Show prep Tips and Tricks
​There is an awful lot of preparation that goes into the days / day before the show and also during the day once at the show! Here is a list of things to consider:
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Bathing your horse for showing
Bathing your horse ready for the show, can be a long and fastidious job and if you’re like me, you usually walk away from the wash bay as wet as your horse!!
We have some fantastic shampoos available to help get your horse squeaky clean, whiter than white or to enhance his/her natural colour and shine.
My personal favourite for greys, Cremellos and paints is the BEYOND SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER and also the RINSE IT– it offers a deep cleanse, with ultraviolet toner enhancers that remove the yellow brassy tones on white coats, manes and tail it also has added oil conditioners to leave the coat really shiny, soft and manageable. It can also be used on black & chestnut horses to enhance the shine on their coats too. The RINSE IT is a simple rinse solution that you can sponge on over the coat for the final wow factor on the white coats.
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Plaiting or Banding the mane for showing
Plaits or Bands can really show off a stunning neck, or make a neck look longer or shorter, or give the appearance of more of a crest, etc…
Always have an uneven number of plaits along the length of the crest and the forelock will make it an even number. Although I don’t think it really matters, no one is going to be counting the number of plaits!
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More plaits can make a short neck look longer
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A weak neck can be enhanced by sitting the plaits higher for the appearance of more crest
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By thinning the mane and making the plaits smaller you can make a cresty neck seem smaller
For banding you want to make sure your bands sit flat along your horses neck line, pending the shape of your horses neck will depend on how short or long you cut your mane. We use HOLD TIGHT PLAIT SPRAY to hold down any fine hairs for an all-day hold. Remember nice small pencil thick bands look the best for that overall polished western look.
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Stain removal & whitening for showing
If you own a coloured horse or a grey horse, you’ll be very familiar with the on-going task of keeping them clean and in immaculate presentation for the show ring.
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Some call our PP Stain Remover a miracle product! it works by dissolving dirt, urine, manure stains from your horses, mane, tails and coats. This is a life saver for those with white tails it is such an easy and effective product to use and customers rave about how great it is, this product doesn't contain hydrogen peroxide so can be used safely on 2-tone tails.
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Shining and polishing for showing
I think the best part about showing is seeing gleaming coats. Dark coloured horses that shine like glass are just beautiful! There are a few tricks you can use to add extra shine to your horse’s coat to impress the judges this show season.
We have a number of sprays available to use on the horse’s coat for that show ring glow. Shining the coat will provide:
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a high gloss finish
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enhance muscle definition
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can also help to fix mane and tails
Best products for the job:
PP Hot Oil – 60mls of oil into a 10L bucket of hot water grab a micro-fibre cloth soak up the water and then rub into the coat all over. I usually wait a few minutes scrape off then repeat you will find the coat will absorb the oil & water mix and the second lot of hot oil will repair damaged coats and provides a high gloss finish.
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ILLUMINTATE COAT SPRAY – is a unique non-slip formula which can even be used under the saddle, this amazing high gloss shine spray is none greasy and leaves no residue, nourishes the coat and is great also sprayed over your mane and tails- simply a must have in the tack box.
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PP SHIMMER SPRAY - is something pretty special comes in a variety of colours achieves perfection, high gloss shine and definition, it has light reflecting particles to accentuate your horse’s best points really make him sparkle especially in the sun or under artificial lights.
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Disguising blemishes and touch ups for showing
Don't be disheartened by blemishes the trick is hiding blemishes, make black blacker, cover up scars and make stars stand out.
Use our EYE CATCHING to define eyes and muzzle areas, use COVER IT SPRAY black to cover blemishes on legs or make black points really stand out. Use our SOCKIT WHITE on white legs or socks to make them stand out, we believe this is the whitest there is on the market and long lasting too!
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HIDE IT is a magic tool with built in dabber to help cover up and disguise imperfections, use to make crisp lines around your socks or to make your stars stand out.
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Quarter marks for showing
Quarter marks are another great way to show off your horse’s hindquarters. Our QTR MARK SPRAY is amazing! A light spray over is all that's needed for a long-lasting finish, we added light reflecting particles to the spray which adds a beautiful eye-catching sheen that accentuate your horse’s patterns.
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