By Paige Cerulli With horse show season in full swing, you may find that you’re short on time. Preparing for horse shows can be highly time-consuming, but don’t worry – we’ve come up with some great ways for you to cut your show prep time in half! Keep Basic Show Items in Your Trailer If you’re lucky enough to own your own horse trailer, then you can easily simplify your show preparation process. Keep standard items that you need for a show in your trailer so that they’re always ready to go. Store items like a muck bucket, pitchfork, extra halter and lead line, water bucket, and fly spray to simplify your packing list. Clean Your Show Tack After Each Show After each show is finished, take the time to thoroughly clean your show tack. Once you’ve given your tack a thorough cleaning, it will only need a touch-up cleaning in preparation for your next show. Wash or Dry Clean Your Show Clothes After Each Show Clean your show clothes promptly after each show. Bring your clothes to the dry cleaner’s or clean them at home according to the directions on their labels. Once the clothes are clean, hang them in a garment bag so that they stay neat and are all ready to go when your next show comes around. Make a “Show Prep” Kit Create a “show prep” kit for you to use when preparing your horse on the day before a show. This kit should contain items that you’ll need like shampoo, conditioner, braiding supplies, and clippers. Having all of these items easily at hand can help to speed up your preparation time. Keep a Separate Show Grooming Kit Rather than worrying about cleaning all of your brushes and packing them the day before a show, keep a separate grooming kit which you use just for shows. This kit should have all of your standard grooming products, plus any items that you’ll need for last-minute touches. Don’t forget to include coat polish, hoof polish, baby wipes, scissors, rub rags, and any items that you prefer for show grooming. You can stash this kit in your horse trailer so that it’s ready and waiting when you arrive at the show grounds. The more that you can do ahead of time, the less chaotic your show preparation will be and the less stressed you will feel. Try putting these tips to the test and let us know how you do.