Win points with details
While we all want moves that impress the judges, having a well turned out horse will never do you any harm and little details will prove you’ve gone the extra mile for your performance. “I spray Super Sheen on my horse’s legs after I’ve bathed him as it helps keep the mud off,” explains Amy. “On the competition day, all I’ll need to do is chalk up his legs to make them look a dazzling white.”
A well designed behind
Another way to impress the judges is by adding quarter marks. Rachael explains how you can do this yourself in just a few easy steps.
Lightly dampen down his coat on the top of his hindquarters using a wrung out sponge, and remember to make sure his hair is lying in its natural direction. Use a wide toothed comb and create three vertical stripes (see picture left), leaving a small gap between each. The stripe should run from the top of his hindquarters to roughly level with his hip joint.
Beneath the stripes, use a brush with thick, stiff bristles to create shark’s teeth, about midway down his hindquarters.
For the shark’s teeth, brush his coat beneath the stripes in its natural direction and then brush in a diagonal line upwards.
Take your brush back to the same starting point and brush down diagonally, repeating this process twice more.