year and really made their hair real oily so you have to find the Tail and Mane Treatment. Besides the Show-N-Go I also use Cowboy Magic Detangler, it just gives an extra touch.

If you plan on polishing definitively get a sander or a block and sand the hooves before you polish, it really helps. I use the Ultra hoof polish.


----------



## circlesinthesand (May 9, 2012)

Sue_C. said:


> Speaking of hoof polish, it reminded me of a hint for putting black polish on white legged horses, that I read several years ago...and works wonderfully. Use a black perm marker around the coronary band...then you don't have to get up so close to the hair with the dauber, and have much less chance of making "those" messes.
> 
> I don't like the hoof polishes either, and usually just use mineral oil, but like the shoe polish and hairspray idea. Will that hold up in the driving ring, or just halter?
> 
> Oh yes, something "new" I just found, for those who braid. You can now get braiding WIRE! So much easier than string, yarn, or elastics.


I am not sure how it will hold up in a driving ring, It doesn't hold up all that well at a reining (where their going to be digging in loose sand for a slide) but to be honest unless you're riding a show that might be televised, rarely do we mess with the feet. I have never bothered with it for a cutting or cow horse show. We mostly used it on halter and showmanship horses. I've used it on Pleasure horses and the 'black' stays on rather nicely but the hairspray sheen wears off after one long class but is easy enough to reapply and dries quickly. This is not a solid packed ring like they'd used for driving though. Most of the time the arenas are pretty deep, even on the rail and the feet get covered up anyway.


----------

