Showing white horses = clear hooves, am I right?

[JMS Miniatures]

This will be the first time I will be showing a solid white horse. He should be shown with clear hooves right? Not black? His legs aren't long, nor short, just right in length.

 

[Dona]

Actually....you can do either. But I would never show with clear polish unless the hooves are IMMACULATELY white. If in doubt....black them.

 

[normajeanbaker]

One of my biggest pet peeve's in white legs with black hoof polish. IMO, it looks ridiculous. At one show, I got the urge to paint my "white" mares feet black..NEVER AGAIN. One a bright white horse, shiny black feet looked horrible. The first thing your eyes were drawn to was the black feet. On my Mini's and Saddlebreds feet with white legs, we use either clear or sand them down really good and use nothing or a quick spray of clear Krylon.

Jen

 

[sfmini]

We always sand all 4 feet and black on solid black, clear on striped or white hooves. Comes from my 'big' horse background I guess, but I just really do not like black on white hooves.

When we were younger, we actually used black on the black parts of multi colored hooves and clear on the white parts. Now we just use clear.

 

[txminipinto]

Unless you sand and polish your white hooves AND there's no discoloration on the hooves, I would go with black. Clear polish on damaged hooves really takes away from the horse. Plus, there's still that mind set out there that a black hoof equals a strong hoof, while white equals weak.

 

[hhpminis]

I agree with Dona and txmini. Either is acceptable. BUT...the hooves have to be very smooth sanded and clean with no bruises or yellowing to look good with clear. I sand all feet, it is one of my anal retentive things that I am very picky about, whether I black or clear.

I feel that Appaloosa feet should always be clear though as that is part of their coloring with the striped hooves.

 

[Ashley]

I always use black. TO me it looks more finished. My horses are aloud to be horses so they have discolored and dirty hooves. Plus they are driving horses so tend to have a bit more damage to fight with.

I am guess this is for your gray stallion, in my opinon grays look better with black feet.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

I always use black. TO me it looks more finished. My horses are aloud to be horses so they have discolored and dirty hooves. Plus they are driving horses so tend to have a bit more damage to fight with.

I am guess this is for your gray stallion, in my opinon grays look better with black feet.

Yes this is for my gray stallion. However, he is solid white. The pic of him on my site is old, like 97, I plan on taking better pics of him once he is cleaned up quite a bit.

I guess is person's opinion on what looks good and what doesn't. I didn't use to sand hooves down but I plan on doing it this year. I guess I will decide when I show him. I just can't see him in black hooves, but maybe he will look good. I don't know :lol:

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

Unless you sand and polish your white hooves AND there's no discoloration on the hooves, I would go with black. Clear polish on damaged hooves really takes away from the horse. Plus, there's still that mind set out there that a black hoof equals a strong hoof, while white equals weak.

I agree with this, ifyour feet dont look perfect dont do clear. And getting them to look perfect all the time can lead to discoloration and stuff that needs to grow out.

An appy well even at a mini show i got knocked out of the ribbons the judge told me it was strictly cause he had black on and all apps must have clear

 

[Ashley]

He still isnt totally white. He has black pigment.

I will have to experment with my appy this year. I havent really planed on do he feet with anything. The only ones I normally paint are if they are white and my geldings as his are a very pale black.

 

[shane]

my horse has white feet and i just clean them realy well and leave them, i definatley dont do them black i think it looks false,but thats just me :bgrin

 

[Sue_C.]

Generally, white or striped hooves get clear polish, black get blacker. If the horse has black legs with striped feet, sometime the black polish looks okay.

To make white feet whiter/cleaner, after sanding, put on some sneaker whitener, wipe it off...when dry, then add the clear polish.

:

 

[kaykay]

heres bitsy showing au natural lol. she was supposed to get trimmed at the show and the farrier didnt show up. She doesnt even have clear on but did win!

 

[Becky]

If your grey horse has dark/black hoofs, do them black. If he has pink skinned white legs and white hoofs, do them in clear.

Painting the hoofs black on a white legged (pink skinned) horse with white hoofs breaks up the leg and looks artificial as well as visually shortening the leg IMO. However, my black pinto filly I showed last year has 3 black hoofs even though her legs are white.

: She was polished with black.

 

[Becky]

If your grey horse has dark/black hoofs, do them black. If he has pink skinned white legs and white hoofs, do them in clear.

Painting the hoofs black on a white legged (pink skinned) horse with white hoofs breaks up the leg and looks artificial as well as visually shortening the leg IMO. However, my black pinto filly I showed last year has 3 black hoofs even though her legs are white.

: She was polished with black.

 

[Dreamweaver]

Well, I can tell you that I black everyone's hoofs.

I started this habit when I was showing a chestnut pinto with four high whites. I had lightly hand-sanded his hoofs and polished them clear. (I am really, really NOT a fan of sanding with a machine and breaking the natural finish on the hoof wall.) We went into the Model class with a lot of entries. The placings were called and I got the gate. As I was leaving the ring, the judge stepped up to me and said, "Black those feet before you come back in here." So....I went out and blacked his feet. We walked back into the halter class and proceeded to win the class plus the Sr. Championship AND a Res. Grand Championship, placing over well over all those horses that just beat me in the model class. Are that was over, the same judge came back over to me and said, "That mad a difference, huh"?"

Well, I don't think that blacking his hoofs changed his conformation one little bit, but it did get the placing. I don't really agree with it, but...I know black all hoofs.

(Also it is a way for a big hoof to have a smaller apperence.)

Dana

 

[Fred]

If the feet are black I black the feet if the feet are white I use clear. If I'm showing there is no question I will sand the feet anyway. If you sand them correctly [use elbow grease or sander] they will look fine. As for the old wives tale of the periople. When it's sanded off if comes back within a half hour. I want my horses looking perfect when they go in the ring whether its halter, driving or any other performance class. As for any judge who will not pin a horse if the feet are blacked, IMO he's not much of a judge! Linda B

OOP"S I meant not blacked. Linda B

 

[Aubrey715]

oops

 

[Aubrey715]

All right this is something that i have picked up from my professional trainer cousin, Lee Crutchfield of Aloha Training Center. He has told me that if you have got a white horse it looks the best to them black because it looks better. The only time i would paint a horses feet clear is if they are really colorful and are just showing in color class. And that is only if their hoofs are striped. But in halter it just looks better to have a white horses hoofs painted black. I have never painted a show horses feet clear no matter what color they are. Of course different people have different opinions and this is just mine. I have seen people only paint white hoofs clear but i just don't. Aubrey

Here is an example of a horse i showed a few years a go and painted her hoofs white. I think they look a lot better black.

And here is a horse that is on my show string right now who is gray and white with striped hoof and i paint her hoofs black.

 

[Sue_C.]

As for any judge who will not pin a horse if the feet are blacked, IMO he's not much of a judge!

I think you ment NOT blackened...right? :bgrin

:

Ya got that right! :new_shocked: I would have to wonder about a Judge that gives one the gate one minute, and gives them a Championship the next. That says a LOT about his Judging; (or lack of, thereof) and it wouldn't impress me at all, were I one who had paid him to Judge. Wonder just what silly inane little thing he decided he didn't like about the horses he placed better, earlier.