Showing bods - am I wasting my time?

DragonSlayer

DragonSlayer

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Not really hugely into showing but my mare is so easy to handle and kind I'm planning on doing a bit of local stuff this summer, starting with a spring show beginning of April.

She's a coloured and lives out. There's no way I can give her a full bath because we have no stables and it's not warm enough yet, only natural shelter but I can make sure she's trimmed, tail clean and pulled etc etc....

I'm not going expecting to win everything, I just want to have fun but.....will we be penalised for the fact she hasn't had a bath?? I'll do my best to make sure she's spot-cleaned and groomed as well as I can....but don't want to be at the end of every line-up just coz we don't have facilities to stay uber-clean!

Cheers! :)
 
Im sure you wouldnt go caked in mud :) but ive found local shows sort of expect not everyone will be shiny shiny at this time of year.
My RC are holding a spring show and we held a clinic to encourage people to come along and try, all on the idea of its fun have a go!
I have been half thinking of going, but mine is growing out a clip and i think looks scruffy but i think i will go for experience!
 
TBH I know some people who do HOYS level who never bath thier horses.
Provided the horse is groomed withi an inch of its life, shiney and clean looking (was poo stains, legs etc, maybe hot cloth some bits) then unless you do a T&T class no one will be looking that closely.
A very very deep thourgh grooming can create a shinier better looking coat than a bath
 
I will be bathing my bays for shows in April, i do every year.... They won't be staying in after either, hooded, rugged and back out for the night once they are dry and if it's not raining!

My YO has grey connies, they will too be getting bathed beforehand. I know she wouldn't dream of entering hers into HOYS quals or even local level dressage without a bath :D

Not amount of elbow grease or non soap product gets a grey horse as clean as even a basic bath imo

hot clothing can be good, but its still wet after all - i just rug mine up well and change rugs as they soak up.
 
My coloured lives out year round and we show. I bath her day before and chuck her out in her fly rug. Next morning I sponge off any stains or rinse her tail if grubby. Then paste her legs or any stubborn stains, bandage and off we go. Seems to work well and mud is much easier to clean off than urine!!
 
Crackerz said:
I will be bathing my bays for shows in April, i do every year.... They won't be staying in after either, hooded, rugged and back out for the night once they are dry and if it's not raining!

My YO has grey connies, they will too be getting bathed beforehand. I know she wouldn't dream of entering hers into HOYS quals or even local level dressage without a bath :D

Not amount of elbow grease or non soap product gets a grey horse as clean as even a basic bath imo

hot clothing can be good, but its still wet after all - i just rug mine up well and change rugs as they soak up.
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sorry but that is BS about not getting horses clean without bathing! even greys.
This is my previous pony at a December show. The only bits of him that had been washed were his tail and legs.
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just use a bucket and sponge and rug her the night before the show.
I have stables but mine stay out before shows in order to keep them chilled out.
I always rug up over night and they are always clean in the morning.
 
I use sheep face white. It's about £30 for a 5kg bucket and it literally paints them!

If your not bathing then hot cloth and slap on the SFW whilst still damp. Try not to get it on non-white areas. I learnt that a few weeks ago but it's OK it just look like roaning at the edges of the solid colour lol!
 
My coloured stays cleaner if he's out over night as he always gets his hocks and knees in poo, I don't know how he manages it as he has a huge stable. I use stainaway, a little soft scrubbing brush and loads of chalk which I make into a thin paste and then brush off when dry.
 
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