How neat do you like your horses to be?

Meowy Catkin

Meowy Catkin

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The TB's with long manes thread got me thinking. Over the years I have known a few people who put the appearance of their horse as a top priority. I am the opposite and as long as the horse has the mud brushed from where any tack goes, I will happily ride out on a horse with a muddy neck, wild mane and grass stained hocks.

I have sometimes felt a bit :o when I've met super neat, clean and trimmed horses, but chestnut mare lives out and the neat horses are normally partly stable kept, clipped and in combo rugs and full face hoods.

Luckily my grey loves being groomed (and I have a stash of Cowboy Magic green spot remover), so I hope to not be rocking the I found this pony in a bog look this summer. :p

So... will you ride a partly groomed horse, or do you need to do a full show maker before every ride? Or possibly something in between?
 
CS that's not fair. :( I have mud monsters like this
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Groom the old lady nearrrrlyyyy every day. Depends how busy I am. But shes retired so its not really a big issue for her to look strapping smart. Obviously always get sand off her when shes rolled but other than that. A quick flick everyday and every other day a big groom,strap and scratch. She loves it!
 
I always keep manes pulled. Not too worried about a bit of mud when I'm riding - I have to squeeze riding into short spaces of time, so I prioritize riding over grooming most of the time! I also keep tails regularly brushed through with mane & tail conditioner so they never get too horrible.

However, if competing, I do always make an effort, even if it's unaffiliated and low-key. Always have plaited manes and plaited/pulled tails and clipped out horses if competing.
 
My New Forest is currently rocking a full on beard, hairy legs, tail that hasn't been touched since he was last bathed (bar to spray some conditioner in it once in a while) and usually has a combination of mud & poo stains on him!

As long as he is happy, I could care less!
 
At work everything goes out trimmed,tidy,clean & smart, however with mine they live out so just get mud brushed where the tack goes and that's it (admittedly they all have smart pulled manes-clipped out and trimmed up) but I havent the time to faff around making them spotless each time I ride especially when they're only going to get dirty again when they get out back out.
 
I was terrible when I had my welshie! Because I was going through a confidence crisis and didn't ever want to ride, when I actually felt like it I had to literally get on and do it before I changed my mind! So that meant hacking with her looking like a complete swamp monster :o (dry mud) but obviously cleaned the tack areas!

When I loaned my next horse Dexter, he was jet black and a real black beauty so I always had a fascination with keeping him gleaming. Just made me happy seeing his beautiful black coat shine in the sun. Plus he loved being groomed and was no fuss at all whereas my welshie wouldn't stand and be tied for long as she had separation anxiety issues.
 
Luckily my horse has a touch of teflon about him. In winter he lives in a stable and his turnout is all in a sand arena, easy to clean. In summer he lives out 24/7 but doesn't get very very dirty. This is good because I'm not pushed about grooming and he doesn't really like it very much. I make an effort if we compete.

I have a friend who is obsessed with having a clean horse and will not ride if his horse is not spotless. Honestly, he has not ridden the horse because he ran out of time because he was grooming for so long. He is the same about his car. He is the person who takes up 2 spaces in the car park. He also cleans his tack obsessively.
 
Oh my goodness I am very a*al :o

Horse is pulled, trimmed, glossed and stain free on every ride. Boots, tack ect always spotless.

Couldn't hack out on a muddy horse, he likes to be groomed though. Having a ball on box rest as all I have to do with him his polish :p he is gleaming.

For the record I work full time and often have only hour between shifts to get him exercised, but even if just going in the school I will groom him properly. Doesn't take long at all :)
 
I would like my horse and every other aspect of my life to be immaculate and totally in control, but sadly this seems to be unachievable! :D
 
I thought he was pretty neat and tidy when we went out this day:

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Which probably indicates my standards :o
 
My horses are living on a clay paddock that's squishy, without grass and has recently had a minor river running through it. One of my horses used to be white, another used to be piebald. Currently both chestnut from the elbows down.

I try not to brush their lower legs because I worry I'll open a can of worms with mud fever in the wet weather. The white horse is an appy with brittle afro hair that doesn't grow much and breaks off when it gets longer than an inch or so, therefore he has a fine, hock length tail and no mane. Shetland looks like she stuck her hoof in a plug socket most of the time, and the black horse is strangely always immaculate even though I have hardly paid him any attention with a brush since before christmas.

Assuming spring arrives at some point this year I'll be attacking their feathers/beards with glee, and jet washing the orange pair, but until then I couldn't care less what they look like as long as they're healthy.
 
I suppose I'm somewhere in between - mane always pulled and tail trimmed, but I don't bother trimming ears or the tiny (WB x TB style) feather that he has. I always brush all the mud off before riding, but use products to make this quicker i.e. 7 day mud away etc, then flick him over with a body brush, and brush his mane and tail as I hate riding when he has straw in his tail! That routine doesn't end up taking very long and he looks presentable, but I'm not bothered if I tack up then notice that I've missed a bit of mud. I make more of an effort for lessons, clinics, shows etc.
 
mine are all hippy horses, I've never attempted to pull a mane and i'm not about to start now, I love long flowing hair. When I had a more horse friendly job and only 1 horse it was a standing joke that my haffy never had a speck of dirt on him. Times have changed, I now have 4 and a job that takes all my daylight hours in winter so he's not as prestine as he used to be. I scrubbed the poo stains off last weekend only for him to replace them the very next day :eek:
Can't bare a dirty tail though
 
I generally try not to have huge chunks of mud attached when riding but will concentrate on tack areas. I let her go to bed all muddy tho if I'm not working her as I don't see the point in removing the mud from her non-rug areas so she can go and muddy them again tomorrow - I do get some funny looks tho :D:D

So long as horse is comfortable and not being rubbed and your not at a show then it really doesn't matter so long as you are happy
 
I love them to be clean and smart, but not at the expense of being worked. If I have enough time to present them nicely and work them then I will. If I'm on limited time then I work them and grin and bear the mud/poo/shavings look!
 
Mine lives out 24/7. I'll bring her in for a 'pamper' day once a week so she doesn't always think she's coming in to be worked. She gets a good brush, mane(its down to her shoulders but gorgeous) and trail brushed etc. She always comes when she's called because she can't be sure what day it is. Handy cos its a big fields. Means she only needs a wee flik wi a brush the other 6 days.
 
If you saw my boy, you'd think he was 500kgs of pure manliness until you realised that he's actually a complete primadonna and never EVER rolls (seriously) so he's never got mud or even that much dust on him - thank god really as I couldn't be bothered to do a full on groom everyday :o usually just pick out feet and give a quick brush off
 
I'm particular about clipping, trimming, pulling mine, & I do groom regularly. But I have no problem just brushing where tack goes if I'm in a rush or she is covered in wet mud. She's grey, & I'm not too proud to ride with her dirty, but hate leaving anything like her tail till it stains. And except for pulling bedding out, don't brush tails unless when just washed or for outings.
Daughters pony is clipped with trimmed legs & tail but long mane (her choice). She's a bit ocd about turnout, her idea of not having pony neat is not using hoof oil or plaiting for a hack.
 
With a grey, and a full time job if I wanted him uber clean I'd never get to ride most of the time, as long as tacked bits are clean, and i mostly get other areas clean from mud, but not stains for day to day, but do make effort for lessons and spruce him for competing.

I wouldn't rug him to the eyeballs all year to keep him clean either, he's a horse and deserves to feel the sun, wind and yes mud on his coat and skin IMHO :)
 
At yard if i have limited time then its the important bits brushed off, days off i dont brush, do keep legs trimmed regularly, just grown her mane back so i havent the heart to pull it yet :D as for the tb she is a scuff bag will be tidied for when shes backed as for the highland he resembles a thellwell pony at the moment ! But for all shows/outings they are groomed and bathed to perfection :)
 
Foxy is brushed every day and has one 'deep clean' about once a week. I'd never ride her muddy! However saying that, she has a long mane, which is apparently 'scruffy' on TBs, so I needn't bother brushing her at all.. Who wants my grooming kit!?

Minnie is close to the ground and grey so she's always interesting to look at. Even after a deep clean she's a scruff!
 
Day to day I just pick out clods of mud from their manes and any sticks in their tails! When riding I just do tack areas, amazingly my haffy is not normally that muddy, even her immense mane gets away with it normally, although today I was grooming little welshie who loves it and the haffy went for a real body-covering mane all over the place roll... I did attempt to make her look presentable for a walk down the village but after half an hour she looked much the same so off we went!
 
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