Showing Tips? And how to cover scars?

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Hello! My first time on a forum so excuse my noviceness.
I have a show coming up in june and its going to be my first in hand show, well first show ever infact! I have a 21 yo 12.3 Newforest gelding. He's bright bay and is gorgeous! However he has a scar around his front hoof, almost like he's wearing a bracelet, it's from a careless loaners mistake with baleling twine. Anyway any tips on what i show him in bridle wise, how to smarten him up, how to get rid of that scar! All tips very welcome!! And thankyou for reading!! :D
 
Hi and welcome to the HHO forum! :D

Firstly good luck in your show. For in-hand showing, show in the horse's bridle - make sure that this has been well oiled and is clean. He doesn't need to wear anything else. As for yourself, make sure that you look smart and are clean and tidy.

I don't have any experience of in-hand showing myself, but I can tell you to smile and make it look as though you're enjoying yourself - even if you're a bundle of nerves!

As for the scar, it obviously depends on the size of it, how obvious it is etc. I can't tell you exactly what to do as I don't know what the scar looks like, but black mascara may help - I use this all the time in my grey mare's knees are they scarred white a few months ago from a fall, and once the mascaras on her knees look fine.

Again, good luck in your show! :)
 
the need to cover the scar depends on the class you're doing - if you're doing veteran classes then just leave it as the judge won't mark you down.

In other classes, you should cover it
 
If you are showing him in a M&M class then you're not allowed to use any make up at all so don't try and cover it and like blood_magik said if its a veteran class then there's no need to used it as any scars and blemishes aren't penalised.
 
Thank you everyone. The scar literally looks like a thin white bracelet just above his hoof, a perfect outline of the baleing twine that got wraped around it. I didnt know i couldnt cover it :(
He was going to be shown in M&M large breeds inhand, Veteran inhand and Most handsome inhand. Its a small local show so nothing big. He has no other scars or belmished except this one but i dont want it to let him down :(

Thanks for all your replies!

x
 
If the leg is black (can't see the pic) I have covered white marks with those marker pens that gardeners use to write on the little plastic labels! It won't come off on a judges hand or on your clothes but does wash out after a couple of washes.
 
My welsh D has a small white scar on his black leg. i use black shoe polish to cover it and it works well, also some people use hair dye.
Whatever you choose make sure you try before the day as some products are to dull and show up easy.
 
If you are showing him in a M&M class then you're not allowed to use any make up at all so don't try and cover it and like blood_magik said if its a veteran class then there's no need to used it as any scars and blemishes aren't penalised.

Just because the rule books say that your not allowed to use make up to cover scars there is nothing to say you can't bend the rules :D Name me one good producer who would think twice about covering over a scar? I regularly do make over jobs on my lot where they have got scratches or bald bits etc.

By all means cover it over but yes, make sure that it looks seamless and that anything used to do the covering won't come off easily on show day. Strictly speaking judges shouldn't touch animals any more but they can ask the handler to open lips, pick up legs etc. That is rarely done however.

Your horse should wear either a simple snaffle bridle or a double or pelham. If in a snaffle a leather lead rein is preferable to reins but not necessary and at local level it really doesn't matter

You should wear a tweed jacket, shirt, tie, beige or light coloured trousers and comfortable smart boots. If it is really hot then you could forgo the jacket. You hair must be neat, tied back in a bun and preferably a hair net under a hat of some form.

The most important thing to remember is to SMILE! And ENJOY yourself!
 
Just because the rule books say that your not allowed to use make up to cover scars there is nothing to say you can't bend the rules :D Name me one good producer who would think twice about covering over a scar? I regularly do make over jobs on my lot where they have got scratches or bald bits etc.

Was just saying that with M&M's you shouldn't use any makeup and to me that includes covering scars. If other people read that rule differently and decide to bend it then thats there decision. Just giving my opinion.
 
Strictly speaking you should not cover up marking that they are born with - covering over a sock for example or making one larger, or a blaze or star bigger or smaller.

Newfies aren't so bad but when you get a darty, fell, dales, exmoor or shetland that has undesirable white on their legs - below the fetlock, then they either get darkened with coal or just not washed to make them less obvious.
 
The best thing for covering scars on dark areas is Ravens Oil - it is a leather dye used by saddlers and comes in a variety of colours.

For white areas mix some Curash baby powder with warm water to make a paste and rub into the white sock / area with a tooth brush allow to dry rub off excess with a cloth when dry. Not only do you get really white socks but the scar gets covered in white.
 
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