A lot goes into a winning competition ride. Years of great training for the horse and for the rider; smart preparation leading up to the show, including conditioning and fitness work; tack and equipment that helps both horse and human perform their best; and a great strategy to manage two brains—and lots of emotions—on the day.
And the cherry on top is a beautiful grooming protocol. At my farm, the secret to a glowing horse begins internally, with a world-class feeding program supervised by the brilliant Lindsey Williamson of Tribute Equine Nutrition.
We feed Essential K, Kalm Performer, Kalm Ultra and Kalm N EZ, depending on any given horse’s nutritional needs. All have a terrific balance of healthy fats to promote a glowing coat, and amino acids to support a healthy topline. We work our horses well, and give them lots of turnout and quality forage as well.
Our day-to-day grooming protocol is simple, and it helps keep our horses’ coats, manes and tails in good condition, so buffing them up on show day is a much simpler task. Our barn is full of Shapley’s grooming products, and at home we use their Magic Sheen daily in our horses’ tails, and then shake out, rather than brush daily; a few shavings never killed anyone, and the Magic Sheen keeps the tails detangled without risking pulling out precious hairs.
We use Hi Shine shampoo on the really dirty and/or sweaty ones, because it’s gentle for daily use, even on fickle-skinned creatures like Princess Ellegria, whose hair and skin really enjoy parting ways with her body, particularly in the summertime. But we also love their new Medi-Care shampoo for the sensitive, balding creatures too, as we also love apple cider vinegar, to help adjust the pH levels on the skin and cut down on crud.
ADVERTISEMENT
When a horse’s skin or hair try to exit stage left, we use a light coat of MTG to promote new growth, but remember that a) a little goes a long way, and b) it’s an oil product, so be sure to be careful if you use it on a horse within a few hours of him going outside, because oil-based products can get angry in the sun.
And because even our competition horses are out at night or in the early morning hours, and as such can get cracked lips and noses going from wet to dry with the morning dew, we use Bag Balm or nipple cream (yes, you read that right, the lanolin cream nursing mothers use to protect their nipples) to sooth angry mouth skin. (Want a good time? Send a young male working student to CVS to pick up nipple cream. It’ll crack you up.)
As we approach the show, we deploy Shapley’s EquiTone shampoos, particularly on grays like Dorian who can get dingy tails, and on almost-but-not-quite blacks like Danny and Fender, who also live in nose to toes fly sheets to keep their coats from the damaging effects of UV rays. The EquiTone shampoo is gentle enough for daily use but can also help put color back into sunburned coats, so we use it every day for the week or so before the show.
We also bring out the clippers. All white leg markings get clipped year-round; longer hairs are harder to keep bright.
I’m not shy about body clipping in the summertime either, as Virginia is hot hot hot, and some of our horses’ summer coats aren’t sufficiently short to keep them cool. No matter when we body clip, we always use more EquiTone shampoo, as well as Shapley’s conditioning oils, before and after clipping, to help keep color and health in our horses coats.
ADVERTISEMENT
At the show, we bring out our secret weapon: Hi Gloss Spray. It’ll put a shine on a coat like nothing you’ve ever seen, and a little goes a long way. We have a fluffy sheepskin mitt that we use with it: spray the coat, then wipe with the mitt.
Another tip—we use it on horses’ hooves at the shows as well, to put on a little shine. We use Uckele’s Hoof Quench on a daily basis, but the Hi Gloss Spray will turn up a bit of shine without damaging the hoof wall.
There’s no replacement for good ol’ fashioned elbow grease, of course. A daily currying is crucial, and there aren’t enough grooming products in the world to make an unhealthy animal look well. But the healthy horse can go from good to great with the right protocol.
What’s in your grooming kit? Share your favorite products in the comments!
