Preparing for a Show
by Jesi Josten (aka winnie)

YOUR HORSE: The day before

Clipping: Use your closest blade (#30 or #40 if you have detachable blades) to do the muzzle, ears, eyes (be careful not to cut their eyelashes), under their chin, and bridle path. All of these places are a MUST-if your horse is not properly clipped it will reflect on how you are judged. To be competitive your horse must be EXTRA presentable. With a lower blade (#10 or #15) clip your horses fetlock area and coronet band. If you horse has white socks, those should be clipped also. However white socks should be clipped a few days before, and you MUST have sharp blades or the lines will show-which is a major no-no.

Bath time: Give your horse a good bath-first wash their tail, rinse, and leave the conditioner on while you do the rest. If you have a grey horse, paint, or lots of white socks, use a whitening shampoo such as Quiksilver to get the yellow/green out of their coat. Make sure you rinse them well. Do not condition their mane. After their bath, spray on Show Sheen to repel the dirt, especially on white legs (Healthy Hair Care is a great everyday coat conditioner, it won't dry out like Show Sheen but does attract dirt). Also spray their tail and put it up in a sock for the night to keep it clean (* if you use a tail extension, wash that the night before also, spray with Show Sheen or Infusium and blow or air dry. This will give it more "body". Do not put it in a tail bag before the show, it will flatten it).

Mane: If your horse has a short mane, you will need to band or braid it. If you are showing in mostly Western classes, band. If you are showing in mostly English classes, braid. For those doing the all-around events, I like to band, then braid two bands together all the way down. Then after the english events, you can "pop" out your braids, wet down your horses mane, and you suddenly have a banded horse for Western! Note: A braided horse is always acceptable in Showmanship, even if you are dressed for Western. Your horse will need a thinned, shortened mane for either banding or braiding. If you do not know how to do this, find someone who does and have them help you. Do NOT use a scissors to shorten your horses mane. You will get a very blunt, thick end which will not lay down as well and looks very novice. Use a clipper blade or a thinning shears.

Banding and braiding should both be done while your horse's mane is wet to help hold the hair together. You will be able to do a much neater job this way. The day before your first show is not the time to find out how to braid or band. Both take a lot of practice to do correctly, so practice well before the show!

After your horse has been clipped, bathed and banded (or braided), put on a sheet and slinky hood, if possible (and if it's not too hot). Not only will a hood keep your horse clean and keep sawdust out of his mane, it will also help your braids or bands lie down. If your horse has white socks and you are going in showmanship, you can also wrap their legs with shipping boots to keep them clean.

YOUR HORSE: Show day!

Once you are at the show, and after you have lunged (a must on show mornings, even if your horse "doesn't lunge!") it's time to start getting your horse ready to enter the show ring. Following are supplies you will need:

• Rags
• Regular grooming brushes
• Pepi (or similar spray)
• "Face goop" or baby oil (now comes in gel)
• Disposable razor
• Baby powder (if you have white on your horse)
• Miracle Groom, Dung Away or Quicksilver if you have a white/grey horse
• Hoof oil (recommended) or hoof black

(note: hoof black, baby powder and tail extensions are not allowed in some breed associations - make sure you check your rulebook before you use them!)

Start by brushing out your horses tail (and adding the tail extension if you have one). Then do a regular grooming on them - making sure to curry them well to get any loose hair. After grooming, spray them all over with Pepi-making sure to get their mane (it will help it lay down), their hocks, and tail. If you have a horse with a lot of white, you'll want to get out the "green spot" spray. It will need to set for a few minutes before you can rub out the stains.

Next use baby powder to whiten any socks your horse has. Make sure to trot them out so they don't have clouds of white coming from their legs! Then use the razor and shave their muzzle. You will get a much closer shave than with a clippers which is especially important if you are going in showmanship or halter.

Last, apply hoof oil (hoof black dries out hooves), and face "goop" to their face. Apply sparringly around their eyes and muzzle. You can even put it inside their ears if you had trouble clipping closely, and on their bridle path to get rid of the flakes.

Wipe down your horse (don't forget their nose!) with a clean rag, do another check for manure or dirt stains, and you are set to go! I like to bring a bucket or tote bag up to the ring with me with fly spray, tail brush, Pepi and a rag in it. That way you don't have to run all the way back to the trailer if you need to touch up before your class!

YOUR CLOTHING

Clothing is VERY important in the show ring. An out-of-style shirt, ill-fitting clothes, or badly shaped hat makes it seem like you don't care enough to be a serious showperson. Although you may not get marked down, others who pay attention to detail will be rewarded. Keep in mind that show clothes are much more form-fitting than regular casual clothes-if you think it's too tight, it might be just right!

General: Your appearance is very important when you are showing. Remember that when you show, you are playing the part of a showman (or woman!) and need to act accordingly. Nothing says "I'm not here to win" like your hair flying all over! Your hair should ALWAYS be up neatly under your hat. If your hair is long enough, secure it in a low pony tail, then make a bun (like with banding/ braiding, this is best done when it is wet). Get some cheap hairnets, and wind one around your bun or pony tail to keep it secure, then use a small bow or "scrunchy" around the base. Use plenty of hair spray, gel, bobby pins, AND hair nets to keep ALL hair way from your face. Although you can purchase hair bows with the hair net attached, this looks tacky and generally creates an unpolished look. If your hair is too short to put in a pony tail, wear a hairnet to keep it in one place. You can also flip it under your hat.

Even if you never normally wear it, females should always wear makeup-at least lipstick. Again your are playing a part, and you need your "stage makeup" on. The judge is generally from 50-100 feet away from you and you'll want to make your features stand out!

Clothing Color Wheel

• For Bay, Black, White, Grey and Blue Roan Horses: Wear reds, purples, and blues.
• For Chestnut, Sorrel, Rose Grey and Dun Horses: Wear earthtones like sand, tan, and brown.
• For any color horse: Wear blue, dark green, turquoise or teal.

Showmanship: For this class you'll need showmanship pants that are long enough and cover your boot heel when you are standing. They should also be tight fitting, and not baggy. Your pants should match your jacket, and also match your boots (plain ropers or lacers only). A showmanship jacket or vest and a slinky shirt are your best bet for tops-longer "tunic" styles jackets are in, as well as hip length. Make sure the sleeves are long enough. Gloves are optional. The rule is that if your jacket sleeve is dark, wear gloves, if it is a lighter color, no gloves. Remember you want a seamless look, not a lot of contrasts.

You should have a felt or straw hat. Black felt if your outfit is primarily black, or silverbelly or tan felt if your outfit is lighter. Black felt will put a shadow over your face, so be careful when choosing this color. It is very important that your hat is shaped correctly. Currently hats with a squared-off brim are popular. If your hat does not have one, take it to a tack store and have them steam it for you. Hats made of any other material, hats with rolled brims, and brightly colored hats are unacceptable.

English: Khaki or gray breeches (rust is out!), plus a jacket and shirt. Blue, black or hunter green jackets used to be the norm but now you'll find a variety of other colors. White is the traditional color for your shirt, but brighter colors and pastels are becoming more popular. For English you don't want to stand out too much from your peers, so keep it classic! You'll also need tall black field boots, or paddock boots and jodpurs if you are under thirteen. You'll want them to fit snug around your calf, and be high enough under your knee-buy new ones too high, they will always slouch when worn-in. Most shows require youth 18 & under to wear an approved ASTM/SEI helmet with harness, but check the rules at open shows. Non-approved helmets create a smoother appearance. Always wear gloves for English.

Western: Western clothes are similar to showmanship, however a vest and slinky is your best bet on top. Billowing shirts add to movement and do not look professional. Chaps are also a plus-just make sure these fit snug-fringe is in, scalloped edges are out. Chap color should ALWAYS match your pants. Faded rough-out leather chaps can be dyed quite easily with RIT dye to keep them fresh looking. See Showmanship for hat and glove info.

TACK

Showmanship: Use a leather halter and leather lead with a chain. Do not use nylon. The chain should go UNDER your horses nose, not over, and the chain should be pulled as short as possible (holding onto any part of the chain in showmanship can cause disqualification). Darker colored leather is the current trend, but a well fitted halter with or without silver will work fine. Make sure it fits your horse correctly, show halters fit much more snug than your daily halter.

English: English tack should fit your horse well. Tack should all match in leather color if possible. Make sure your saddle pad is the type that stays in place while you ride - "pocket pads" work great for this. Otherwise make sure to use all the straps to keep it in place!

Western: Western headstall should fit well and can be plain or with silver. One earred and two earred varieties are the current trend, browbands only for younger horses in a snaffle or bosal. Western saddles again are fine if they are simple, again make sure they fit your horse correctly. If possible, use a nice wool pad over a felt pad under your saddle. Pads made with fleece on one side and wool on the other are usually not as sleek looking. Match your pad to your outfit color, or go with your basic black.

** Before you enter the ring **
Make sure your boots are shiny (Pepi also works as a shoe shiner), your shirt is tucked in, and your hair is under your hat. Have someone wipe down your horse, brush out its tail, and make sure he looks nice too-you're all set! Good luck!

HORSE SHOW TIPS
Some other good things to take with you to a show include:

• Your own safety pins (the office never has enough!)
• A copy of your horse's Coggins and registration papers
• Baby wipes (for you and your horse, they also clean bits really well!)
• A small "Show First Aid Kit" with aspirin, deodorant, small sewing kit, band-aids, extra pens, & cash
• Chairs
• & plenty of snacks and water!

Make sure you arrive to the showground in plenty of time to get both you and your horse ready.
Have fun and GOOD LUCK!



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