If you paint or polish (whatever you want to call it ;)) your horse’s hooves before a show, which product(s) do you use? 
I like “Hoof Moisture” by Healthy Hair Care. 
It’s a light oil that leaves dark hooves with a nice high sheen that lasts. Good for the hooves too.
Never was a fan of hoof polish, but when I did use it, I got the water based stuff.
I much prefer a light oil for sheen.
Fav
I luv the Effol ointment, stays on forever, gives a great finish and is good for the hoof.
[QUOTE=trooper345;3970755]
I luv the Effol ointment, stays on forever, gives a great finish and is good for the hoof.
http://www.doversaddlery.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_X1-22459[/QUOTE]
Ooh, I forgot about that stuff…very similar to the “hoof moisture”. It’s really good too.
There is one polish that gets yellow with time and a pain to take off. Forgot the name unfortunately.
I use only that one: http://watsonfeed.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/005.178123330_std.JPG and I apply it right before I get on my horse at the show warm up. It doesn’t stay for long.
[QUOTE=trooper345;3970755]
I luv the Effol ointment, stays on forever, gives a great finish and is good for the hoof.
http://www.doversaddlery.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_X1-22459[/QUOTE]
Do you use the black or green (which obviously goes on clear ;)). I have the green/clear but haven’t tried it pre-show. I just use it day-to-day and love it.
I’m pretty sure that using a solid color paint (like hoof black) is not permitted in USDF/USEF dressage shows. I always assumed that using any sort of polish was not permitted. Anyone know for sure?
From hunter world
Either Fiebings–looks dark brown/black,
or Birdsall’s–more expensive, thinner, clear
or best, a 1:1 mixture of the two.
Do you mean the clear moisturizers are also prohibited? I had no idea.
Last time I think I just painted his feet with Rain Maker before tacking up – but I do that 3 days a week when I ride, too…
Kiwi shoe polish.
I was just going to say boot polish - gives a nice mellow sheen…
@ Carnelian
I use the Effol in the green container that goes on clear. We use it when we show someone a sales horse too, it stay put really well and people always remark on how nice thier “toes” look
For those that don’t use polish, but use moisturizer/dressing. Don’t you just pick up a bunch of sand and gunk in the warm-up?
All the varnish type products tend to dry the surface out.
All the dresings pick up stuff.
Shoe polish “waxes” the foot and buffs up to a mellow shine.
Uh Oh! I’ve always let their feet go nekkid. I think polishes are drying, therefore detrimental, and anything oily just picks up more dust and looks awful.
More from hunter world
In hunter world where oil is the norm, we just repaint over the accumulated dirt before the horse goes into the ring. If you are scrupulous about turn out, you either don’t paint before schooling or scrape off the wad of dirt and oil accumulated at the toe and repaint to go into the show ring.
[QUOTE=Equibrit;3973435]
All the varnish type products tend to dry the surface out.
All the dresings pick up stuff.
Shoe polish “waxes” the foot and buffs up to a mellow shine.[/QUOTE]
Wouldn’t a waxy substance affect the hoof’s ability to breathe (expand and contract with moisture)? I would be concerned about putting anything on the hoof that would affect the ability to expand and contract naturally. Besides, the judge isn’t looking at the hooves, right? Hopefully not, anyways. 
I’d sure like to know if it’s legal!!
I use this stuff:
http://www.legacytack.com/pc/10728/GROOM/Absorbine+SuperShine+Hoof+Polish.html
In the years past I would use the black. My horse had two black legs and I would do black all the way around.
My horse has two light grey legs and two white legs now so I haven’t decided.
I paint his black legs also. Depeding on how dark he is this summer I may continue to darken them up a little down low near the hoof.
That hoof stuff wears off in a day.
You can see the effect here in the home page picture-
http://kaboomeventing.com/index.htm
and the top two pics in the gallery
http://kaboomeventing.com/gallery.htm
and there is a SJ pic further down on the page that shows the paint on his back leg. Guess I did a poor job blending that day. lol.
Dressage judges almost always put, “nice turnout” at the bottom of my tests. (for the grey horse)
I love dressing him up.
Nope and…nope.
So do you use black shoe polish then buff? What do you do for whites?
I showed arabs for awhile growing up, and man did people go crazy for feet. I’m talking power sanders with varying levels of coarseness. Then a coat of shoe polish to fill in any potential ridges (and also to keep the hoof black from sinking in and being quite so drying), then a coat or two or three of hoof black. For the whites, they used spray lacquer like you’d put on wood or something because it doesn’t turn yellow like the Ultra hoof spray does.
Whoa. We usually just cleaned with a wire brush then maybe sprayed with a bit of the Ultra. I guess for the big shows we went with black to fit in. But who wants to spend that much time on FEET for a 15 minute class?? Bleh! Plus then you have to go home and get all that crud off immediately (challenging…) so that the hoof doesn’t get even more dried out.
