My tip is have one of those sticky roller things…They are on a handle and they are great at getting up the chestnut hairs that show up great on your navy blue coat 
OMG Cashmere - thats too funny - I’ve not heard of Pop rocks in ages, we once found them down south a few years back and our dog insisted on having some - what a face he made when they got wet!!!
Infusium 23 for your horse’s tail. Comb in, leave on, tail gets full and healthy without that overly shiney, slick look that Show Sheen can leave.
Some of my tips
- keep sponges with traces of Lexol on them in your grooming kit for quick swipes at tack and boots
-little tupperware containers are great for storing horse treats, or other little things like extra bit keepers etc.
-THE LIST - a computer spread sheet which lists all the chores I have to do before a show- all the things to wash and exactly what to pack. Print it out- cross off what is seasonally inappropriate (IE blankets in summer) or not needed, then check off chores as you do them and items as you pack them. Works like a charm- as long as it’s on the list you should remember it!
- and - my fav- always, always, always bring extra towels or cloths - they are good from everything from making a horse shine to buffing to bandaging.
~S.
Hi,
Use baby oil on the face instead of a commercially bought highliter. It works the same (usually just on chestnut or dark coloured faces) and costs about 99 cents a bottle, versus $20 a bottle.
Also, when it’s one of those really rainy, mucky days at a show, put tear-aways on overtop of your breeches and boots while you’re warming up. Then when you’re in the in-gate, just rip off the tear-aways (you don’t even have to dismount) and your breeches and boots will be spotless. It looks sort of tacky, but it’s what you look like in the ring that counts, nobody really cares what you look like while you’re warming up.
Flrider - could part of that “concoction” be a wormer, such as Safeguard, with fenbendazole? That was something my vet suggested trying, mixing it with the Desitin. She also had a recipe that included this, as well as DMSO and some other stuff.
Thanks KellyBird, quite a routine you have there!
if you don’t have one off those sticky rollers, use masking tape wraped around your hand…That ice cream sandwich ice cream is making my tummy growl and i just finished diner…the best time for dessert?
kellybird-I too am an authority for catalooges…I have just about everone momorized, I sit and look for the best prices for hours on end LOL
Cashmere, I’ve always used Orvus on my horses- and gotten a lot on myself in the process!- and never had a problem. Hopefully if a product was that dangerous we’d all know about it!
Old pantyhose are great for buffing boots. Sounds weird but it works. Also, if you have trouble putting on tight boots, try putting a plastic sack (from the grocerty store) over your foot and leg, then pull on the boots. They go right on!
I was told years and years ago that you should use newspaper to buff up all of your bits, spurs, stirrups, etc. Wash all items with soap and water, then shine with newspaper. It makes everything really bright and it is safer to use than any kind of polish (especially near the bit section that is in the horses mouth).
here’s a great one… put liquid liniment or rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and spray on legs to keep from getting all over your hands. nothings worse than rubbing in some liniment and then touching your face/eyes! 
I dont understand the “highlighting” with baby oil? what does this do exactly? I’m an eventer who is going to go to a few hunter/jumper shows this year.
Vinegar… A glug into the drinking water and mixed with the rinse water instead of linement to prevent crud.
Kellybird!!! I love your boot cleaning routine. I can’t wait to do it and impress my mom. She says I never take good care of my boots.(okay…maybe I don’t take the best care of them…)
I’ll have to get some of that ice cream!!
Here are my tips for getting the whites, white. I have a big grey and spend a lot of time in the wash rack, but always get lots of complements, both show days and non, on how well groomed and sparkling white he is.
First, to take out yellowish stains in mane and tail. I start my bath with the mane and tail by washing out all the generic dirt with Orvus. I really get into the dock and the crest. Next, there are many shampoos on the market for people with grey hair, since I have grey hair, the horse and I share a bottle. It is purple. The key is to leave the shampoo in for a few minutes to let it penetrate the shaft of the hair. I start on the legs while the shampoo soaks in.
To begin on the legs I pull out the trusty bar of Ivory Soap. I learned this trick from my dad. The horses love it because they get a really good rub down on their lower legs and the ivory really gets 'em white. I soak the leg, lather up with the bar soap, message and rinse. I do this two or three times as needed.
Then back to the mane/tail for a rinse and then a lather with the Ivory bar soap.
Then I do the body with Orvus and a Grooma. I dip the grooma in the Orvus and message it in, rinse repeat as necessary.
Once my guy is sparkling white I hit him hard with the coat polish to repel stain. Finally, I take the Ivory soap with me to the show and if he gets a manure stain, I wet the stain, scrub with the Ivory and rinse. The stain will come right out, I do even the REALLY big green spots this way.
But keep in mind, when searching for my second horse, which came home last week, one of the criteria was that he did not have a white hair on him! And I found one!!! God I hate the wash rack at 11pm the night before a show.
I can’t explain the chemistry, goodness knows, but I believe the difference is that Orvus is a “detergent” and therefore quite alkalyne(?), whereas most of the new equine shampoos are non-detergent and with ph levels closer to “normal” for horse hair/skin and are therefore not so harsh. Just like humans, some horses will be sensitive to strong detergents, while others will tolerate it well.
Cornstarch in your boots works well if they are tight.
Back to Boot care. . .For many of us, these are a huge investment and thus, most be treated as such - also, because shiny, polished boots look so much nicer:
- Only use galoushes (sp) (rubbers) when absolutely necessary - i.e. extremely muddy - and if you do, make sure they are clean on the inside - just a titch of dirt/sand inside will damage your boots - they also rub the finish you’ve worked so hard to put on that toe. (You also won’t have to keep buying new ones so often when you leave them at the ring.)
- The old cloth baby diapers work great - also the old nylon sock
- I made boot bag “liners” out of old flannel sheets with a drawstring at the top - they are actually buffing my boots when being moved around - not just protecting them - I then put those in the nylon boot bags in my trainers’ colors. Make sure your tabs at the top of the boots end up facing down when you slide the boots into the liners.
- Don’t put your boots away sweaty and muddy!!! Even if you won’t have time to polish til the next show - make sure they are at least clean - just a damp sponge/towel - NO SADDLE SOAP EVER
- Try not to leave in a hot/steamy, closed up car to too much time, i.e., don’t leave in any environment you wouldn’t leave your saddle/bridle/chaps in, if possible.
Anyway, these ideas work for me. I hope I don’t sound like a total boot geek (even if I am. . )
- Oh - forgot one - not on boot care - but on getting more than snug ones on - spray that silicone stray on your calves before pulling on your boots. Also, when you get measured - or if you already have, it's worth a try - put on a thin cotton (or whatever is your preference) ankle or so high sock underneath your nylon knee-high. Helps for warmth, comfort and rubs.The “scratches” question…I use teat infusion medication made of water soluable penicillin or some type of antibiotic. You can get them at farm stores, they have one for “dry cows” and one for “wet cows”. Either one works great and you can ‘cover’ the product with a bag balm type ointment to seal the product in and the wet and dirt out. I have found this to be an inexpensive alternative to the more costly vet meds AND it seems to work as well or better. Good luck with your scratches!
Aside from being the world’s foremost authority on catalogs, not doing English essays when I should, Girl Scout Thin Mints, and mint chip ice cream, I also am the most fanatic boot cleaner ever. 
Even on my super-cheapo first boots, I creamed/waxed and polished them every time I rode, and almost before every class…well, maybe not THAT much.
Anyway, I won’t go into my long and involved tirade on how to clean boots, but I’ll give a great tip. Ya know that annoying line you get, right above the sole of the boot, but not high enough to cover with polish? Seems impossible to get, and it’ll bug the heck out of you when you think you’ve done the best polish job, just cause it shows, and you can’t do anything about it! Weeelllll… take a boot brush–the kind you buy in a grocery store, just your average natural fiber boot brush, and some wax polish. Brush the EDGE whiskers of the brush through the polish, till you get just a tiny bit on them. Now briskly run the edge of the brush into the little space above the sole–“the forbidden land of polish” I call it. Viola! The annoying line of dust is gone, your boots will appear twice as clean, just cause nobody sees any part that’s NOT black, and you feel like you’ve really won the battle of dirt. :þ
OK, maybe there is something really wrong with me that I find that so satisfying…
Hope somebody enjoys that,
Ciao
