Contrary to popular belief, horse grooming is a practice which is to be observed not only on a competition or show day. It is and must be a daily habit for owners. Why is that? Because it makes them know their horses well and build a trusting rapport. More so, it can instantly reveal the small problems which can turn into big ones when left unnoticed. Needless to say, preparing your horse for a competition could be a different thing. It becomes extra special and challenging as your horse's overall appearance would be scrutinized and graded in comparison to other contestants.

Proper bathing is the foundation of all the horse grooming ideas you can think of. Bathing removes all kinds of dirt from the horse's entire body. To make it as effective as possible, you must have the proper bathing paraphernalias. These are soft sponges, shampoos and conditioner. Keep in mind to go on with the bathing one section at a time. This way you would not miss any spot just like the hidden areas underneath the tail and in between the back legs. Be careful when washing your horses face, be conscious not to directly hose water onto its face. Rather hose the water at the back of its head to avoid any violent reaction from it.

If you are thinking about clipping your horse's entire body, do it two weeks before the competition day. One disadvantage of clipping is making the coat dull-looking. This is not good when you want its coat to be very bright and shiny on competition day. A couple of weeks will give the coat enough time to have its natural shine back.

When it comes to grooming per se, never start with it without the appropriate horse grooming supplies. Examples of these are the brushes, shedding blades and leave on products you might apply on the coat and other body parts. For the brushes, ensure that they come in different sizes and highest quality. Different brushes work for different purposes. Use them appropriately and exclusively to each horse. Transfer of fungal inspection often happens when one brush is shared by different horses. As you brush the hair and tail, just follow the direction of the hair growth to avoid a disorderly look. Aim to clean the hooves too. Pick them. Remove any shaving or twig which may be caught in between.

A day or two before the competition, you may already include some beautification procedures to your horse grooming project. For one, you can start blackening your horse's feet to make it look well-polished. Next, you can brighten the color of its socks. If is it is white, you can simply paint it appropriately and apply chalk or baby powder on areas which are balded. As for the coat, you can highlight it with color that blends well with its natural color. The sames goes if you want to apply make up on its face. Other beautification procedures like braiding may be done hours before the competition proper.