Care routine before a tournament

You should start by giving your horse a thorough gr ooming the day before the show. You can remove coarse dirt with a stiff brush. For more sensitive areas, use a soft brush. If you rub your horse with a lambskin glove afterwards, you will make his coat shine. You can also apply some baby oil to the coat to further enhance the desired effect. During the process, it is important for you not to transfer your excitement to your horse and stress him unnecessarily. Try to groom your horse with your usual calmness. Through grooming, you can strengthen your trust and thus bond you even more as a team. However, possible injuries or illnesses can also be revealed to you through grooming. In this case, you should intervene quickly so as not to jeopardize your start in the tournament. You can also relieve muscle tensio n and stimulate blood circulation through targeted brushing and even massage. If your horse has not yet lost its winter coat before the start of the tournament, it is advisable to shear the horse. Make sure you use a good quality clipper so that the cut is even. Wash your horse a few days before the show day. Washing removes oils and sebum from the coat, making the coat appear dull and lackluster. Give your horse's skin time to stimulate sebum production so his coat will naturally gain shine. Shine sprays c an also help. However, they make your horse's coat very slippery, so be sure to avoid the saddle area.

Your horse's mane and tail require special care when grooming. Depending on the breed and test discipline, you should adjust. Your horse's neckline sho uld not be obscured by a thick mane. For this reason, some riders braid their horses' manes or thin them out beforehand with special scissors. While at show jumping competitions the horse's mane may be worn open or braided according to personal preference, at dressage competitions a braided mane is mandatory. You can let your creativity run wild when braiding your horse's mane. You can also use ribbons or braid elastics in a matching color to your show outfit to show both of you off perfectly. Many smaller braids visually lengthen the horse's neck, while thicker braids make the neck look stronger. It is said that an odd number of braids will bring good luck to the rider. Mane braiding is very time - consuming and tedious. Nevertheless, you should not do withou t it if you want to be a real eye - catcher on show day. A freshly washed mane is harder to braid and slippery. Therefore, do not braid the mane until a few days after your horse's last shower. Your horse's tail will look its best if you cut it straight at f etlock level and comb it neatly. You should thoroughly scrape and brush out your horse's hooves before a show day. You can use hoof grease or baby oil to make them shine. The night before the show you should cover your horse with a blanket. This wil l protect your work and make sure your horse doesn't get dirty again. When the time comes and the day of the show arrives, be sure to pack some hoof grease, baby oil and a coat mitt. With this you can put on the finishing touches just before your performan ce. With the fur glove you can really polish the coat and make it shine. In addition, it removes possible dust and minor dirt without any problems. So that your horse can then concentrate fully on the tournament, it is important to apply fly and horsefly s pray before your start. The horsefly spray extra strong from ShieldOn keeps away annoying horseflies and flies due to the plant - based active ingredient lemon eucalyptus oil and at the same time leaves no residue in the coat. So, your horse is not distracte d and can achieve sporting success. 

To make your show day a pleasant experience for you and your horse, you can apply some of the grooming routine tips. But whether it's in preparation for a show or just a daily routine, grooming a horse greatly strengthens the bond between rider an d horse. Only when the chemistry is right can top sporting performances be achieved.