Grooms, your best tip?

Girlracer

Girlracer

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Well with the season nearly upon us (so soon???) i was wondering what your one best tip would be? Doesn't matter what discipline (although if you seasoned event grooms have any tips then please share!!) just your best tip either on the yard, at competitions or prior to a competition.

I think my favourite thing to do is bath the night before but then hot cloth the morning of the event but putting some show sheen in the water. Makes for some very shiny ponies!
 
Can I ask for a tip please ? I show mine and she's bright bay but I can't get the quarter marks to show up. I do sharks teeth and vertical lines (x3) across the bum from spine downwards. However you can't really see them after a few minutes. I dampen the brush to do them and even bought a spray that's like hairspray to 'enhance' them but in the pics you can't really see them. What am I doing wrong ??
 
Be organised- I try and do everything the day/night before an early morning start ( Im rubbish first thing!!) Load lorry with everything you need except horse ;) Bath/brush/plait all before have travel boots/rug and gee gee's breakfast all to hand so there feed booted and on the lorry all in record time. When we arrive quick flick with a brush shake the shavings out of there tail and stud/tack up ready to go.
 
carefreegirl said:
Can I ask for a tip please ? I show mine and she's bright bay but I can't get the quarter marks to show up. I do sharks teeth and vertical lines (x3) across the bum from spine downwards. However you can't really see them after a few minutes. I dampen the brush to do them and even bought a spray that's like hairspray to 'enhance' them but in the pics you can't really see them. What am I doing wrong ??
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Try putting the gel on the brush, do you have a fine bristled water brush rather than a body brush.
 
Reg is bright bay, and to get his quarter marks to show up I use a nit comb for the vertical lines and a stiff water brush for the sharks teeth. You don't want the area too damp either or they don't show up- if you moisten a cloth and wipe it over the area it should be enough.

My top tip is to have everything ready for each stage of the comp in neat piles, and to do as much of the turnout the night before.
 
Organisation. Used to have lists for each horse for what to take. Get as much as you can ready 2 days before, so day before its just the horse saves too much rushing night before. For eventing def have a comp box, enough stuff to take without packing brushes, sponges, coolers etc each time. And for greys invest in lycra head & neck cover & extra long bandage pads for night before.
 
Babywipes........Cannot survive without them, the list of uses are endless
Also tubigrips great for preventing boot rubs and if horses bangs leg, double up and fill with ice, also they hold knee/hock dressings in place.
Well stocked first aid kit,
Oh and you must ALWAYS have a serious amount of sweeties!!!!!!!!(for horse as well)
And never be afraid to ask for help most eventers are fab people and will always help.
 
I would say spares of everything, especially reins and leathers!! Also, multiple white saddle cloths and spare white jods for dressage because you just know your horse is going to slop on them!
Horse prep wise, I always try to cover them up as much as possible the night before but if they do get a poo stain, warm water, fairy liquid, body brush and a lot of elbow grease :)
 
A dresscircle lycra body suit... for horse not groom!
For white legs - Apply chalk to damp legs the night before, bandage. Remove bandages at show and flick off excess dry chalk. (You will need seperate chalky / normal body brushes!)
Vaseline works just as well as highlighter around eyes and nose.


Do as much as you can the night before because you just know you will pull the little darling out of the box in the morning and he / she will have used all the poop they could find as a pillow.
 
since i'm usually my own groom, can i join in please? ;) ;)
Do stud holes the night before (after washing, so the mud in them is all wet and softened and comes out easily) and then put Supastuds travel studs in. they're so shallow that they're fine for rubber/EVA mats overnight and for travelling, and just swapping the studs at the event is SO much easier than trying to clean out holes.
Use a clothes peg to hold the rest of the mane out of the way as you plait down, don't bother sectioning it all, just work out how many to do out of the last 8" or so of mane to get an odd number. this speeds it up hugely.
Showsheen on freshly washed tail, leave it to work its magic while you do the studs, then gently comb through and plait v loosely from bottom of dock to the bottom, and thread a stocking over it to keep it clean overnight - then any poo just stays on the outside of the stocking. godsend with greys in particular! you end up with a gently wavy tail too, or can comb it out straight with a wet comb if you prefer.
Keep all white saddlepads and numnahs on the lorry all the time (in the luton is the easiest place, I find) so they stay sparkly-white and don't get inadvertently touched by a muddy boot etc.
Take loads of towels, and remember to dry off the bottom of the rider's boots the moment s/he is on the horse.
Take spares of everything, you never know what you might need.
Have a bucket ready to go to dressage warm-up: babywipes, hoof oil, towels, fly repellent, mane comb for tail, copy of test, etc.
 
Miss L Toe said:
Try putting the gel on the brush, do you have a fine bristled water brush rather than a body brush.
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Hi, I use a body brush but it's one of those fine but very dense hair one, quite expensive but hardley used :o. What's the difference between that and a water brush as haven't even heard of a water brush other than the scrubbing type ones.

I'll give the gel a try too, thanks :)
 
CG - used to have water brushes they were a cross between a dandy brush and a body brush, sort of dandy brush shape but shorter bristles (that somehow doesn't look like the right spelling).

Best tip is to have horse at full livery and just meet him at the show and get on just before the class.

Failing that, useful tips are:

thread lots of needles in readiness for plaiting rather than trying to thread them as you go along
have a separate show grooming kit which lives in a box so is clean and ready to hand
have a strong groom to carry said grooming kit
be prepared that a grey horse will get dirty overnight however many dress circles he is wearing
echo the stud hole the night before
and
finally don't forget the milk (as I memorably did so super groom couldn't have his 6.30 arriving at a show ground cup of tea)!
 
Be wary of putting any show sheen on the body and neck. Under the saddle can cause the saddle to slip and on the mane/neck it can rub off onto the reins, then you won't be very popular!!! The only place I use show sheen is on the tail.
For quarter marks you need a fairly stiff brush or a small comb - as someone else said, a flea comb is very good.
Have a list for everything and check it off. Be sure that any substance you use is not on the banned substances list.
 
Baby wipes are the best invention in the world. Have them with you at all times. They clean tack, horses, equipment, boots and people!

Always have a copy of the dressage test on you. Even when rider is assuring you they know the test inside out, could ride it backwards whilst asleep.

Your pockets will never be free of plaiting bands ever again

write the horse and riders times on your arm in biro this way they are always with you, and you can't loose them!

Run through with the rider when they want horses sorted, what time they need to be on board to warm up for each phase etc in advance. Have it all written down (on your arm!!) then you're organised!

As rider mounts, go through the final checklist: whip, spurs, straps all in, boots all on, correct saddle for discipline (it's happened!!), correct bride for discipline, no poo down horses legs.
Be mentally marking whether you'll need to collect whip or take boots off before rider competes.
 
Just a word of warning about having the lorry packed the night before. Someone recently had done this and the lorry was nicked overnight....thus not only losing the lorry, but all tack and equipment....I realised it's a time saving godsend, but be wary!
 
I write a detailed plan of timing and stick it somewhere obvious such as the lorry door. Timinngs include travel time, walk course time, tack up, warm up and actual test time.

p.s Mine is light bay too, and for quarter marks I use a bog standard body but I use Avon Skin So Soft Dry Oil Spray. It is meant to be good fly repellent, but it also make shiny visable quarter marks, and unlike other oils it isn't sticky.
I always keep show kits, such as a show grooming kit, studs, first aid, fly repellent and stuff in a box and bag which has a spare change of clothes for me, dressage tests rulebooks etc, so they are just to pop in, and two buckets, sponges sweatcrapes together. Buckets are lablelled drinking water and wash bucket.
Oh and baby wipes! wHich I use for everything
 
Have a supply of large syringes (I use empty Oxyshot ones) Very useful for cleaning mucky cuts on wound-up horses, and for rinsing mouths out after cross country. Also good for getting a bit of fluid into a horse who wont drink.

Once everything horse related taken care of - they make quite good water pistols too
 
When you get the riders numbers for multiple horses, write the horses name in small writing on the front of the correct number and try and have multiple bibs so you dont have to keep swapping numbers in and out of number bibs throughout the day.

Damp tail bandage will keep slightly wild tails tame. Also, we start tail bandages at the bottom of the dock working your way up, then when you get to the top fold the plaited tail up and bandage back down to keep it out of the way so it doesn't get *****ty on the journey.

When you get there fill up water buckets and if need be soak 'cool boots' for horses legs after xc.

Electrical tape, safety pins, mane combs and towels are all v handy to carry round
 
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