Top-notch turnout tips from Nettex
With the competition season about to start, NETTEX offers some advice on how to turn out your horse so he shines from head to hoof
HEN IT COMES to transforming your horse into an immaculately turned out superstar, rather than a mud monster, it’s worth having a few tricks up your sleeve to ensure that you have the edge over the competition on the big day.
IN THE MORNING:
The key to preparing you and your horse for a competition day is to allow plenty of time. Have your tack and grooming kit all clean, packed and ready to go the day before. If possible, have a travel grooming kit that stays on the lorry/trailer – it saves you running round the yard looking for missing brushes or sprays! The NETTEX ‘minis’ range is ideal for this as they were designed for this very purpose.
Last-minute touch-ups
For any stains that may have appeared overnight, give your horse a quick spruce-up with a bucket of warm water and NETTEX Everyday Conditioning Shampoo, or NETTEX Stain Remover, and a good overall groom, followed by a mist of NETTEX Coat Shine and some NETTEX Mane & Tail Detangler through the tail. If you’re planning to plait your horse’s tail, then using a conditioner and detangler will make things a little slippery, so only use once you’ve plaited.
Perfect plaits
When it comes to plaiting, practice really does make perfect so, in the build-up to your show, try experimenting with different-sized plaits and numbers to see which suit your horse best – fewer plaits generally make a long neck look shorter and vice versa. For extra grip you could use a pre-plaiting product such as NETTEX Plaiting Spray, which you spray onto the hair to dampen down stray hairs and help get a grip on each plait.
Final preparations
When you arrive at the show, allow time to get your number, and see where the rings are and how they are running for time. Then unload your horse and check him over for any new stains; any you find can be sponged off quickly and easily by using NETTEX Stain Remover. Give his hooves a brush of NETTEX Traditional Hoof Oil, which has a handy built-in brush to make application easy. Finally check that your boots and tack are as competition-ready as your horse, and give them a quick wipe over with the easy-to-use NETTEX Tack Cleaning Wipes – then you’re all set to go. Good grooming is good horsemanship and shows your dedication and respect to your horse, the judge and your sport – so show off your horse and enjoy!