In the latest edition of our new series in which H&H staff talk about their favourite products, H&H dressage editor Alice Collins reveals her failsafe for shiny hooves
Absorbine SuperShine Hoof Polish has superceded all hoof oil type dressings I used to have in my grooming kit and I never go anywhere without it.
I stumbled across it one day when I had left my regular hoof oil at home by accident and have never looked back.
It comes in black or clear and you apply it using a handy wand attached to the lid of the plastic pot. I put it on and it dries in about a minute while I’m plaiting for shows or demos. It leaves hooves really shiny and smooth and, unlike traditional hoof oil, this varnish doesn’t rub off on other things, like the inside of travel boots or white bandages in the warm-up.
I use the clear version, but some riders like to paint even light feet black — like Portuguese Olympian Luis Principe did with his horse World Performance Washington at Olympia in 2012.
It is a sticky liquid before it has dried, so do be careful not to spill any on you when applying it and avoid bits of hay falling on hooves before they have dried.
You do not need to remove it and it rubs off in about a week.
SuperShine Hoof Polish fact file
Brand: Absorbine
Product: SuperShine hoof polish
Colour: Black or clear
Sizes: One size
Price: around £11
Available in tack shops and online
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