Showing In Hand - Very Hairy Cobs

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cavalier123

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Hi, I have two young cobs, rising three this year that I want to show in hand during the summer. Problem is they have been turned out all winter un rugged and are very very hairy! I am not experienced in showing and wondered, do I need to clip them, or should I put a light weight rug on to encourage them to lose their winter coats? I have been advised to rug them, which doesn't seem very fair as they will then get hot I assume? Or, do I show them as they are? I fear I may get some funny looks if I dom as the one in particular is very very woolly!! Thanks in advance for any advice :-) Oh, am looking to go to first show ASAP, i.e. in the next month.
 
It rather depends on how competitive you are!!! If you are mainly there to give your horses a good educational experience, then don't clip or rug - I think that most natives are best off left unrigged to help manage their weight - and in another month they will have lost a lot more of their hair anyway!. Just turn your horses out as well/clean/trimmed as you can with beautifully polished tack, etc. I also personally hate taking off their whiskas and don't want a rosette enough to ever do this! Also, most judges are really happy to give advice, and wherever you are placed in the class will advise on what they would look for to give you a higher placing (could be better manner or different turnout).

If you are the ultra competitive, then it is a completely different game. You need to decide on the classes you want to enter, reaseach what is technically considered correct get those clippers out and chop away!
 
Personally I LOVE the woolly look, in all its messy glory. But, I'm thinking they will drop a lot of coat over the next few weeks if they're anything like mine, she's already dropping a rug worth of fur every day and I can finally get a shine back on her. You can help get them started with some really hefty brushing every day. It's amazing what a very hot cloth, coat conditioner and patient brushing will accomplish once they've had a chance to shed :) plus you don't risk clipping their new coat coming in underneath.
 
when is the show? They will lose a lot of coat quickly, so perhaps wait a bit longer. Other than that I'd probably rug the night before with a full neck rug or Lycra and remove when you are at the show. This will flatten the hair.
 
canteron said:
It rather depends on how competitive you are!!! If you are mainly there to give your horses a good educational experience, then don't clip or rug - I think that most natives are best off left unrigged to help manage their weight - and in another month they will have lost a lot more of their hair anyway!. Just turn your horses out as well/clean/trimmed as you can with beautifully polished tack, etc. I also personally hate taking off their whiskas and don't want a rosette enough to ever do this! Also, most judges are really happy to give advice, and wherever you are placed in the class will advise on what they would look for to give you a higher placing (could be better manner or different turnout).

If you are the ultra competitive, then it is a completely different game. You need to decide on the classes you want to enter, reaseach what is technically considered correct get those clippers out and chop away!
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Thanks Canteron. Not overly competitive,more about giving them some experience out and about. Just don't want to look an idiot!! Am prepared with hot horse shower and scissors for trimming. Would definitely not trim whiskers. From what I understand I just need to trim beard and tidy the outside of their ears... They both have very long mane's and feathers and again I've been advised to shorten and thin the manes a bit, not sure if that's correct? Have also bought a beautiful in hand bridle and bitted them, although they are still chomping like mad on the bit, even though they have had it in quite a lot now, so I hope they will cope in a show with it.... Good suggestion re judges advice, I guess that's where I will learn :-)
 
It's quite late now to be clipping, and normally you don't clip youngstock for in-hand classes. Rugging won't necessarily help with coat loss at this point, but it will definitely improve the appearance of the coats. If you're concerned about the cobs getting too hot - and the weather is going to warm up for the next week or so - then I would leave them as they are for the time being, and then bring them in and rug them for a few days before the show. Don't fret too much about their coats at this point; focus on having them clean and well-behaved. No judge expects hairy cob youngstock to have show coats at this time of year. Put your time in to ensuring they are well-mannered for you, stand when required, trot when required, and treat these early shows as your practice for the summer ahead.

If there are some that are clipped in the classes you compete in then remember that these are probably of ridden age and have been in and clipped before Christmas for their ridden work. If you compete in youngstock classes you'll find that others are not clipped either.

If you get really serious about doing early spring shows then you'd want to have them stabled and rugged all winter and be working the coats every day with strapping, hot oiling, furminator, etc, but most people use the spring shows as a way of getting going for the main summer shows and everyone is in the same boat wrt to coats.

Good luck, and photos please from your first show.
 
fattylumpkin said:
Personally I LOVE the woolly look, in all its messy glory. But, I'm thinking they will drop a lot of coat over the next few weeks if they're anything like mine, she's already dropping a rug worth of fur every day and I can finally get a shine back on her. You can help get them started with some really hefty brushing every day. It's amazing what a very hot cloth, coat conditioner and patient brushing will accomplish once they've had a chance to shed :) plus you don't risk clipping their new coat coming in underneath.
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Thanks FattyLumpkin (love the name,lol) I love them fluffy too, the one in particular looks really cute, he is all white so looks like a teddy bear! Yes, would hope they would start losing coat soon, but going on last year it took forever for it to come out, I probably need to do a bit more grooming, which I don't do a lot of as they are often wet during winter.
 
meleeka said:
when is the show? They will lose a lot of coat quickly, so perhaps wait a bit longer. Other than that I'd probably rug the night before with a full neck rug or Lycra and remove when you are at the show. This will flatten the hair.
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Hi Meleek, there are a few shows coming up, I think first one I was thinking of is in 3 weeks time.. Yes, have bought a couple of snuggy hoods rugs, I took one of them to an inhand le trec thing a month ago and got him clean then turned him back out with the snuggy rug on and tail bag and it worked well. He's all white with a few brown specs (blagdon) so not easy to keep clean...
 
I would groom them everyday with curry comb/sleekeze/furminator to get the winter coat out. My native is shedding wildly at the moment. Then I would wash mane, tail and legs. Thing is that bathing will rid the coat of the natural oils that make them weather proof, so they may need a rug after being bathed. Don't over trim, just make them look neat and clean, the same for you and go and enjoy yourself. Remember we would like pics of your day!
 
Dynamo said:
It's quite late now to be clipping, and normally you don't clip youngstock for in-hand classes. Rugging won't necessarily help with coat loss at this point, but it will definitely improve the appearance of the coats. If you're concerned about the cobs getting too hot - and the weather is going to warm up for the next week or so - then I would leave them as they are for the time being, and then bring them in and rug them for a few days before the show. Don't fret too much about their coats at this point; focus on having them clean and well-behaved. No judge expects hairy cob youngstock to have show coats at this time of year. Put your time in to ensuring they are well-mannered for you, stand when required, trot when required, and treat these early shows as your practice for the summer ahead.

If there are some that are clipped in the classes you compete in then remember that these are probably of ridden age and have been in and clipped before Christmas for their ridden work. If you compete in youngstock classes you'll find that others are not clipped either.

If you get really serious about doing early spring shows then you'd want to have them stabled and rugged all winter and be working the coats every day with strapping, hot oiling, furminator, etc, but most people use the spring shows as a way of getting going for the main summer shows and everyone is in the same boat wrt to coats.

Good luck, and photos please from your first show.
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Thanks Dyanmo, that's really helpful advice. I don't think I will rug them then, I dont' like the idea of them getting too hot anyway. Good to know that the judges won't be expecting them to have show coats, as I really no idea what they will expect. Have been practicing the leading and standing, I'm hoping they will behave... Also, hadn't thought about it just being good practice in prep for the summer, so that's a good point!

Sounds a lot of work if I want to get serious, not sure I do, sounds a bit stressful really! Just want to have some fun, get the ponies used to getting out and about, ready for when they are backed and just part of their general education. I guess if we do well then i may want to get more serious... Will see how it goes for now though..

If I can work out how to upload I will post some pics :-)
 
cavalier123 said:
Yes, showing as traditionals. Do I trim beard though and tidy the outline of the ears, thin and slightly shorten mane?
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Depends. Not so as it looks as though you've trimmed, but sometimes a bit of discreet tidying can help. Yes, if the manes are very long, and especially if they are straight and thin at the ends rather than a tumbling mass of thick waves, then shorten off any straggly ends with a thinning comb or a rake.
 
If it helps, I am a judge and I would penalise anyone who had clipped youngstock.

I'm getting out with my own show hunter tomorrow and won't be bathing him. Just a tail wash and a good strapping. It's all about just getting out and getting in to the swing of things ready for when the really great summer shows start.

Have fun!
 
Dynamo said:
Depends. Not so as it looks as though you've trimmed, but sometimes a bit of discreet tidying can help. Yes, if the manes are very long, and especially if they are straight and thin at the ends rather than a tumbling mass of thick waves, then shorten off any straggly ends with a thinning comb or a rake.
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Great, thank you, I thought that was probably what was needed,but I have been getting lots of advice from well meaning friends and it's all been contradicting, lol!

Also thought probably wouldn't be bathing as they would never dry with the coats they've got... Just washing manes, tails and feathers. Very helpful to get some advice from a judge, thank you very much! Good luck with your show tomorrow :-)
 
I'd trim beards, yes. It really makes a difference and gives their heads some shape. I would just tidy the manes if they have a any wildly different length bits.
 
Mine isnt a youngster but he is a traditional. I dont think you can tell from the photo just how hairy he was but he is incredibly shaggy!

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Nativelover said:
I would groom them everyday with curry comb/sleekeze/furminator to get the winter coat out. My native is shedding wildly at the moment. Then I would wash mane, tail and legs. Thing is that bathing will rid the coat of the natural oils that make them weather proof, so they may need a rug after being bathed. Don't over trim, just make them look neat and clean, the same for you and go and enjoy yourself. Remember we would like pics of your day!
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Hi, gave them a good groom today, with sleekeze and curry comb but barely losing anything :-( Will keep going in the hope they start to lose some coat soon.. Yes, will post some pics if I can get someone to take some... thank you!
 
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