Bathing

Soak from ears to hooves with water. If the horse has white areas or light colored mane or tail, focus on these first, shampooing them well with whiting shampoo, rubbing the suds in, and rinsing often. For the body, use a coat highlighting shampoo, and rinse well. Rub conditioner all over the body, wait one minute. Add water, wait one more minute. Rinse out. Comb through mane and tail. Let dry for awhile, but just before the hair is dry, put a rug on to avoid the hair fluffing up.

Clipping and Trimming

Trim the ears, fetlocks, bridle path. Use a horse razor to trim whiskers on nose and around eyes. Trim any long hairs under the jowls. Use scissors to neaten the chesnuts on the legs. Make sure hooves are trimmed well.

Braiding

Plait the mane and tail and forelock neatly. Do this before adding any shine products, as it will make the hair slick and difficult to braid.

Shine/Makeup

Use show sheen or body shine spray. Around the eyes and nostrils use Alto Glo or baby oil or vaseline or another highlighting gel to make them shiny. Baby oil on the mane and tail (after braiding) will make them look healthy and shiny. Use hoof black on the hooves and finish with a coat of hairspray for extra shine. You can also use hoof black on the chestnuts to make them more attractive. If there are white areas on the body or legs, you can get a kind of chalk to make them whiter, and some people use baby powder for whitening, also. You can also get a spray-on white or black color, to help highlight leg color.

Just before entering arena:

Make sure the hocks and nostrils are clean. Repolish the hooves. You can even brush your horse's teeth to make them clean and white.

You're all set to impress! Enjoy the show.