Sock Care

SOCK CARE. Whether you clip the legs of horses or not, important factors are often overlooked.

Here’s the problem. Dry skin is prone to rubs, fungus, etc. It also means roots are parched, so hair does not grow well and is more porous. So STAINS PENETRATE! To address sound solutions for super bright socks, we need to look at more than the color of hair after bathing.

Horses NEED their natural protective oils. If you clip legs, you are exposing SKIN to sun, wind, dirt, etc. Think about it: How would you fare if you shaved your head nearly bald and then went out into the sun all day? People clip legs with the idea that whites look brighter. However, if you so, you need to GROOM MORE.

Bump up your RUBBING on clipped legs to stimulate oil production and exfoliate to release the oils. Lots of vigorous grooming also helps bring the oils to the skin and down the hair shaft to make it shine, be supple and easier to keep clean. I like to use a soft curry or rubber mitt, brushes and lots of toweling on legs. Be careful to only use soft things on heels. Clipping legs may make them look white, but it is not a shortcut. You need to counter the effect by rubbing on them more.

FANS may help legs dry, BUT there are two problems with that. Firstly, Chinese medicine, the most practiced in the world and a 6,000 year old craft, insists wind is not good for health. Fans create wind. Secondly, the air may dry hair, but they won’t help promote the animal’s natural defenses- which just got clipped off! So, rub lots. Here is a high-minded toweling technique.

Most all cleaning products, powders and routines are DRYING. So, horses are washed, but ultimately get dirtier as thirsty hair sucks up stains. Plus, parched hair is are prone to all kinds of hair breakage, rubs, skin irritation and disease. Dry hair is never glistens. Come to find out, conventional products typically cause or exasperate problems. If you choose products that uniquely ENHANCE NATURAL DEFENSES, clean great and leave big shine… the skin is supple and resilient, fungus is gently eliminated, and socks gleam. The word seemingly everyone uses to describe socks washed once with Lucky Braids All-In-One Shampoo is: IRIDESCENT.

If wrestling with old stains or needing a quick fix, Lucky Braids Whitener/Dry Wash will separate the impurities from the hair without stripping it. Since it is an enzyme, you want to let it sit in the hair to do it’s action. Don’t rub. Most stains bead up instantly and you can wipe them off. Others need to soak in the solution a bit. However, I have never known of a stain that could not be removed with our All-In-One Shampoo and Whitener/Dry Wash paradigm. If you do run into any snags, give us a call to be sure you are using the products properly: 781-665-5988.

Sensitive horses can be tricky, though they do well with our products. Many big barns use only our products on their most sensitive horses. Some spray the enzyme on legs of any color to repel dirt. That way, they don’t need to be bathed as often. Keep in mind that it is an enzyme, not a bleach nor detergent. So, the spray quickly cleans ANY coat.

Personally, I like to trim along the back of legs and clean up the coronary band line, but not clip from the knees or hock down. With Lucky Braids products, hair looks metallic.

DIFFERENT GAME. That’s why we offer a Money Back Satisfaction Guarantee. So, give it a try! Your greys and whites will stay CLEANER LONGER, while minimizing rubs, scratches.

WHY are Lucky Braids product so distinctive? Braiding the manes and tails of 12,000+ horses, I had plenty of time alone in the dark, with my hands in horses' hair, to consider the pervasive grooming problems... and that there MUST be a better way. That level of knowing horses and their issues is nothing like being a chemist with marketing dollars.

Ruthann Smith has spent a lifetime studying sound horsemanship- both as a groom for top international horses and as a renowned braider. Quietly twisting manes atop a ladder, she watched and learned in some of the best stables in the world.

As her passion for great grooming grew, Ruthann became focused on researching, collecting and sharing the best practices of the world’s keenest horsemen. Ultimately, Ruthann used her vast experience to develop exceptional equine grooming products to help raise the bar of horsemanship.

The knowledge she dispenses and the products Ruthann developed solve age-old grooming issues. Making quality horse care easier, they have received the highest honors in the equine industry*. Her Lucky Braids for Top Turnout coat care and braiding products are the best, most versatile, cost-effective and easiest solutions available on the market today.

Now Ruthann offers her LOVE, LOVE Guarantee. If not totally thrilled with a product she developed, Ruthann will refund you in full, regardless of where you purchased it.

It’s her life’s mission to empower horses by educating, motivating and equipping their people to be true horsemen. You can access Ruthann’s tips at: The Grooming Resource on LuckyBraids.com, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and her Horsemanship Clinics.

*After testing 350 products, Lucky Braids All-In-One Horse Shampoo was named product of the year by Horse Journal, the “Consumer Reports” of the industry. They also named Lucky Braids Shampoo and Top Pick for greys and whites. Lucky Braids specialized braiding yarn also got stellar reviews.