Tips for Shiny horse

AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
Dettol was used as a cleaning agent when I had my tattoo on the inside of my mouth.. It doesn't taste nice but I can assure you that unless he drinks it, it is perfectly harmless.
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Sorry, you have a tattoo INSIDE your mouth?!

In reply to the topic, I think the horses coat has a lot to do with it. For example, I've got 2 greys (WHITE), both hot blooded types so I'm not comparing a TB coat to a native coat - the gelding seems to have a far rougher coat and is horrific for staining and takes ages to wash stains off whereas my mare has a soft fine coat, seems to be pretty clean at all times (even living out 24/7) and washes up really easily. I find washing regularly during the event season is good for stopping a build up of dirt and whenever they're sweated after work I wash off with a bucket of water with vinegar added to it.
 
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I think I'm lucky, mine was born shiny! I barely groom him as he doesn't enjoy it, he gets fed hay, grass and a balancer and he glows. No effort from me at all!
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Even with ulcers and liver problems he shone beautifully.

But if he does get a bit dusty I use a damp soft cloth to lift the dust. When I groomed in California our show horses used to get incredibly dusty and a damp cloth and elbow grease did a wonderful job.
 
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Being an idiot I thought you meant the clear disinfectant spray for surfaces😂 But now know what you mean! Sorry
 
Another vote for Dettol. I actually wash my horse down every time I've ridden in some diluted Dettol. He has really sensitive skin as he has sweet itch so it stops him getting a sweat rash and also helps his sweet itch. It makes him super shiny too! :)
 
AJT92 said:
I'm really intrigued, please tell us about strapping.

I think I have an idea of what it is, but can you explain...?
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Strapping is an old fashioned term for a good, hard grooming session. The days when people groomed until their arms ached and sweat dripped from their brows and where body brushes with metal curry combs were used and knocked outside the stable door to show the guv'nah how hard you had worked...

Nowadays strapping involves bathing, a quick flick and applying coat shine. Strapping properly helps build muscle on both man and beast and also improves the circulation to the skin, giving a fabulous shine on the animals coat and the handlers face ;)

Nobody I know, other than on racing yards and older fashioned hunt yards strap anymore. I, myself, can't remember the last time I actually had time to properly strap a horse since leaving my last hunt yard and after I left the new head girl insisted on bathing everything both before and after meets. The whole yard bar 3 came down with mud fever before Boxing Day meet.

As for shine... shine comes from within. A horse who is healthy from the inside will show on the outside. Darker toned animals do usually have that glorious metallic shine on their coats. Oil in feeds helps alot, as does the Dettol and very hot water to remove dust and lifted grime.
 
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The wife said:
Strapping is an old fashioned term for a good, hard grooming session. The days when people groomed until their arms ached and sweat dripped from their brows and where body brushes with metal curry combs were used and knocked outside the stable door to show the guv'nah how hard you had worked...

Nowadays strapping involves bathing, a quick flick and applying coat shine. Strapping properly helps build muscle on both man and beast and also improves the circulation to the skin, giving a fabulous shine on the animals coat and the handlers face ;)

Nobody I know, other than on racing yards and older fashioned hunt yards strap anymore. I, myself, can't remember the last time I actually had time to properly strap a horse since leaving my last hunt yard and after I left the new head girl insisted on bathing everything both before and after meets. The whole yard bar 3 came down with mud fever before Boxing Day meet.

As for shine... shine comes from within. A horse who is healthy from the inside will show on the outside. Darker toned animals do usually have that glorious metallic shine on their coats. Oil in feeds helps alot, as does the Dettol and very hot water to remove dust and lifted grime.
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Strapping is a bit more than grooming, you use a pad or wisp to to bang on certain muscles to get them to contract and then brush. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVJEC89NdwA
 
spottybotty said:
Strapping is a bit more than grooming, you use a pad or wisp to to bang on certain muscles to get them to contract and then brush. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVJEC89NdwA
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That would then be wisping. How we were brought up was that wisping followed a strapping, after the muscles had been previously warmed up with circulation flowing to give optimum benefit from the wisping session... Crikey, I remember owning a beautiful leather wisp that was about 40 years old when I received it. :) memories. Only just remembered that lovely item that I treasured as a child.
 
You can strap with bare hands, which is good at raising dust and grease and building shine. Hard to describe but a sort of firm but not hard slap along the lay of the coat, working from neck to tail. Then finish with what was called a stable rubber, aka tea towel or piece of cloth. Do it after a full groom using a decent body brush, and it does work. Gives a deeper shine than bathing as well.

You wouldn't necessarily do it every day on a horse turned out 24/7 though unless they were rugged.
 
A splash of vinegar in warm water for the post clip bath especially on our less blue blooded types will remove the scurf and give a good start to a decent skin.

I also use vinegar as a body wash brace when sponging down my sweating cobs. The cobs also get a handful of linseed. I find linseed also helps the cob with mallanders and sallendars, the scabs are easier to manage and she does not itch her mane and tail when being fed linseed.

A silky tail, again useful with the common bred types, can be achieved by washing with warm water with a cup of pig oil mixed in. Silky feathers - pig oil again.

Now just to pee you all off, the horse below is merely dusted with a yellow duster square. A dandy brush would have him on his knees. He is polished not brushed and he maintains his shine regardless of the time of year. The skin on this lad is amazing. The downside is if he nicks himself or picks up an infection we are in big trouble.

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AdorableAlice said:
Now just to pee you all off, the horse below is merely dusted with a yellow duster square. A dandy brush would have him on his knees. He is polished not brushed and he maintains his shine regardless of the time of year. The skin on this lad is amazing. The downside is if he nicks himself or picks up an infection we are in big trouble.

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Stunning horse :)
 
scotlass said:
Stunning horse :)
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Thank you. He was injured in 2011 and that was when I joined the forum to find out if anyone else had rehabbed such a bad injury. Enjoyed the forum ever since. Still got him, best horse I have ever had, very proud of him and very honoured to have had such a lot of fun with him. 23 now and keeping him healthy is an expensive art form.
 
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