Grooming for The Show
The Brayer, May-June 1997
Most shows are in the summer season, so clipping coats is
not so much a factor of show grooming, but what other preparation
should you take to get Molly, Jenny and Jack ready for the showing?
If you do show during the cooler months, or your donkey is slow
to change to a summer coat, you will probably want to do some
sort of clipping. Draft mules and Mammoth donkeys are frequently
shown in their heavy coats with only the face/head, ears, and
throat area of the neck clipped. In Mammoth jackstock a tuft
is usually left on the end of the ears to make them look longer.
This overall clip style is to show the fine clean lines of the
face and throat. No additional blanketing of the animal is needed.
Of course, the mane should be trimmed (usually upright or roached
in these animals,) tail shaped, and hooves polished.
If you decide to body clip, make sure your donkey or mule
will have a stall available, and be ready to blanket on cold
nights and wet, windy days. Body clipping is taking off the entire
long haircoat. Although there are English Hunter and Trace clips
worn by horses, they are not that popular with mules. Face-only
or full body clips are more common. If the animal is body clipped,
use a blending comb on your clippers so the mule won't have clipper
tracks in every direction over the body. Take the time several
weeks before the show to accustom your animal to being clipped.
Also, clipping a week or so ahead of the show will allow some
of the uneven patches that invariably at the first clip to grow
back out again.
The mane and tail have no set styles for mules or donkeys. If
your donkey or mule has a mane that is long enough to lie over,
if that look is good for your animal and you like that style,
go ahead and do it! Remember that the mane will have to be worked
with daily to train it to lie flat. It may need to be banded,
and a mane tamer (neck wrap) used. Don't comb the mane out, but
use a people nylon toothed styling brush instead. Always work
from the bottom up to the roots when grooming the mane.
There are a number of clipping styles for donkeys or mules. Short,
upright manes (varying in length from 4 inches down to a ¾"
ridge) can be clipped at any time If the mane tends to fall over
to one side, try it a bit shorter, or it may need to be thinned
out. The alternative is roaching the mane down to the neck with
a photo or trace the shape of your mule's neck from a photo and
experiment with different styles to see which will suit him or
her best. The length of the bridle path, mane, shape of the hair
(if clipped upright in a curve) can all contribute to the overall
appearance of the shape of the neck. A long neck can be enhanced
by a longer bridle path, and an upright curved mane can help
a thin neck.
Donkeys tails have short body hair over most the length, ending
in the longer switch. The top part of hair may either be trimmed
(remember to blend in with body coat so it doesn't look funny)
or shaved if the rest of the coat is also shaved (body clipped).
The tassel hair can be left natural, banged across the ends,
or may be shaped or belled.
Mule tails are often shaved down a few inches from the top, then
left full and long. The length of the area you shave, as with
the bridle path, can enhance the hips. Always take small amount
off when trimming - you can always snip a few more hairs off,
but you can't stick back on the ones you have already cut
If your mule or donkey is in a shed, slick summer coat, daily
grooming will help keep it looking good for the show season.
Limit bathing, as it strips away essential oils in the hair.
Try to bath at least two days before the show to let the oil
come back into the coat. Brushing with a currycomb, followed
by a brisk all-over with a stiff dandy brush on the dry coat
will help the oil spread evenly through the hairs. Keep the animal
up if possible right before a show. A quick touch-up with a wet
sponge can help remove stains on socks, hocks, or hips. Baby
wipes in your show grooming kit can also help with these problem
areas.
Hooves should be trimmed and smoothed, and if shod, try not to
have new shoes set or to trim too close to the bow. Give at least
two or three days if possible to let the mule's feet adjust to
the new shoes or hoof length
Hooves should be polished once you reach the show grounds. Be
sure to apply polish on a dry surface such as concrete barn floor
or aisle, or on a piece of board brought along for just such
an occasion. Let the polish dry before the animal steps into
the grass or dirt. Ideally, black hoof polish should be used
on dark hooves, and clear on light or striped hooves. However,
there is such a thing as a red/brown for use in sorrels, and
the Quarter Horse trend for a long time has been to black all
hooves, even those on legs with white stockings. Try this out
at home to see which style will look best on your animal. Remember
to remove the hoof polish after the show is over to let the feet
breathe. Diluted liniment will usually remove the blacking. Wear
rubber gloves or put your hand inside a baggie when working with
hoof polish - or you will end up with black hands!
Last-minute trims at the show should include ears, manes, tails,
and whiskers. If your animal spends most of its time out in the
pasture and flies will be a problem, you may not want to entirely
clip the inside of the ear. Neatly trimming the long hair and
creating a smooth line along the edge of the ear will create
a nice picture and still provide some protection for the ears.
Tack is ever changing, but by checking out Tack stores and mail-order
magazines, you can tell what's hot now and what's not. "Light
Oil" finish was popular for a while, now the darker shades
of leather are coming back. Silver usually stays in, while double-ear
headstalls, horsehair accents, apache trim, hand-braided reins,
etc, may come and go. No matter what style of halter you choose,
make sure above all that is properly fits your animal. A too-tight
halter will chafe, and does not compliment a nicely shaped head,
nor does a halter that is too loose and hangs on the face. Leather
is best for halter classes, but a nice nylon halter that fits
well can always be used at schooling shows. Most rule books state
that silver should not be rated over clean working tack - so
if you are just getting into showing, don't worry too much about
fancy tack at first. As long as the tack is clean, well-fitting
and not too gaudy, use what you have while you and your animal
gain experience. |
