Top Tack Cleaning Tips From Absorbine

Absorbine are not just known for their supremely effective grooming products, there are also fly control, hoof care, muscle care and even leather care products available and all of them match the exacting standards set by the renowned ShowSheen.

One of the unsung heroes is Horseman's One Step leather cleaner and conditioner. As it says on the pot, it cleans and conditions in one easy step - great either at home or when travelling to shows.
Here are some tips to help you keep tack in tip top condition:

• Clean and check tack at least every two weeks - check the stitching and the leather for cracks and wearing thin.


• Get saddles checked at least once a year and after a fall, just in case the tree has been damaged.


• Clean mud and sweat off leatherwork as soon as possible, leaving dirt on leather will not do it any good.


• Use Horseman's One Step to wipe away dirt and sweat in one easy step, ;eaving the leather soft and conditioned. It requires no water, just a damp sponge to work Horseman's One Step over the leather. Three cleaning agents remove dirt, sweat and salt while helping to restore a natural shine. Its great for use on saddles, bridles, boots, belts, luggage, shoes, handbags and most leather garments - in fact just about anything leather! It penetrates quickly, leaving no greasy residue and it will not darken most leathers.


• Undo buckles and billets to clean thoroughly - these are the most vulnerable areas and the leather needs to be cleaned and checked.


• To remove jockeys (the build up of grease and dirt) a traditional method is to rub them with a ball of mane or tail hair. Alternatively, use a damp sponge and Horseman's One Step and work in a circular motion.


• Finally for really sparkling bits and stirrup irons, put them in the dishwasher - it really does work.

Horseman's One Step is a convenient, one-step leather cleansing and conditioning cream that leaves a beautiful satin sheen with no greasy residue.

Available in 425g RRP approx £8.00 and 3.2kg RRP approx £44.00 from your local Absorbine stockist.

Team Bardos 2011 Success Continues

Comberton Clancy has been Champion on every outing this season. Recently at the Bath and West show, he took the title of Working Show Horse Champion having jumped beautifully and then continued on the following day to take the Riding Horse Championship. This is his first season at Moor Farm and Carol Bardo and Jayne Webber are "delighted" with the way he is going.

Team Bardo's cobs are also performing brilliantly as well. Darcey Bustle won her first Horse Of The Year Show (HOYS) cob qualifier at the South Of England Show. She also went on to be Champion cob at South Of England. The experienced coloured cob, The Humdinger has qualified for both the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) and HOYS in both the cob and coloured classes at his first attempts.

The South Of England Show also saw the team pick up their 100th win so far of the 2011 season with Mrs Stennet's Time 2 Reflect. The four year old Time 2 Reflect won the HOYS Small Hunter Qualifier and has also qualified for the RIHS at the first attempt.

Hooray For Hooflex!

Charlotte Friend was the winner of our recent facebook competition for fans with a horse or pony that is kept barefoot to win a bottle of All Natural Hooflex and write a review on it. Charlotte has been using Hooflex on her pony Blue for the last few weeks, this is what she has to say about it:

Hooray for Hooflex! The product was brilliant, it really helped to strengthen Blue's hooves. The product was very easy to apply, and I could really tell the difference in my pony's feet within a week of using Hooflex. My farrier even commented on how well the product had protected my pony's feet. The Hooflex came with very clear instructions on how to use it and as the bottle is so large, it lasts you for ages! Hooflex has been incredible!

Blue had quite strong feet, but sometimes used to hesitate about walking across the yard car park to go out hacking, or along the track to get to the bridleway, as they are quite stony and sore on his feet, but as soon as I started using Hooflex he id not hesitate at all!

I compete him mostly in In-Hand Mountain and Moorland classes as he has just turned 4, but we have started doing a few ridden classes at local shows and we have done very well, as when I got him he had been turned away for most of his life. He is quite unique in competing barefoot in Mountain and Moorland classes as most others are fully shod, especially the Welsh ponies, which he is. I am definitely going to continue to use the product, it has made a considerable difference to my pony's feet. I wouldn't dream of using anything else on him!

The full range of Absorbine products including All Natural Hooflex are available from equestrian retailers and Absorbine stockists. All Natural Hooflex RRP: £23.40

New Hooflex Natural Spray From Absorbine

W.F. Young Inc. Manufacturers of Absorbine ShowSheen, coatcare and grooming products, have launched the New Hooflex Natural Spray as part of their expanding hoofcare range.

Hooflex Natural Spray is a brand new, first of its kind way to apply hoof dressing. This innovative design sprays from any angle, even upside down. The quiet, non-aerosol spray eliminates messy brushes while keeping the product free of dirt and debris. The new natural formula contains six active natural and herbal ingredients including tea tree oil, arnica, comfrey and avocado oil. These help promote strong, healthy hoof growth when barefoot or shod, and maintain the hoof's moisture balance.

Hooflex Natural Spray is available in 148ml non aerosol spray. RRP: £11.99.

The full range of Absorbine Products are available from equestrian retailers and Absorbine stockists.

May PSO Absorbine Best Turned Out Winner

Ashleigh Thornton and her lovely bay mare Bellasize Francil Alice are the well deserving winners of the May Online Photo Shows (PSO) Absorbine sponsored Best Turned Out Class.

Alice is 15.3hh and is a Shire X Cob. She is out of a Shire mare, the famous Bellasize Sovereign is her grandsire and she has turned out to be a miniature Shire/traditional gypsey vanner with plenty of feather. This is the first time Ashleigh has entered PSO and sahe says "I will definitely without a doubt be entering again. The ease of everything is great, friendly people, the amazing prizes and the idea of not having to wake up at 5am to wash Alice's feathers in preparation for a show!"

Ashleigh has had Alice on loan following an advert on horsemart. Ashleigh says "I got a phone call from a friend telling me Alice was for loan whilst I was at my grandmas funeral and knew it was something that was meant to be, so I rang the owner and told her a bit about myself and my experience with horses. She told me what she was wanting and that she had over 40 applicants for the opportunity so we discussed it and that night I went to ride there. Everything seemed to fit into place, the agreement was that I would help with all the jobs in return for free riding, and lessons from a top dressage and showing instructor. It's been great for me and I'm very grateful for this opportunity. In December we bought a Friesian colt to add to the collection of Ramsey, a 30 year old cob, Foggy, a six year old Hunter type and Alice, my favourite who had been there for only a few months before I met her. She was still very green last winter and she had a short tail. She came off a working farm in poor condition where she used to pull harows and chains all day long."

Alice has had a a big change in lifestyle, since Ashleigh has had her the pair have been to plenty of shows. Ashleigh said "we do well in best condition and turnout as well as classes based on conformation such as heavy horse and cob classes, we have also done two equitation classes and we did really well in both of them." Ashleigh is so grateful for this chance to take Alice off out and about "I thank Alice, her owner and my instructor for it all, my riding has improved so much and the best comment ever was 'you work so well together'! So far we have had a win at everu show we have been to and I couldn't be prouder of Alice, not just for the red rosettes but her constant efforts to please. The past six months really have shown what team work can achieve and she's a whole different horse now."

Apart from being the most hard working and willing to please horse Ashleigh has come across, "Alice will also try her best to eat anything: cake, bananas, crisps, crisp packets, chips, evevn the string you tie your competition numbers on with. She undid the bow right in front of the judge once at a show, luckily for us he found it really amusing which added to his positive opinion about her and we won the class! But she really doesn't like croissants and spits them out at you!"

Ashleigh is just finishing her GCSEs this summer, she believes though that "theres nothing like coming home from exams to a horse that will canter over to you, only to play catch-me-if-you-can when the headcollar appears and spending a good half hour watching her canter round the field and ending up sitting down in a field with a headcollar and lead rope tryinyg to convince her to come over."

Ashleigh is also a fan of Absorbine SuperShine Black and says "I wouldn't change it for the world, I swear by the stuff! I never look at any other products when buying hoof shine, I go straight into the shop and its at the till in seconds, I have also used Absorbine ShowSheen on previous horses and occasionally on Alice, although due to her breed/type she has to be as natural as possible so products are kept to a minimum, but I think it achieves a very natural looking gleam on the coat and adds that extra 'wow' for shows!"

Best of luck to Ashleigh and Alice for all their future shows and PSO shows!