A photo of the head of a well groomed horse that is plaited and wearing a show bridle

Turnout Tips for the Showring

Turnout Tips For the Show Ring

Preparing for a Horse Show
Preparing your horse for a show is a fun job, but it is time consuming and requires a large amount elbow grease! There is a lot to do and so much to remember to bring with you – and usually on the day of the show you are running late, scrambling to finish those last-minute plaits or removing that stain your horse has picked up while traveling!
Applying Horse Make Up
Practice makes perfect, it's always wise to make sure you are confident in the application of makeup to your horse well in advance of your first competitive outing.
Colour and Enhancing - Makeup for Horses
The use of cosmetics products such as coat sheen, muzzle gloss and even colour sprays have become standard in the show ring - though before using them, you need to be certain that you are not breaking any rules. 
Bathing
Like most showing yards, we bath horses the day before a show. I always use warm water, not only because its more comfortable for the horse, but I don’t think cold water is as effective at lifting the grease
Hot Clothing
Hot clothing provides a soothing and refreshing means of grooming as well as applying extra shine. It will accentuate the natural shine of a horse in good condition and moisturise and condition the skin as well.
Tips to get the professional show ring finish we all dream of!
Our step by step guide below will help you get the super shiny results and with a bit of practice, will give you the professional edge. 
Trimming and tidying for tip top turnout
If you are intending to plait your horse on a regular basis, it is a good idea to have a reasonably short mane to do this with to prevent huge “golf ball” size plaits which do no justice at all to the overall turnout.