As we enter the show ring, the best way to make a positive first impression on the judge is with an impeccable turnout and attention to detail. Some of the biggest pieces of the turnout puzzle are the grooming and coat condition of your horse and the cleanliness of your tack and equipment. A shiny horse will radiate health while your well-oiled, clean tack will showcase your respect and dedication to the sport.
According to Lexie Ferris, this show ring shine starts at home in your barn. Keep reading to learn more about her secret formula to a shiny coat that gleams. Lexie is a fourth generation horsewoman who is following in the footsteps of a family of Morgan horse trainers. She has been riding and working around horses consistently since she was about four years old, with disciplines ranging from the saddle seat to hunter/jumper divisions.
Lexie began grooming professionally when a family friend was looking for a groom for his two show carriage horses. After that, she opened up her calendar with availability to groom at horse shows over the summer months. “One summer, I freelance groomed at 12 horse shows in three months!” Lexie laughs. “I would come home on Sunday mornings, start a load of laundry, and recharge before I would pack up my car and be off to another competition!”
Tricks of the Trade
Throughout her experiences as a professional groom, Lexie has learned some tips and tricks to ensure that the horses in her care look their very best when they walk into the show ring. She stresses that there are a number of daily horse management practices that make horse show days easier. By feeding your horse a nutritious diet and giving them regular vigorous grooming sessions, the natural oils in your horse’s coat will rise to the surface and give it a shiny, healthy gleam. To increase your horse’s natural shine, consider feeding a coat supplement to help you maximize the health of the coat from the inside out.
If you care for your horse daily with regular grooming, show ring preparations are considerably easier. “One thing that I always do on the days before the show is to clip all of the horses and give them really good baths,” explains Lexie. “Even though they get dirty before they show, it makes getting them ready the day they show so much faster!” Ideally, you can just trim the ears, bridle path, legs, and muzzle and ear whiskers (as preferred) in the days before the horse show. If you need to body clip your horse, plan to clip a week or two before the show to minimize clipper tracks and allow the hair a bit of time to regrow.
If you care for your horse daily with regular grooming, show ring preparations are considerably easier.
To increase their coat moisture and to get a little extra shine from their hair, Lexie likes to apply Shapley’s No. 1 Light Oil following a good curry, then uses a hard brush, and soft brush to complete the grooming process. “This is especially good right after body clipping to remove some of the grunge and extra hairs, which keeps them from getting itchy.”
First, use the curry comb vigorously in circular motions, this will dislodge the extra hairs and loosen dirt and dander (the clipping process tends to unearth dry skin and dandruff). Then, spray an ample amount of the No. 1 Light Oil onto your horse’s coat and allow it to begin to soak in. After several minutes, use your dandy brush and then soft brush to continue the grooming process. The majority of the oil will have been absorbed into the coat and skin, but any additional oil can be removed by gently wiping your horse over with a towel. When used correctly, the No. 1 Light Oil does not leave your horse greasy and will not attract dust. For horses with extremely dry skin or a poor coat, you can use No. 2 Heavy Oil instead. Be aware that this oil is much thicker and is meant to be a deep conditioning treatment.
Before the show, it also benefits you to spend time cleaning your tack. “I also give all of the tack a really deep clean and wipe it off after every use so that when it comes to show time, cleaning is much easier,” Lexie says. To learn more about the tack cleaning process, we encourage you to refer to our blog post, TLC: Tack Love and Care.
It’s Showtime!
On horse show days, Lexie’s work begins early in the morning. “Typically, I plan to arrive on the showgrounds three to four hours before the first horse needs to be ready, in order to feed, clean stalls, and grab some food for myself. Then, I make sure all of their tack is clean and put together properly, and I check with the trainer to make sure they do not need to be worked before their intended show time,” she explains.
“I always make sure that after I clean stalls in the morning, I keep a muck tub handy—continuously cleaning stalls when I have a free moment, when I go to get a horse ready, and before I leave for the night,” Lexie says. “This way, horses stay cleaner and your stalls always look nice.” It is important to keep a mental note on how much manure each horse is passing so that you can monitor their gut health and be prepared for digestive upsets. To help keep the barn aisle clean, many experienced grooms keep a hoof pick in their pocket and quickly remove the shavings from the horse’s hooves before they take the horse out of the stall. This quick action allows you to sweep or rake much less frequently over the course of the day.
To help keep the barn aisle clean, many experienced grooms keep a hoof pick in their pocket and quickly remove the shavings from the horse’s hooves before they take the horse out of the stall.
“About an hour before the horse is going to show, I like to go in and give them a thorough inspection to make sure there is not any major cleaning I need to do, such as bathing or spot cleaning,” she says. Waterless shampoo products make it easy to remove urine stains or manure stains without giving your horse a full bath.
“If everything looks good, I start to do a deep brushing about 25-30 minutes before they need to be ready, making sure to get every last shaving and piece of hay,” Lexie continues. “I finish off my grooming routine by spraying their body, mane (if not braided), and tail with a healthy mist of Absorbine ShowSheen Hair Polish & Detangler. I am, and always have been, a big fan of Show Sheen and I always have a bottle in my grooming kit at all times.”
To accentuate the horse’s facial features, Lexie likes to get out her trusty bottle of Shapley’s No. 1 Light Oil. Apply the oil to a cloth, then carefully wipe around your horse’s eyes, ears, and muzzle. This collects any grime from these areas, without attracting any dust. Additionally, it darkens the skin and subtly draws attention to the delicate features.
Carefully brush out your horse’s tail; trying not to brush it vigorously, which may break the delicate tail hairs. To do this, hold the tail in one hand and use a tail brush to carefully work your way up from the bottom of the tail to the base of the dock. A clean tail is much easier to brush than a dirty tail; a dirty tail is often sticky and tries to clump together. If your horse has knots in the tail, a silicone based spray or gel can coat the hairs and make the knots easier to remove.
After the horses are brushed to perfection, it is time to saddle them up.“I try not to throw any tack on them until 5 minutes before they need to be ready,” Lexie explains. “This ensures that they are not sitting with tack on for too long.” As you tack up the horse, carefully look over the bridle, saddle, pad, girth, and bit to make sure that they are clean and do not need to be touched up before heading off to the show ring.
Fly spray is essential to prevent flies and biting insects from distracting your horse from their show ring performance. Make sure that you thoroughly spray the legs, face, and the sheath or teat area where bugs tend to be drawn to. Water-based fly sprays are preferred, because they do not attract dust.
Water-based fly sprays are preferred, because they do not attract dust.
After the horse has been warmed-up, consider giving the horse another once over to make sure they sparkle in the ring. Grooming wipes are popular for these last minute touch-ups because they easily remove dust and grime without making your horse wet. You can purchase premade wipes or a fun equestrian hack is to make them yourself. Simply pour about a ¼ c. of your favorite green grass/manure spot remover and ¼ c. of water into a tub of baby wipes and shake well to mix. Alternatively, you can make your own reusable wipes by packing thin rags or washcloths into a resealable container and soaking with equal amounts of water and waterless shampoo.
Show Grooming Kit Checklist
- Curry Comb
- Dandy Brush
- Soft Brush
- Face Brush
- Mane and Tail Brush
- Hoof Pick
- Coat Shine and Polish Product
- Waterless Shampoo or Spot Remover
- Mane and Tail Detangler
- Hoof Oil or Hoof Polish
- Grooming Wipes
- Fly Spray
- Grooming Cloths and Rags
- Trimmers
- Grooming Box or Bucket
Staying organized and putting everything away neatly keeps your area look professional and makes it so much easier to find things when you are in a hurry.
You only get one chance to make a first impression on the judge! Make sure that your horse show preparations begin at home with proper grooming, bathing, and clipping practices. If you have any questions regarding the grooming process or would like assistance building your horse show grooming kit, we encourage you to reach out to a member of our friendly and highly-trained sales staff.