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Achieve Natural Horse’s Coat Shine
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It’s show day and once again, you and your horse are inhaling chemicals you can’t even pronounce as you spray him to make him shine in the show ring. Every time you use that spray you can’t help but wonder if you could make your horse stand out for the judges in a more natural way. Fortunately, there are ways to bring out the shine without bringing out the chemicals.

What goes inside your horse will have a significant impact on your horse’s coat. The oft-used phrase “you are what you eat” does not apply only to humans. If you don’t use quality feed and hay, then don’t expect to get the best shine possible. But in addition to traditional grain and hay, there are several products you can add to your horse’s feed. For example, you can add about ½ a cup of vegetable oil to the feed once a day. If you do this, just keep in mind that this adds calories to the feed and if your horse can’t afford the extra pounds you may have to make other adjustments to his feed. You could also add a capful of cider vinegar to the feed along with the vegetable oil. In some areas of the world, horses are even given fresh goats milk in their feed, though that is not readily available or economical for everyone in North America.

When looking for other natural ways to bring out a shine, your first goal should be to get the horse’s natural oils to lie on the coat instead of only on the skin. Proper daily grooming is very likely the cheapest and easiest way to make this happen. If you take just a few minutes out of each day to use a curry and a brush, you can keep your horse’s natural oils stimulated. You should also avoid giving your horse too many shampoo baths. The occasional bath, such as one before show day, should not dull a shiny coat. But too many baths can dry out the hairs.

Consider the impact of the weather and the seasons when looking for ways to preserve a shiny coat. For example, in fall and winter you should keep your horse blanketed to encourage a healthy coat. In spring you should keep up with daily use of the shedding blade to rid the horse of the winter coat. In summer, especially if your horse has a coat that bleaches out from overexposure to the sun, you may want to stable your horse during the day when the sun is at its highest, then let your horse out in the evening, night, and/or early morning.

On show day, or any day you want to see an extra shine, you can use several more grooming techniques. Since dust from the trailer ride and the show ring can wreak havoc on your horse’s coat, always keep a slightly damp dust-free towel (like terry cloth) on hand. Gently rubbing the cloth over the horse’s coat will remove all dust and bring back that shine. Even if you don’t have a cloth, simply rubbing your bare hand across his coat will bring similar results. The oils from your hand will also further enhance the shine.

Don’t assume you have to use chemical sprays and feed supplements to get a competitive shine on show day. By diligently using these techniques, your horses’ coat will have a healthy glow that could match any chemically-induced shine in the show ring. You’ll know that you achieved that shine naturally, and you can be proud of that accomplishment.