Groom a Horse for a Show

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Video: Groom a Horse for a Show

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I would like to thank "Southern States Coop" for the awesome video on how to groom a horse for a show. I organized it into a wiki for anyone with a hearing impairment, or for those who just prefer to read the steps. Hope you enjoy it. :)

Hi, I am Jessi, I have shown horses my entire life and I typically judge 10 to 15 shows a year. While the quality horse and rider combination normally go home at the end of the day with the blue ribbon, a fat shinny horse always gets noticed. Today I am going to share some tips with you on how to achieve more shine and bloom to your horses coat for an overall healthier appearance. Our model today is skipper, a 10-year-old thoroughbred gelding, who shows in children's hunters.

1. 1
   When grooming it's most important to start with the feet. A horse cannot cover the ground adequately if there is debris up in the sole. Picking out the feet allows you a chance to clear any mud or debris away from the sole. It also gives you a chance to check on the quality of your horse's shoes and nails.

   

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2. 2
   I prefer to use a hoof pick that has a hard brush on the outside in order to clean mud of the hoof wall.

   

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3. 3
   Please use caution when walking behind horses.

   

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4. 4
   Curry the horse all the way from the tip of its muzzle back to its rump.Currying gives you a chance to loosen up all the dead hair and dirt that has accumulated since the last grooming. It also gives you a good chance to check for any cuts or scrapes that your horse may have got since the last time you groomed it. I prefer to use a rubber grooming mitt like this one, because you can use it on the legs, as well as on the face, it conforms to all the contours of the horse's body.

   

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5. 5
   After all the dirt and loose hair has been curried to the top of the horse's coat,I like to use a vacuum to remove it. If you do not have access to a horse vacuum, a medium or stiff bristle brush would work just fine.The reason I like using a horse vacuum is you know that the dead hair and dirt is being removed from the body. Sometimes when you're using a brush it just transfers the dirt from one part of the body to another.

   

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6. 6
   Now that we finished vacuuming, the next thing that we are going to do is use a nice soft finishing brush over the horse's entire body to give it a bit of shine.Horses also love how these soft brushes feel on their face.

   

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7. 7
   Always brush your horse's coat in the direction in which the hair is growing.As I said earlier, horses really enjoy having their faces brushed with these soft brushes. Next, I will show you how to take care of your horse's mane and tail.

   

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8. 8
   We will now work on the tail. I like to apply a generous amount of ShowSheen to the bottom of the horse's tail to assist with detangling and conditioning.

   

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9. 9
   Please use caution when walking behind horses.

   

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10. 10
    A good quality tail brush is a great investment. Always hold the horse's tail hair with one hand while you brush with the other hand.This prevents breakage. A note about ShowSheen, never put it on the horses body or in the mane. If you put it on the horse's body and your saddle will have a very hard time staying in place and using ShowSheen in the mane will make it impossible to braid the mane.

    

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11. 11
    Let's move on to the mane. There's nothing more beautiful than a properly pulled mane. In order to have nice looking bands and braids at a show your horse needs to have a properly pulled mane. Some horses don't care to have their mane pulled. However, if you develop a proper and quick technique, you can make the whole situation a lot less painful for both you and your horse. If your horse has a thin mane, you can use an old clipper blade to shorten it since there will not be anything to pull.However, if your horse has a thick mane never try to cut it. The only way to solve that problem is by pulling. Next, we move on to clipping the horse's mussel, ears, bridle path and legs.

    

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12. 12
    Trimming up your horses face and legs really tidies up the overall appearance. I like to start with the muzzle.Most horses are really good about this, It doesn't hurt them at all.

    

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13. 13
    Then I move to the jaw line.

    

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14. 14
    Next, we will go up to the bridle path.

    

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15. 15
    We will finish out the face by clipping out their ears.The most common size blade to use when trimming the face is a size 10 blade. You may also choose to use a size 40 blade on the ears if you want a very close cut.

    

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16. 16
    Lastly, we will finish up by doing some trim work on the legs. I like to clip the coronet band and up the back of the legs to give a nice fresh clean cut.

    

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17. 17
    Now let's add some fly spray and coat conditioner. Now we begin some of our finishing touches. In the summertime, you obviously want to use a good fly spray and I like to use a coat conditioner all year long. To kill two birds with one stone you can do both of these steps simultaneously.A coat conditioner is good because it provides sunscreens for your horse when he is out all day. Always make sure to apply fly spray to the legs and underneath the belly.

    

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18. 18
    The next step is to apply some baby oil to the horse's ears and muzzle. We are going to add some baby oil to the muzzle and ears for an extra level of shine.

    

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19. 19
    Now it is time for the most important finishing touch the hoof polish.

    

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20. 20
    And for being such a great model today we are going to give Skipper a treat, Thank you Skipper!

    

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If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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