April/May 2008 - The Pleasure Pen

 

The Sentinel presents a "Questions & Answers" column The Pleasure Pen .
Samantha Molyneaux Professional Horse Training is located in South Beloit, IL just over the Illinois/Wisconsin border.

Samantha specializes in Breaking, Western Pleasure, Hunt Seat & Sport Horses and has a current training opening. Contact Samantha by email at Equus@wi.rr.com.

This will be a regular feature so please email your questions pertaining to:
Showing • Western Pleasure • Breaking the Pleasure Horse in general to: Equus@wi.rr.com.

 
This month's submission:

Question:
What can I do to keep my bay gelding from sun-fading while outside? I plan to show him this coming spring and summer, but I don't want him to bleach while he's outside! Thanks!

Answer:
by Samantha Molyneaux

You can use a fly sheet with UV protection if your gelding is out for a good amount of the day. You can also turn him out closer to the evening for a few hours. Be sure to fly spray his legs as the bugs can get irritating during the evening hours as well. If he's not used to being outside during the later hours, be sure to bring him in before it gets too dark.

There are also a number of supplements on the market that work great for keeping dark horses "darker". I've never used any of these personally, so I cannot guarantee the results. You can research these products online or even talk to your local nutrition specialist about what's safe to feed.



Good luck and thank you for your question.