Whitening yellow tails
"This is in reply to yellow tails.... Try washing the
tail, let it dry, soak it with Super Sun in, ( people product for bleaching
hair blonde, a spray in. Bag the tail up in a plastic bag, and leave it for
a day or so. You may have to repeat on very grungy tails. Afterwards, you
need to condition, though. Wella Kolestral, a people product works great."
Candy A Farm
"We have used the tide paste for years...that's how we got
Queen's tail so "sparkling white" when showing her...works....but may need
to do daily until the yellow is a thing of the past." - Sharrway Farms
Another shampoo that is fabulous for whites is "Jardines
Secret" for whites made for horses and dogs. It isn't purple and doesn't
leave purple in the coat and does a fabulous job of whitening. Heather
Walton
We used a purple shampoo (I'd have to look at the bottle
to tell you the name) but we washed the tail and left the shampoo in while
washing the body. Then rinsed the tail last. I was nice and white. We have
Georgia red clay, so it's very hard to get out. I used a sanding
sponge/block on his hooves to get the red stains out. Jenna King
Something that works fabulous with my dogs (Shetland
sheepdogs) to get their whites white is Suave Green Apple Shampoo from
Walmart or any store I guess made for people. I have used it on my minis
tails and it works well too. And the best part is its cheap!! Heather Walton
Showing a white horse
On the other hand, a white pony doesn't get any
dirtier -- they just show all the dirt. There are lots of tricks to
turning out white horses, and for those of you that think the tricks are
just for those with whites and grays, they work on socks and stocking too.
I say lets share some grooming secrets here. I'll
start with liquid bluing. You can get it at most grocery stores.
It's cheap. And it will turn any old shampoo into a brightening
shampoo. A word of warning. It will also turn your pony blue if
you use too much. A few drops will do.
Someone suggested Shimmer Lights. I ran right out
and got some yesterday. WOW! It's a bit expensive for everyday,
but for turning on the bright it's super! - Jane Moody
Darkening Palominos Naturally
Feed 1 Tablespoon
paprika at each feeding to darken a palomino's color.
You can buy it from a flea market
at a real reasonable price in large containers. And there are places on line
that are less expensive than the grocery store.
Anna
Pulling a Mane
Q. HI, I don't remember how to pull a mane to THIN it, NOT
shorten it. I want them all as long as possible but not so bushy. I used to
know how to do it, but I guess I forgot? Kathy
A. Pull the mane as you normally would until you get the
length and shape that you want. Then use a thinning comb/blade or thinning
shears to further thin the mane. Work on the underside of the mane and
catch the shorter hairs, not the long ones so that you don't lose the length
or shape. Ronaele
A. Comb through the mail until all the snarls are out.
Take your fingers and just comb through coming from underneath the mane and
combing towards you. This will pull from the neck not the middle of the
mane. When you are bringing your fingers through just lightly close them so
that you catch some hairs. Do this until you have the desired thickness.
Have fun! Margaret
Trimming a Mane
Q. Our new filly has a very long mane.
I think it is kind of pretty but I know that it needs to be shorter for
show. How do I groom her mane? My daughter said that I should "pull" it
rather than trim it with scissors. We have some skip toothed scissors.
Thanks for any grooming tips. Kay
A. If the mane is really thick, you can
undercut and get rid of some of the bulk....then if it is still too much,
pull some out a little at a time. I like to shorten the long manes by using
a clipper blade that is rather dull. It doesn't leave a blunt cut like
scissors. Sure there are others that will have suggestions also. Mary
Q. This may seem like a trivial question
but I'm still learning on proper grooming. My filly has a bushy forelock.
I have been banding it for pinto shows. I'm not sure this is proper for
mini shows. I've read that it should be thinned. What is the proper way to
thin a forelock. Thanks! Kay B
A. I just reduce ours by clipping around
it when I clip our horses faces. I try to keep the remaining portion
natural looking. I would imagine some people use thinning shears or
combs. Loretta/PA
Clipper Blades
Q. How Do I Clean My Blades
http://www.daddyrays.net/blades%20FAQ.htm
In my shop, we use Stoddard solvent, to clean and
lubricate with. Stoddard solvent is a petroleum product that has many names
that it is marketed by, such as: Naptha, Varsol, Charcoal Lighter Fluid and
other commercial solvents. It's chief use is a cleaning solution. It is sold
commercially for this purpose in 55 gallon drums to nearly every
industry and manufacturing plant that uses machinery. It is also the
principal cleaning solution used by dry cleaners. And it is available to you
as groomers at your local grocery store sold under the pseudonym of
"Charcoal Lighter" fluid.
Unlike gasoline, diesel, or kerosene, which vaporizes
instantly at room temperature. Charcoal lighter has a very high flash
point and will not vaporize at room temperature, which makes it safe to use
around electrical motors. Meaning, that a spark will not set it
off and cause a flash fire. An open flame must first be
held against the fluid for a length of time in order for it to reach it's
boiling temperature and vaporize, then burn. It is the gaseous vapors that
burn. The fact that Stoddard solvent must reach such a high
temperature before it vaporizes is what makes it safe to sell in grocery
stores as charcoal lighter.
Because of the volume we use, we buy it by the 5 gallon
can, which is considerably cheaper than buying brand name clipper blade
cleaners. The charcoal lighter will clean the blades as they run in the
liquid and because it is a petroleum product, it will leave enough light oil
on the blades to lubricate them. We just pour some into a coffee can, dip
the running clippers into the can for a few seconds, wipe them off and they
are clean and lubricated. We use compressed air to blow the excess lighter
fluid off the clippers. You might experiment with one of your blow dryers.
Clipper Care
Hmmm, forgot to say that I don't use Cool Lube at all.
Cool Lube actually strips all the oil off. I just change out my blades about
every ten minutes, per my routine in my previous post, and they're cool by
the time I've used the other one or two of the same size in my set of
blades. But as I said earlier, I'm the odd man out here, but that works best
for me, though it may not work for you. Cyndi Eberhart
Q. Can someone recommend someone where I
can send my blades for sharpening? Thanks. Kay
PRO CUT PROFESSIONAL SHARPENING
4442 VERMONT ROAD
WELLSVILLE, KS 66092
785-883-4883
tony@procutprofessional.com
www.procutprofessional.com
Clipping
I got my little guy last year and he was so dirty, so I
clipped him and ruined the blades on my clipper. I then learned about the
"clean horse is a must" as well as keeping those blades cool. I use a spray
(think it's Cool Lube) that lubes and keeps the blades cool. Between a clean
coat and the Cool Lube, I was able to finish the job with the old blades!
This year I have new blades, but he's shedding so I am hoping that we won't
be doing a body clip on him!Rhonda/MN
I'm the odd one out here. Unless they are caked with mud,
I NEVER wash before clipping. HOWEVER, I use a cattle blower on them and get
all the loose dirt out, and it goes everywhere! I do make sure that I have
nearly all the dirt out! When horses aren't used to the blower, I never have
them tied when I use it. One person holds the horse and the other uses the
blower. I start out by just starting the blower and moving the hose around,
then laying the hose on them, then gradually moving the air onto them. By
the second time, I can usually have the horse in ties, but again start
slowly with touching with the hose, etc., and after that it's usually a
piece of cake!
I use a combination of #10, #15, #30, #40 and #50. To do a horse, I'll have
at least 2 (and usually 3) of the #15 and #30, as those are the ones I use
the most (I rarely use #10 on the show horses, except for cremellos and
other very light colored horses, or blazes/bald faces). That way I can
rotate them to keep the blades cool. I clean the blades with a toothbrush
and oil them before starting the first horse (well, actually before I put
them away from the last one). After I've changed them out and they've cooled
and I'm ready to use them again, I'll sometimes clean them with the
toothbrush again before putting them on the clipper. I clean and oil the
entire set between horses. I can do 10-15 horses on one set, although the
blades in a set are never at the same "stage," so I'll have swapped out a
blade for a newly sharpened one here and there along the way.... *G* I've
been doing it this way for years, since I first got Double K's in 1992.
Although I rarely do it for some reason, I also like to clipper while the
horse is wet. They clip out really nice, but you want to make sure that they
stay wet, so if you're not fast at clipping you might have to rewet the
horse. If you do this, however, you WILL want to wash first, as you don't
want to be clipping mud! *VBG* I didn't believe this worked, so I tried it
between shows in case it messed up, but it works beautifully! The blades
also seem to stay cool longer.
Cyndi Eberhart
Eldorado Training Center
Q. I had an exhausting time today
clipping my mini's legs. One exhibitor that shows minis at Pinto shows
sedates her minis when she is clipping them. I spoke with the vet. She
gave me 3 mm of Ace to give her orally. It helped moderately and I got 3
legs clipped. I never did get the right front clipped. It was clipped by
my daughter 2 weeks ago so isn't too hairy. The amount of Ace really didn't
have a major effect. Does anyone sedate their minis for clipping? What
medication did you use? How much? Are their any other suggestions. I
don't want to struggle like this before every show. It gets dangerous being
down at the minis feet when the rear. Please help!! Kay B
A. I'm afraid I would suggest training.
I would start all over and just work a little bit at a time with the goal
being to de-sensitize the horse to the clipper. Train them to stand still.
Perhaps also don't try to clip the whole horse at one time. Lynn
A. I would start with massage. Get the
horse used to you given them a massage and then try using the clipper as a
massager without taking any hair off.
A. My friend used clicker training and
can now clip even her horse's ears without a twitch. We didn't use a clicker
but did use treats. Our minis will pretty much let us clip everything but
the deepest inside part of their ears but we don't trim that anyway.
A. Get your horse used to the clippers
as a good thing and this will be a daily training session. Linda in Ohio
Twitch
A real inexpensive and easy to find
"twitch" is one you can find at a hardware store. The clamp holds boards
together (for use when you are glueing boards together. Looks like one of
the clips you use for potato chip bags). This is what my farrier uses. You
just clip it on the lip. You don't have to hold it like a twitch, so you can
do things by yourself. the springs are not that tight, so will not hurt
their tender lip. They work kinda like a clothes pin. The ones I have used
had orange like rubber on the tips that pinch on the lip. Very quick to slip
one on and can be done by one person. They are inexpensive too. Any hardware
store will have them.
Dry, itchy coat
I would not bathe too
often, you are taking away natural oils and they do get itchy. I would not
bathe more than once a month. You can always wash certain areas to get
stains out without washing the whole body. Doing manes and tails too much
will dry them out too without conditioner.
As for the conditioner, leave in on for 5-10 minutes and then always rinse
it out...when you use conditioner on your hair, you rinse it out too..try a
25% listerine and 75% water stray first and see if it helps, but I wouldn't
use anymore than a 50-50 solution...
Here are some other tips;
To remove soap residue, sponge the pony with a solution of one half cup
vinegar per bucket of water, then rinse entire body with plain water.
If frequent bathing strips the hair coat of natural oils, then try rinsing
with a water/olive oil mixture, leave on 10 minutes and the rinse again with
plain water.
Good on the spot spot removers are, alcohol or vinegar on a rag or wet the
spot with a rag and add white corn starch-it dries fast and then brush the
spot and the starch away with a clean brush. You can also add white corn
starch after their bath to white areas. Let dry and brush off. Keeps the
hair white longer and dirt brushes off more easily.
To get stains off a white or light tail use a 50-50 solution of vinegar and
rubbing alcohol.
If you have dewormed, but your pony is still itchy, try protecting their
tail at the top with a light layer of petroleum jelly or mineral
oil..mineral oil also helps get burrs out of manes and tails great too!
Jenny
