Things You'll Need
- Horse clippers Horse grooming supplies
Instructions
Begin with a thorough washing. The horse needs to be cleaned with shampoo, and the mane and tail need to be squeaky clean and then have a heavy conditioner applied and rinsed thoroughly.
Clip the horse with number 10 blades around the fetlocks, coronet band or--if the horse is shaggy--you will need to clip the entire horse's body. Use a number 40 blade around the muzzle, ears, eyes and along the bridlepath.
Cut a slightly longer bridlepath. Instead of an inch, you should cut around 4 inches of bridlepath on the Arabian horse.
Braid the tail. Braid every 2 inches down the mane, then double the braid up on itself, and, using a needle and thread the same color as the mane, secure the doubled-up braid so you have small "club" braids. This takes a great deal of work and time, and should be done the night before. Use a mane protector to protect your hard work. The tail is braided only at the top, the rest is left loose and flowing.
Polish your horse with a fine silicon spray, such as ShowSheen or any other grooming polish product, right before class (see Resources below). Apply a soft towel to smooth the polish on the coat.