There is a lot to being a successful equestrian, but as we have already discussed, it is important to have the right horse as well as a healthy and strong legged one with the right equipment. In my last blog, I discussed the importance of mixing up where you ride your horse and what exercises you do. There is a lot of information out there about equine care, and with the recent wave of "all-natural" equestrians it is often easy to get sucked into using a natural product that has minimal cost, but also minimal results. This blog attempts to show you the importance of changing your riding environment. Doing repetitive action is boring not only for yourself, but for your horse and minimally effective.
Over my 15 years in the equestrian world I have seen a lot of different horses in terms of health and breed, and a lot of different approaches to supplemental care. The tips and suggestions below are a compilation of what I have learned and have seen to work best.
The Goal
The time has come! You have put a lot of time, effort and lets be honest, money, into becoming the most successful equestrian. It is now time to put all that you have learned and worked for together in the show ring! Having a successful day at a competition doesn't necessarily mean bringing home 1st place. It means that you had fun and that you are your horse performed to the best of your ability.
Getting Ready for a Competition
Two weeks before the show:
- Have your horse's feet done. This allows for mild grow out and natural buffing to occur.
A week before the show:
- Trim your horses forelocks, face and ears (if you can safely do it).
- I don't personally like to shave my horse's eye lashes, but that is a personal preference. Some people and judges prefer them to be clipped.
- If you are going to trim your horse's mane, this is the time to do it. The decision to this based on personal preference, horse breed and show type. Check breeder/show guidelines to see what mane style is suggested.
- I personally leave my horse's mane at their natural length, but usually clean up the edges with some mild trimming and texturizing.
- I also give my horse a deep bath a week before to clean away any old hair, dead skin, or bad stains. I pay special attention to the areas trimmed.
- Unless I am washing a horse that is 50+% white I wash them with general horse shampoo such as Mane and Tail. I scrub with a sponge and then a rubber curry comb.
- If it is a white horse I use a bleaching shampoo meant for white horses.
- After a deep rinse I move to the mane and tail where I rinse and shampoo well with my hands. After a second rinse I will run conditioner through the tail and mane only.
- For the face I use a small sponge with mainly water on it to wipe away what dirty or stains might be there.
- Unless I am washing a horse that is 50+% white I wash them with general horse shampoo such as Mane and Tail. I scrub with a sponge and then a rubber curry comb.
- I usually take my horse outside to graze or for a walk to dry off. During this time I braid their tail and mane to keep them slightly cleaner in the upcoming week.
- I also throw a clean sheet on my horse the rest of the week until the show.
- After the horse is taken care of, I clean all of my tack and check my show clothes. This way I can ensure that nothing is dirty, lost or broken and if something is I have time to fix/clean it.
The day before:
- The day before a show I usually repeat the bathing process, paying only special attention to the dirty spots.
- If my horse has white fetlocks, or spots I use the bleaching shampoo on these areas to ensure they shine.
- Unless the mane or tail have become dirty I often don't rewash them. I instead brush them out and texturize/clean up any ends. I will then braid the top of their tail to keep everything tidy and clean for the night.
- Then I will grab a piece of cardboard out to set their hooves on while I paint them with hoof polish.
- This is again an optional step. I prefer to do it because I think it brings nice and classy attention to my horses. However, if your horse has poor or unnatural hooves, I would not recommend this as it will draw the judge's attention to their hooves. If it is an equitation class or one that is judged on confirmation you won't want to draw the judge's attention to poor hooves.
- Once my horse is dry I will lightly polo wrap their legs, put a sheet, sleezy and tail bag on to keep them clean overnight.
- I will double check my tack and clothes and load them all into the trailer.
- It is important to also load water buckets, water ties, a hose, supplement feed and hay into the trailer.
- The hay should not only be in the back for your horse to nibble on for the ride to the show grounds, but also in a hay bag for during the show. If it is just a day show I usually bring about 3-4 flakes for them to munch on throughout the day. This keeps them calm and happy while tied to the trailer.
The day of the show:
- It is important to feed your horse at least an hour before you load them to give them optimal time to wake up and prepare for the trailer ride ahead.
- The item you cannot forget on the day of the show is TOWELS!
- You can never bring too many! You will never go through as many towels/rags as you will on a show day.
- Before loading my horse into the trailer I often check the polo wraps, sheet, sleezy, etc. to make sure nothing has shifted and their are no new dirt spots.
- Upon arriving at the show grounds it is important to get your horse set up at the trailer with feed and water before checking in.
- Once you have checked in, if you are allowed, it is nice to hand walk your horse through the warmup and show rings to see if there is anything that looks strange to them.
- Then take them back to the trailer where I like to "unwrap" them give them a light brushing with a face brush to let the hair liven up.
- Next is banding their mane and forelock, if you choose.
- If there are any dirt spots or stains this is the time to pull out the trusty green spot remover and a towel to scrub it away.
- Now its time for my favorite step, the cornstarch!
- That's right... cornstarch! If your horse has white fetlocks you will want to pull out a big handful of cornstarch and rub it into the white of your horse's leg(s).
- You will then take a face brush and again lightly brush down the white to brush away any loose cornstarch. Then brush their hooves to make sure no white is staining their polish or hooves in general.
- And then it is time to tack up! Once your horse is tacked you will want to take a towel to your tack to ensure there is no dust on it.
- Take a clean, damp towel and lightly wipe your horses face to get rid of any excess dirt or crazy hairs.
- Once your horse is fully tacked, minus the bridle, you will want to jump in your trailer and change into your show clothes.
- Use another towel to wipe any snot out of their nose and brush off any gunk that is on their lips.
- I like to throw a towel on the back of my horses neck, next to the saddle. Once they have their bridle on and I mount them I take the towel to wipe any dust off my boots. If I am by myself, I just throw the towel over the back of my truck and head off to the warm up ring.
It is time!
It is important to warm up for about 20 minutes and then give your horse about 5 minutes of loose rein walking before going into the show ring. With these steps you and your equine partner should be as successful as possible!