Preparing your horse for an event starts long before the day of the show. An attractive coat begins with a horse’s feed. Most equines need a well-maintained diet of mostly forage, but some have specific health issues or live in areas where grasses and legumes are hard to come by. In this case, you should supplement your horse’s feed with additional health care products. Finish Line’s Feet First is formulated with Omega-3 fatty acids to promote a healthy coat. It also delivers support to the hooves and skin.
“Finish Line’s Herbal Shampoo contains essential oils to promote healthy skin.”
Establish a washing routing a few weeks before the show. Groom your horse with a curry comb to remove dirt and stimulate the skin to increase the animal’s natural oil production. Start washing your horse’s mane and tail with Finish Line’s Herbal Shampoo. Not only does this product leave your horse’s hair clean, but it also contains essential oils to promote healthy skin. Don’t wash too much, however – you don’t want to strip all the oils out of the skin. Instead, use the curry comb to get rid of any dirt buildup.
Give the tail a little extra attention. After washing and conditioning, wait for the tail to dry and add detangler. Gently comb through the tail with your fingers, then with a tail brush. Braid the hair and house it in a tail bag. Repeat this process each time you wash your horse.
Stop the baths a few days before the event so your equine’s oils can give its coat a good shine. Now is the time to trim and thin your horse’s mane. Horse Channel recommended using a mane knife for this task as opposed to a metal mane comb. The latter is more traditional, but few equines like the sensation.
Don’t forget to shave the horse’s brindle path, and make sure you don’t take off more of the mane than you need to. The shaved area should only go as far back as the length of the animal’s ear, according to the University of California. To measure, hold the animal’s ear flat against its neck, and then separate the mane where the tip falls. Tie the lower portion of the mane back to keep it out of your way, clipping what remains.
