There is nothing quite so apt to catch the judge’s eye as a well groomed, fat and shiny horse. This may be even more true at winter and early spring shows. 

 

Although it might seem like a monumental task to change a furry long-haired beast into a show horse in the dead of winter, with the help of a set of blankets, clippers and a vacuum cleaner, the job is actually quite easy.

 

If your horse is a little skinny for the show ring, the task must begin at least 6 weeks before the date of the first show. It is going to take this long to safely add 50 pounds of “finish” to the average horse. While we can work on “slick and shiny” over a shorter period of time, there is no safe way to push a horse to gain weight fast.

 

Assuming a horse is wormed and in good health, it is well within the realm of possibilities for it to put on ½ - 1 pound of gain a day. How much extra feed it will take for your to horse to match this gaining schedule will depend on many things such as his age, nervous nature and the amount of use he gets.

 

On the average, however, 3 to 4 extra pounds of feed a day should do the trick. A show horse with a nice finish will give it a smooth, rounded appearance that is sure to catch the judge’s eye.

 

It is also necessary to begin to “leg up“ your performance horses during this time. In addition to getting them back in shape, the exercise will help to tuck up their bellies preventing them from looking like “jelly rolls” during the early competitions.

 

Unfortunately, ice and snow do not make conditions favorable for consistent work schedules. So don’t make the mistake of overworking your horse when the weather is willing. Should the horse pull a muscle or otherwise injure itself, it is going to keep you from competing at those early shows.

 

As a rule, we try and keep the horses turned out as much as possible, letting them exercise themselves as they see fit during inclement weather. To make this possible during the cold weather months, we breach with traditional fitting routines and do not body clip   6 weeks before the first show. 

 

Instead we place 2 tablespoons of liquid corn oil and a raw egg into the horse’s daily grain ration. (You might prefer to use a vitamin/mineral supplement designed to promote good hair coats for this job) This allows you to work on the hair coat from the inside out while the horse is still able to enjoy the comfort of his winter coat for 5 more weeks.

 

Two weeks before the all –important first show day, the clippers are sharpened up and the legs and head of the horse are clipped. These areas are dead give-aways in the appearance of a “just-clipped” horse. Two weeks is also the minimum time needed for the hair to grow back out and have the natural look while still giving the legs a clean appearance.

 

As long as the temperature doesn’t plunge out of sight, your horse shouldn’t experience any cold or discomfort from this partial clip.   It does help to rub the areas with baby oil to prevent the skin from chafing in the wind. The oil also helps to give luster to the hair.

 

The last 7 days before the show, the results of our efforts should begin to come together. Clip the rest of the horse’s body at the beginning of the last week. Be sure to cut the hair off smoothly with long sweeping strokes moving against the hair grain.

 

This is a long and time-consuming job, so be sure to plan it into your day. It can also be a trying time for the horse, especially if he has never been clipped. Instead of trying to complete the job in one long drawn out session, you may find it easier on both of you to break for a few minutes of rest whenever the horse appears to become tense or exhausted.

 

Once the long hair is gone, the shine will appear as soon as the dirt is lifted off the skin. Since it is usually too cold to bathe the horse, a vacuum cleaner will do the trick. There are vacuums made expressly for this purpose, but most canister models with an upholstery attachment can do the job (even though the power and the suction is not as great)

 

Surprisingly, most horses don’t mind being vacuumed at all. Maybe, after the noise of the clippers, the vacuum’s sound is mild by comparison.

 

Once the hair is cleaned, apply a light layer of baby oil but don’t coat the hair so much that he looks like “1950’s greaser”.  Mixing baby oil with rubbing alcohol in a plastic spray bottle works really well for the hard to reach places.

 

Now is it absolutely necessary to use a blanket and hood on the horse if the temperature drops. In fact if the weather is extremely bitter 2 body blankets may be in order. 

 

It is advisable to adjust his wardrobe according to the weather of the day. The horse needs to be kept warm and comfortable but too many blankets on a warmer day will cause him to sweat-up and then chill – a condition hazardous to his health.

 

If you have to keep your horse up in a stall the last week before the show, you may notice that his lower legs are full of fluids. Don’t be alarmed. This condition is caused by a change in the amount of exercise the horse is getting. Once his body adjusts to the new situation of having to be stalled for a major portion of the day, the fluid will be reabsorbed.

 

Unfortunately, you can’t wait for this happen if the show day is approaching fast. Exercise will help drive the edema out of the legs. If the horse is badly stocked up, take it easy. If the horse moves stiff, give him time to work the fluid out of his legs. Warm him up slowly before asking very much from him.

 

Wrapping the legs for several nights before the first show in cold water bandages will also help. On the final night, massage the legs with a brace before wrapping and in the morning the legs should be tight and clean.

 

You are now ready to load your good looking, fit horse into the horse trailer and head off to the first show of the season . GOOD LUCK!!