What gives horses that show ring shine? Elbow grease!

{image credit here}

Just found the Eventing Nation site, which includes a regular 'The Sunday Jog Up' series from a top groom.

One of the featured articles covers off how to get that show ring shine. Ironically, it isn't with fancy brushes, lotions or potions - it's with your bare hands.

I'm summarising the steps here so I remember to do them myself!

1. Curry - even if the horse isn't muddy,the heat and friction bring up the oils in the coat. For sensitive horses use gel curries or nubble mits (Kadey BARELY tolerates a gel curry in winter so summer will be the nubble mit!).

2. Follow up with a dandy brush to get the dust off that the curry raised (I try to curry one hand, brush the other but I end up currying most of the body, swapping hands and going back over.

3. HOT TOWELLING! Essentially, a bucket of hot water (warmer than 'very warm', but be careful that you don't burn your horse) and a rag. Wring the rag and starting from the face, use currying motions to rub the horse down getting down to the skin - 'steam cleaning' the horse, in the author's wise words. The horse shouldn't be wet but may be on your first few goes - wring the rag out more. Change water and/or dunk your rag as required. The author notes that she doesn't do this to horses with woolly winter coats as, in attempting to reach the skin, the hair would just end up soaked. Instead just curry (and/or vacuum) those beasties.

4. Brush the (now dry) horse with a short bristled body brush to lay the hair fair, using brisk, firm strokes to stimulate the horse's warm skin.  Use the damp rag from earlier to wipe down the brush (instead of with a curry comb) every few strokes.

Which reminds me - WASH YOUR BRUSHES! No point cleaning a horse with dirty brushes; all you're doing is moving the dirt around.

The author also provides the below:
"Another cheap trick is to thoroughly rub your horse after you ride.  It sounds incredibly simple, but just take an extra 5 minutes after you untack, and use a rag (or bare hands!) over the neck, shoulders, chest, back, and haunches.  Horses learn to love the massage, and rubbing the warm muscles really brings out the oils of the coat.  Keep at it for a few weeks, and the coat will be noticeably softer.  If your horse is only slightly sweaty, don’t be lazy and head to the wash stall– get that rag and go to work! " (referenced from here).