Putting my money where my mouth is

[rabbitsfizz]

Kendra- Rabbit has not been rugged at all this year- no keeping him in- he is out all winter woolly and fat and covered in mud. I have not rugged, I have not stalled- he came straight out of the field and went to the show- Well, I'll admit to having bathed him and kept him in the night before the show because he can find dirt ANYWHERE- but that is it- a bath and an overall Championship!!!

 

[whitney]

I will be trying to do it the old fashion way next year.

May work and if it doesn't I can always resort to the clippers.

 

[Kendra]

Kendra- Rabbit has not been rugged at all this year- no keeping him in- he is out all winter woolly and fat and covered in mud.  I have not rugged, I have not stalled- he came straight out of the field and went to the show- Well, I'll admit to having bathed him and kept him in the night before the show because he can find dirt ANYWHERE- but that is it- a bath and an overall Championship!!!

462665[/snapback]

​

That's great for you Rabbitsfizz, and he's a beautiful colour! But there isn't a horse on my place that would be shed out like that the first week in July (which is when our local shows start, often we want to show before then) ... maybe the last week in July ... for a week or so

.... but that limits the showing options!

 

[capall beag]

You know the only way I could show my horses is the way Rabbitfizz does. I am a mother of 3 and I have tons of other chores besides my horses. My horses are a hobby and a relaxing out for me! I couldn't possibly keep up a grooming and training routine that went on for months.

Honestly, that would take all the fun out of it for me. It only took me a couple of hours to get ready for my own wedding and that was a pain!!!! I guess I am just not cut out for the showing thing or harness at least.

I think it is strange for someone to think you are lazy if your horses are not turned out perfectly! Lazy that is a joke, I am just knee deep in life! My husband, kids and feeding and taking care of all my animals is a full time job.

Maybe when I retire I will get into stuff like that, only about 25 years to go!!!!!!

I do have respect and admiration for all the work that goes into showing your horse, it is just not my cup of tea.

It must be immensely disappointing not to win after all that work??

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

Suzanne Mingus looks great-

I think the thing people tend to forget is that people show for different reasons some make there living that way and of course need to present there horse in the best it can be keeping up with what is expected in our breed as well as many many others again that is there job.

there are those like me who show for fun as well as to promote your farm (although for me it is more for fun and learning)

Different people will do different things to get there horse ready for whatever reasons they show and then again every show is different what they do over seas is very different then what they do here in the states. What they do in So Cal is very different then what they do in WA and again different in UT and ID- different horses, different levels of competition, some have more trainers in a class then others that kinda thing.

Do you have to body clip to show of course not- do you have to leave your horse in full or natural coat to show of course not can you place either way yes and again it depends on your goals

Shoot I am taking a pretty fat little gelding to Nationals and Raven is showing him in a OPEN class... do I expect her to place NOPE not in that one for sure but do I expect her to learn tons by being in the ring with some of the top trainers/handlers and watching them up close you bet. Will she come out of there with a huge sense of pride for just going in the ring and being with them you bet.

Will I make sure that he is groomed to the way I see fit to send him in a National ring.. yep and might that be different then someone elses opinion you bet some wouldnt even take him in the ring at all being that he is shall we say a bit robust.

Again all about your expectations and your goals

and having a great time with your horse and learning along the way

 

[Miniv]

Remember also.....some horses shed out in summer beautifully! (Like Mingus) And it would be a crime to mess with it! (Just a little touch up on the bridle paths, nose, and feathering...)

With good feed, care, and conditioning.....and a smooth shed-off coat -- It's a dream come true for showing!

HOWEVER, not all horses shed off evenly by the beginning of the show season. So, to make up for that -- we humans started to give "mother nature" a helping hand (??)

Unfortunately, humans can often get a heavy hand and get carried away.......

MA

 

[wpsellwood]

I think he looks great not clipped!!! Mine already have an inch of hair on them so its going to be clipped for nationals, but its already getting dark at 7 here ugghhh winter is a coming.

 

[Relic]

This is my unshaved mare she was done once with a 10 the middle of June and at the last show in Aug. she was pretty well furry only her ears/eyes bridle path nose and half legs were done for this. lt does take a lot of brushing and ragging to keep the hairs flat ours tend to regrow real fast up here even in hot summer. This is not a halter horse just driving hunter/jumper but still looks presentable.

Photo taken by Jenn and on order.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Wow, Marty, that is THE MOST gorgeous chestnut color I have ever seen. I'm not overly fond of chestnut, zowie!

I'm a bay lover, myself...

Lucy

 

[k9mini2]

Suzanne,

thank you for starting this thread. I am going to save it to my computer so that I can refer to it in the future. Your Mingus looks great, as does the others that have been posted. the natural color of the coats is what I appreciate and that shine!

Keeperof the horses, what is that block you are talking about? I think I might know but am not positive. Let me know where you get it and how you are using it.

 

[zacharyfarms]

If we showed here like Jane aka Rabbit does in England I would love to participate...although I'm a little old to start now.

 

[kaykay]

here are mine shown in natural coat. this is a horrible pic of rocket but he has never been body clipped in his life. this show he placed 3rd in senior stallion at regionals at age 5 so some of us do show older stallions. my vet and farrier alwasy comment on how i got a mini that never gets a big coat

 

[kaykay]

and patches never body clipped either

this mare is so healthy that she gets dapples

 

[keeperofthehorses]

what is that block you are talking about?  I think I might know but am not positive.  Let me know where you get it and how you are using it.

463011[/snapback]

​

Slick N Easy blocks sort of feel like lava stone, very light and gritty. They are about the size of a kitchen sponge. We used to call them Bot Blocks, because you can use them to scrape off bot eggs too. I want to say that it's a Farnam label on the front. I find them at any tack/feed store that carries grooming stuff; I think they are about $2-$3 a block. They are great for shedding, they really grab on to the hair and dirt. They will leave behind a course dust, which is easily brushed off and doesn't stain white. They are great for those hard to groom areas, such as around the base of the ears and cowlicks, but I use them head to toe.

 

[susanne]

In reference to talk of spending hours and hours on a coat, I can't claim to have done that...Mingus sheds out slick and shiny no matter what I do, so the brushing we do takes no more time then you would with any horse. He loves to roll and typically looks like a powdered doughnut, so if I want to see my shiny horse, I have to brush!

Capall Beag, I run my own business, play music semi-professionally in a jazz trio and other groups, am a manic gardener, read voraciously, have many interests, work in animal rescue and take care of 4 dogs and 3 cats, have started getting back into trail riding, and in general have a very, very busy life. The time we spend in show prep is time we always spend with our horses, only now it is more focused. Just as with your kids, a small amount of time focused specifically on them is worth hours where they have only your half attention.

The funny things is, before every show we've entered, my business has gotten extremely busy, keeping me from putting in as much time as I wanted, so the daily work, even if for a short time, has really paid off. Now if I could just find a way not to be scrambling at 2 am the night before just to get everything packed, I'd be happy!