BGA Survey, Supported by Absorbine Generates Huge Response

A national survey which has exposed the shocking truth about employment in the equestrian industry has sent waves through the industry and sparked a number of emotionally fuelled responses, forcing employers and Governing Bodies to address the situation.

The results from the survey, which attracted nearly 1,100 grooms and 160 employers, were made public on April 3 showed that an alarming number of grooms are working illegally. Grooms, employers and parents have all responded passionately to the results which have highlighted the need for immediate modernisation.

The survey was conducted by the British Grooms Association (BGA) with the support of Absorbine, who offered two luxury hampers of grooming products as an added incentive for people to complete the survey. Absorbine’s European marketing manager, Rachael Holdsworth said, “We are incredibly proud to support such a worthwhile survey to establish the real facts about the employment of grooms and to help the BGA continue their excellent work supporting British Grooms”. 

Winner of one of the Absornine Hampers, Eventing groom Chloe Lees said “I am not at all surprised by the results. So many people I know working with horses are employed illegally. It is great that the BGA has been able to highlight this and hopefully changes will now take place.”
BGA Executive Director Lucy Katan said, “The results have come as no surprise but what is now important is how we implement the changes that are desperately needed. We are working with grooms and employers to help modernisation to take place and will continue to fight for these changes.”

The survey was conducted under the auspices of the BGA by Dr. Kate Calamatta and Georgina Brooke-Holmes. For more information and for full results visit www.britishgrooms.org.uk.    

How to groom like a pro with ShowSheen

2014 is the 40th Anniversary of Absorbine's most renowned product, ShowSheen. To help celebrate this milestone, Absorbine USA have come up with the following tips to maximise the impact of using ShowSheen on your horse. 

Detangling

Apply ShowSheen to manes and tails before detangling, making sure

to coat the ends. Tip; using your fingers to unravel knots will reduce breakage. 

Burrs 

Apply polish or ShowSheen Detangler Gel to the area and allow to 

soak in for 5 minutes, then burrs will slide right out. Tip; isolate 

clumps of burrs by pulling hairs away from them. Spray problem 

areas before turnout to reduce grooming time. 

Repel Dust

Apply our polish over the coat to keep the horse clean longer. 

Muddy Legs

Apply polish to legs to keep mud from sticking during turnout. 

Drying Out 

New pro-vitamins and silk proteins add moisture to hair shaft 

for deep conditioning. 

Enhanced Shine 

Apply polish directly or spray onto a rag or brush. Use 

ShowSheen Finishing Mist for a light, even distribution. 

Skip the saddle area if you are about to ride! 

Fly-Aways 

Smooth down unruly fly-aways with a spray of ShowSheen. 

Clipping

Apply polish liberally to areas to be clipped and let dry. 

This helps clippers glide through hair, reducing clipper 

marks, and clippers won't get as hot or as dull as quickly. 

Blanketing 

Apply polish before blanketing your horse to keep him more comfortable in winter. It reduces friction points, eliminates 

static electricity and keeps the coat smelling fresh. 

Absorbine Magic Cushion helps talented combination in qualifying for the British Dressage Winter Regional Finals

BHSAI and ESMT IAAMT trained Sports Massage Therapist Sarah Bray from Hampshire recently had a brilliant result at the British Dressage Regional Championships with her mare, Violetta. The pair took 8th place in the Elementary Music Freestyle and subsequently received a Wildcard qualification from British Dressage to the Winter National Championships at Hartpury College on the 11th April. Sarah believes that Absorbine Hooflex Magic Cushion was an integral part of the success.

Sarah said, “Violetta went slightly lame 4 weeks before the BD regional Champs and no-one was sure why. I got the farrier first as she felt "footy", he said her soles were soft due to the wet ground, but there was no bruise or abscess. She was assessed by my Vet and a physiotherapist, and neither of them found anything conclusive. Then I felt that she was actually lame 9 days before regionals.

I asked my farrier Nick Sturgess to come back urgently and he agreed she was lame. Nick put Absorbine Magic Cushion in Violetta’s feet with pads on top, then shoes. The next day she was sound. Nick said to leave her 48 hours to allow the Magic Cushion to work. I took her to see my trainer 2 days later and she was just amazing!

By now we only had a few days to prepare for regionals, but I felt very lucky to be going at all. 8th place in the Elementary Music Freestyle was just brilliant, on a horse who had no time to practice and would NOT have gone at all - without Magic Cushion and a fantastic farrier! It is a brilliant product!

I want to say a massive thank you to Absorbine UK for your Magic Cushion hoof packing”.

Absorbine Hooflex Magic Cushion hoof packing is an efficient way to cool and cushion bruised soles and sore feet.  Thermographic tests show that the all-natural formula starts working to reduce heat in hooves in just one hour and the cleaning and cushioning properties help to keep soles in good condition, even under pads.

Magic Cushion is available in two strengths, Magic Cushion original for regular use, and Magic Cushion Xtreme, formulated for performance horse use with a higher concentration of ingredients.  Both are available in 1.8kg and 4kg sizes.

Hooflex Magic Cushion can be used on shod and barefoot horses.  It's sticky, spongy texture enables it to mould perfectly to the horse's sole and one application lasts up to 48 hours.

Sarah trained for her BHSAI under Robert Pickles, at Wellington and spent several years running her own livery yard alongside teaching and competing.

Sarah became very interested in horse physiotherapy, chiropractic treatments and everything to do with the muscular/skeletal system and its effect on the individual horse. She found her own competition horses and also her children’s ponies could give outstanding performances when they were relaxed and comfortable muscularly. If they had muscular discomfort of any sort, their attitude became tense, nervy and difficult to ride.

For this reason, around 10 years ago Sarah began to study how the professionals were treating her horses and ponies and what advice they could give. Sarah is now fully trained as an ESMT IAAMT Sports Massage Therapist and runs The Velvet Touch, Equine Sports Massage Therapy in Bishops Waltham in Hampshire. Please visit www.thevelvet-touch.co.uk.

To find out more about the full range of Absorbine grooming and horse care products visit www.absorbine.co.uk or find us on facebook www.facebook.com/AbsorbineUK.

Top Tips For Using Absorbine ShowSheen

New and improved Absorbine ShowSheen is a staple product in many tackrooms across the UK. Enriched with pro-vitamins and silk proteins ShowSheen keeps manes and tails tangle free, makes coats sleek and accentuates body tone and definition.

We asked our facebook fans for their tips on the best ways of using ShowSheen, here are the best innovative and effective tips for using ShowSheen that we received:  

“I spray ShowSheen all over the horse before clipping, it helps the clippers glide through the coat which makes it quicker, my blades last longer and it prevents the coat having clip lines”.

“ShowSheen is absolutely brilliant for a native pony’s thick mane and tail. One of my boys is a real mud monster! Spray on and the brush goes straight through! Definitely not just for show preparation”.

“Its great for spraying on legs in winter to prevent mud sticking so much!”

“After a bath we spray ShowSheen all over when ponies are still damp then rug up. It makes them super shiny and soft”.

“Spray ShowSheen down legs to stop mud from staining them. Keep the bottom of the tail well sprayed as it stops the dreaded yellow tail on greys”.

“I like to pour some ShowSheen in a bucket with the shampoo when I'm bathing to really get it in the coat and leave a soft shiny sheen”.

“I use it on hocks to stop the dirt sticking!”

“Spray ShowSheen on your horses legs and belly area before they are turned out, and when you bring them in just brush of the mud and it will be a lot easier and quicker to get the mud off using the ShowSheen. It's very useful whilst we are having this rainy weather at the moment”.

“Its brilliant for bushy tails, spray and work through hairs with fingers. Also good for everyday use to keep coats healthy and to use under hoods to prevent rub marks”.

“Use a little bit of ShowSheen, but often, after a thorough brushing spray on brush in and smooth over the coat with a clean sponge”.

Absorbine® to Support British Grooms Association Employment Survey

Absorbine is pleased to announce its support of The British Grooms Association (BGA) equestrian employment survey. The survey has been set up to help unveil the truth behind employment trends within the sector. As the professional membership association which represents the career interests of grooms, the BGA is urging all those who work with horses to come forward and have their say.

 

Two surveys, one targeted at grooms and the other to employers, have been compiled with the combined expertise of Georgina Brooke-Holmes of Coventry University and Sport England in partnership with BGA. Participants can opt to submit their answers anonymously to ensure that a true picture is generated.

 

Absorbine has generously donated two luxury hampers of their grooming and horse care products including world renowned ShowSheen and products from their Hooflex hoof care and muscle care ranges.  One hamper will be won by a participant in the grooms survey and the other by a participant in the employers survey.  There is also the opportunity for respondents to win a £100 cash prize.

 

Absorbine’s European marketing manager, Rachael Holdsworth said, “We are incredibly proud to support such a worthwhile survey, an extension of the long term support we have offered to the British Grooms Association over the past few years. The information will be invaluable to the BGA in taking further their excellent work supporting British grooms”.

 

Lucy Katan, Executive Director of the BGA, explained, “We are calling for grooms and employers to fill in our anonymous surveys to help us to build a realistic picture of the employment practices that are occurring right now. There have been several headlines about grooms and employers recently all of which raise concerning issues. For the BGA to make a real difference to the working lives of both grooms and employers we must first discover the real facts.”

 

Andrew Finding, Chief Executive of the British Equestrian Federation, commented: “We are pleased that the BGA is taking on this research project. Once again it demonstrates that they are leading the industry in this crucial area of work. We urge all of those that work with horses, either as a groom or an employer, to take time to fill in a survey.”

 

Filling out the surveys is easy. If you are a groom, freelancer, working pupil or apprentice please visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/grooms_research or you are an employer please go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/employers_research  

 

For more Absorbine product information, visit www.absorbine.co.uk or find us on facebook www.facebook.com/AbsorbineUK.

NEW - Magic Cushion Hoof Packing from Absorbine

NEW Hooflex® Magic Cushion® From Absorbine®

 W F Young Inc., manufacturers of the renowned Absorbine® range of grooming, hoof care, fly control and leather care products, have launched Magic Cushion® hoof packing to the UK market.  Magic Cushion hoof packing is a great addition to the trusted Absorbine® Hooflex® hoof care range, providing advanced levels of hoof care for performance horses especially in challenging conditions.

Hooflex Magic Cushion hoof packing is an efficient way to cool and cushion bruised soles and sore feet.  Thermographic tests show that the all-natural formula starts working to reduce heat in hooves in just one hour and the cleaning and cushioning properties help to keep soles in good condition, even under pads.

Hooflex Magic Cushion can be used on shod and barefoot horses.  It's sticky, spongy texture enables it to mould perfectly to the horse's sole. One application of Magic Cushion lasts up to 48 hours.

Magic Cushion is widely known to farriers in the US and Europe as a trusted and effective hoof packing.  Magic Cushion is formulated for use before and after athletic competition and under pads. It is a natural, capsicum free product and will not test positive in any equine discipline.

How to use Magic Cushion:

Step 1: Thoroughly clean all areas of the hoof using a hoof pick and if necessary, a stiff or wire brush. Magic Cushion must come into direct contact with the sole to be effective.

Step 2: Apply an amount of hoof packing to the sole sufficient enough to cover the entire sole and cleft of the frog half an inch in depth.

Step 3: If your horse has shoes on, put his foot own in sawdust or shavings to keep the hoof packing in place and to allow the liquid ingredients to be absorbed into the sole. If your horse is barefoot, you will need to wrap the hoof to keep the hoof packing in place. Replace every 24-48 hours.

Magic Cushion can also be packed under a pad for the duration of the shoes.

For more product information, visit www.absorbine.co.uk or find us on facebook www.facebook.com/AbsorbineUK.

Absorbine® Horseman’s One Step large tub Now available in the UK

Due to popular demand, Absorbine Horseman’s One Step 7lbs leather cleaner and conditioner is making a comeback to the UK market.

Absorbine’s European Sales and Marketing manager, Rachael Holdsworth said, “Many of our UK customers had voiced their disappointment over the discontinuation of the larger, 7lbs tub of Horseman’s One Step.  We listened and have decided to reinstate the 7lbs tub which will be available from equestrian retailers in the new year”. 

Horseman's One Step® is a convenient, one-step leather cleaning and conditioning cream that contains three cleaning agents. It removes dirt, sweat, and salt, while helping to restore a natural shine. It penetrates quickly, leaving no greasy residue. Designed for the busy equestrian, it requires no water and combines cleaning and conditioning in one step. It is great for use on harnesses, saddles and bridles, as well as reins, boots, belts, luggage, shoes, sporting goods, handbags, and most leather garments. It will not darken most leathers.

Sizes:  425g (1lb), NEW 236ml (8 fl oz) Spray, NEW 3175g (7lbs)

For more product information, visit www.absorbine.co.uk or find us on facebook www.facebook.com/AbsorbineUK.