Dental floss is great for making temporary repairs on rugs, halters etc.

For a really glamourous show tail, spray a little Mr. Sheen (you know...the furniture polish) through it. Helps separate the hairs and really makes it glisten.

Use an oven mitt as a stable rubber...your hand fits neatly inside. For that extra shine on your horse's coat, sew a piece of silk or velour to one side.

A great way to make white socks and stockings snowy white is to shampoo thoroughly (Sard Wonder Soap works well on stubborn stains), rinse, dry and rub through some chalk or talcum powder.

When removing cotton from plaits that have been sewn in, use a thread ripper instead of scissors.

When buying a crop, cut off the loop at the top. Many put their hands through it but this can be dangerous. The loop is only there to hang the crop up when not being used.

Round nylon mesh body scrubbers available at chemists and supermarkets (the kind sold with liquid soap) are great for washing horses. You can suds up using less shampoo and they easily remove stains. Best of all, they are really cheap. Ordinary tomato sauce does a great job of cleaning copper bits. Rub on with a clean rag, then rinse. Not only does it make copper shine like new, it's non-toxic.

Keep an old strainer near your horse's water trough. It's handy for scooping any leaves or twigs that may have fallen in.

When you are finished working your horse and are bringing him back to the paddock, don't just send him running off. Walk him inside and leave a lead rope around his neck. Scratch his favourite spot, then release him. This gives your horse a reason to want to be with you instead of instigating a predator/prey relationship where you, the predator, are always trying to catch your horse, the prey.

For an effective and natural fly repellent, use 20 drops of citronella in 500mls of water. Shake well and spray on your horse.

If you have a chestnut horse, feeding him pumpkin can really improve coat colour. Chop up a piece of pumpkin including skin and seeds and microwave around 8-0 minutes, until it is soft. Mix in with feed.

Use a gardening fork for mixinf feeds...it stops your hands getting covered in feed.

If you have trouble removing your horse's chestnuts, smear them with Vaseline every day for four or five days and they will peel right off. For itchy tails, mix equal parts of Listerine (original formula) and baby oil in a spray bottle. Spray on and comb through to the roots with your fingers. This really works and seems to get rid of dandruff too.

If you want to take your own water supply to a show but don't have a bucket with a lid, put an ordinary plastic garbage bag in the bucket first, fill with water, twist the top closed and tie with a knot. This stops spills and splashing.

To get your stirrup leathers to wear evenly, swap them from left to right (and vice versa) every couple of weeks.

To make silver parts of your saddlery really sparkle, rub over with a pencil eraser and buff off with a clean cloth.

When plaiting up and rosetting a horse for a show or event, smear heaps of any type of hair gel through each clump of mane and watch your plaits instantly become neater, easier to do and have stay together and the hair sticks to your fingers to help you plait right down to the ends. (Sent in by Camilla Bond)

Try using shaving cream on your leather to make it really supple. It's what a lot of baseballers use on their catching mitts. Be sure to use the foaming type of shaving cream and NOT the gel!

If your horse needs to have a cold pack applied in a hurry, you can raid your freezer and use a pack of frozen vegetables, or even those icy-poles that come in long plastic strips.

Lightly coat blackened hoofs with hairspray for a better shine.

Wash saddleblankets and washable girths regularly as dried sweat can cause chafing. To avoid buckles scratching the washing machine, place the girths in a pillowslip and tie closed before washing.

If you tie a knot in the end of your leadrope, it won't slip all the way through your hand if your horse tries to make a run for it!

Wrap some stickytape around your hand with the sticky side facing outwards to remove hairs from your riding coat and saddleblankets.

Make cheap hoof dressing by mixing a little stockholm tar in with some vegetable oil.

To help you learn a dressage test, take an old sheet and mark out the letters on it. This gives you a portable arena you can 'trot' and 'canter' around while memorizing the test.

When plaiting, comb some hair gel through your horse's mane first which helps give a neater finish.

If your horse gets bored in the stable, hang a turnip from some strong twine and suspend it someplace where it will swing. This makes it hard to catch and nibble, which will keep your horse amused for hours!

For really stained white tails, spray through some Preen pre-wash stain remover and leave to penetrate for around 15 minutes, then shampoo and condition as normal.

Grooming your horse every day (even if it's just a quick 'once over') will keep you familiar with what's normal...and what's not, which will help you spot signs if illness, lumps, bumps etc. quickly.

A kitchen fork is good for removing the fluff from velcro.

A disposable baby nappy makes a great wound dressing.

Put hoofblack cans in a plastic mug with a handle, it catches the drips from the tin and gives you something to hold on to.

If you use flyveils on your horse, put them on so they're inside out. That way the seam and stitching is on the outside where it has less chance of rubbing your horse. The velcro is also harder to undo so the horse has less chance of getting it off.

Human heel files are great for removing bot fly eggs on horses. You can get them cheaply from the chemist or supermarket.

Make your own dressage markets by printing out large letters ona sheet of A4 paper (one large letter per sheet and having them laminated with heavy duty plastic. You can staple or tie them on to posts...they'll last or ages.

To stop your horse from nibbling brushes when grooming, get some velcro and stick one side to your brush and the other side to a pole or fence so when you're finished using the brush, you can stick it out of the way. If your horse does try and grab the brush, at least you'll be able to hear him!

If your horse is prone to greasy heel, try applying Vaseline morning and night and you will find it clears up in a couple of days.

Paint your own showjump poles...get some treated pine poles and paint white. When dry, use masking tape to divide the pole into striped sections, then paint with enamel. For jump ends, paint 44 gallon drums.


© Horsewyse Magazine. Illustrations © Peta Taylor.