It’s show season and I’ve been collecting some of my favourite tips from grooms and barn managers that can make YOUR job a little easier and maybe those loooong days a little shorter during this busy time of year. Got another tip? we’d love to hear it – add a comment to the bottom of this blog post or email us at info@horsejobs.ca.
Keeping Hoof Oil Brushes Clean
If your hoof oil brush is always black and dirty, ask your veterinarian for a used syringe holder. Wash it out, and then put your hoof brush in the holder. It will help to keep your grooming kit clean and free from hoof oil seepage. In the meantime – try wrapping the brush in cling film in between uses.
Keeping Horseshoe Stud Holes Clean
If your horses’ shoes have been drilled so they can accept studs for extra grip, the holes will often get clogged up with sand and dirt when the studs aren’t fitted.
An easy way to keep them clean is to insert a filter tip from a cigarette. Just place it over the hole, and push in.
To remove, use a pin or very small screwdriver. It keeps the threads clean so the studs are easier to insert.
A Tangle-Free Tail
A great (and cheap) way to keep your horse’s tail shiny and tangle-free is by simply putting some baby oil on it.
Firstly, brush the tail thoroughly. Then, with a hand sprayer put just a little baby oil on it and run your fingers through the hair. Use only a light spray! Too much baby oil will make the tail go soggy and cause it to actually attract dirt. But if you get it right, the result will be a glossy, tangle-free tail.
For really coarse tails – try using a hot oil treatment (found at your local drugstore) a few days before the show for a flowing, tangle free tail.
(As a side note: baby oil is also great for cleaning sheaths and udders and can be used on bridle path and ears to remove that dusty, just clipped look.)
Mane Pulling Tricks
If you’ve got a horse that HATES having his mane pulled, try oil of cloves. Rub a little into the base of his mane and it will deaden the pain in his hair – but you must wear rubber gloves – if you don’t your fingers will go numb as well!
Braiding tips
If you want to braid an untidy mane that sticks up like a punk rocker, tame it first with a little hair gel. Put some gel on the mane as you start the braiding; the mane will stay down and the braids will be neat.
Dont’ panic – If your horse gets shavings in it’s braids, use a small, short-bristled brush to gently remove them without damaging any of your work.
Whitening the White
For really white socks or stockings, dust the legs with baby powder or corn starch. (Be careful not to make too much dust for you and your horse to breathe in.) Slightly dampen the area to be whitened and brush on the starch/powder for a whiter than white appearance n the show ring.
Oh Baby!
Baby wipes can be a groom’s best friend – cleaning bits and tack after use, cleaning around the horse’s eyes, ears, nostrils. You can even use them on green or dirty spots on the horse’s coat or saddle pads. They are also great for cleaning your hands after working with the horses or after eating your 2 second lunch from the greasy snack bar at the show ground.
Keeping A Tail Bandage in Place
Despite the wide range of tail guards, bags, and other assorted covers mushrooming in the tack shops, the good old fashioned tail bandage is not yet dead and buried. In fact, many horse owners prefer them as they are cheap to buy and easy to wash. The only problem is some horses seem to have an unusual ability to part company with them, often when they are being hauled in a small rear-loading trailer. Two useful additions to the bandaging technique can reduce the risk of it sliding off.
The textbook way of tail bandaging is to dampen the tail first with a water brush, and then apply the bandage. Nowadays the water brush seems to be somewhat unemployed, and the bandage goes straight on to a dry tail. That immediately increases the risk of it falling off, but all is not lost. Something can be regained in the way the bandage is wound.
The majority of people wind the bandage around the tail so the folds are almost parallel all the way down. By alternately angling the fold in a herringbone fashion they can provide a better grip.
It makes life easier to have the first few winds at the top of the tail running parallel, but then as you wind down start to alternate the bandage winds at a near 45-degree angle. It is quite easy to do and as you roll it down there should be a distinct herringbone pattern down the middle of the bandage.
To give a little extra security, now and again just find a couple of small tail hairs, and fold them back over the bottom edge of the previous wrap, so the next one around will press them down into place. That way they will “hook” into the bandage and stop it sliding down. Don’t overdo it though, just three times during the run winding down should be enough.
Even with this added security, you can still pull the tail bandage off in the normal way. For the horse, we hope it will be a little harder.
Beat the Hay Net Mess
Horses love munching on haynets, but taking them to a show can be a pain. If they are pre-filled the hay drops everywhere and can easily get onto tack and clothing cleaned for showing. Instead, take the hay with you in a plastic garbage bag. When the time comes to use the hay net, put it over the bag so the bottom of the net covers the bag opening, then turn it upside down and withdraw the bag slowly and steadily leaving the hay net filled.
You can, of course, use this method for haynets in the barn as well. It’s an easy way to fill them, and it can save a lot of sweeping up and waste.
CARING FOR TACK AND SUPPLIES WHILE ON THE ROAD:
Sock it to ‘em:
Socks can be very useful for protecting saddlery. On an English saddle a sock pulled over each stirrup iron when they are run up the leathers will save the flaps from getting scuffed. Likewise, unmounted stirrups, snaffle bits and spurs can be popped into a sock to stop them banging about and getting damaged while in transit.
• A bridle complete with bit fits nicely into a long and fairly large adult sock like a hockey sock (or old pillow case), ideal for keeping it in pristine condition on the journey to a show so you can clean the tack before you go.
• Western riders can also share these benefits. Put one sock inside another for extra thickness and you have an instant saddle horn protector. Stuffing some felt or wool padding into the toe area will give extra padding.
• Western stirrups are exposed to knocks and abrasions, as they are not run up the fenders. If you sew fabric tapes to the neck of a pair of socks (as on equine leg bandages) they can be pulled over the stirrups and the tapes tied near the hobble strap.
You can probably think of a dozen other ideas for using old socks in the tack room. The only problem will be a lack of supply. So next time you come up one sock short in the laundry, you’ll know what to do with it!
Protect Those Dressage Whips
Despite their flexibility, dressage and schooling whips are one of the most vulnerable pieces of equipment in the tack room. Although they are not wildly expensive to replace, many riders hate it when an “old friend” breaks in two, as the new one never seems to feel quite as comfortable in the hand.
Much of the damage occurs from storage in the tack room or while in transit to and from the shows. Long whips are often propped up in a corner, or put in a tub or barrel with at least half of their length protruding. In the first instance they are guaranteed to fall over, and in the second get caught in tack and clothing as one walks buy. Eventually the ends get snapped off.
Instead, provide safe and cheap storage with a couple of stout cardboard tubes that are used for mailing posters and plans. Then measure the longest whip you want to store. Chances are a single tube will not be long enough, so stick two tubes of equal diameter together. Butt the two tubes together and seal the joints with a piece of duct tape. Also put a piece of tape about a foot long on either side of the tube running parallel with it for added strength.
Cut the top of the tubing with a sharp craft knife so it is just about the same length as the longest whip or if you have a selection of sizes about midway between the longest and shortest. However, don’t include normal two-foot-plus whips, as that will defeat the purpose.
Fasten the tube upright onto the tack room wall with the base on the floor by using a piece of strong plastic or metal to act as a saddle about half-way up to hold the tube in place. Competitive riders may also be able to put one in their trailer.
Either way you have a nice secure place to keep those long and so easily broken whips.
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Thank you for those grooms who answered my questions and also credit to John Lewis and his article as published by Horse-Canada
John Lewis competes in flatwork and dressage on a Thoroughbred ex-racehorse. He lives in Britain, writes for British and North American equestrian magazines, and does film and video editing for the BBC
http://www.horse-canada.com/articles/CHtipstosaveyoutimeandmoneyinthetackroom03.01.htm
