Draw It Out® Field Guide
Show-Day Prep & Competition Rules
Recovery starts before the work.
Know your horse’s normal, plan work they are prepared for, make room for warm-up and cooling, and check the rules before packing products. Use this guide for a show, clinic, organized ride, or a day away from home.
01 / Start at home
Know the horse you loaded.
A useful baseline is a few repeatable observations from ordinary days at home. Write down what you see so a busy schedule does not become your only reference point.
Before work
Note appetite, drinking, manure, attitude, usual movement, and how the legs look and feel. Ask your veterinarian to teach you how to check vital signs safely.
After comparable work
Record the workload, weather, and how recovery progresses at consistent check-in times. Compare like with like: a hotter day or harder effort changes the picture.
The next morning
Look again for changes in comfort, movement, legs, appetite, and behavior. Share a new or persistent change with your veterinarian before planning more work.
Oklahoma State University explains that conditioning and recovery depend on the individual horse, workload, and environment. Its guidance supports consistent observation and an appropriate warm-up and cooldown. Read Physical Conditioning of Horses.
02 / Your day, in order
Build a routine you can repeat.
These are checkpoints, not a countdown to being fit to compete. Adjust the plan with your trainer and veterinarian when the horse, footing, weather, or schedule changes.
Make the decisions early.
- Confirm arrival, ride times, venue rules, and required health documents.
- Pack familiar feed, water equipment, clean tack, and your care kit.
- Locate the water source, cooling area, and event veterinarian’s contact.
- Agree on who handles each job when the day gets busy.
Check the horse and the haul.
- Compare today’s observations with your at-home baseline.
- Check the trailer, ventilation, route, and water stops.
- Keep labels with products and written instructions with any care someone else will provide.
- Resolve a new health concern before leaving.
Give yourself room to settle.
- Find water, shade, safe footing, and an appropriate place to unload.
- Check how your horse looks and moves after transport.
- Confirm schedule changes before tacking up.
- Keep your familiar feed and care routine as consistent as practical.
Warm up with a purpose.
- Use a progressive warm-up suited to the horse and the activity.
- Watch for changes in stride, coordination, and willingness.
- Check tack and boots; keep grooming products out of grip areas.
- Discuss extra warm-up or schooling with your trainer rather than adding it automatically.
Make recovery part of the schedule.
- Allow a suitable cooldown, water access, and a quiet break.
- Watch the horse’s response before deciding on another class or session.
- Adapt to heat and humidity; find shade and airflow.
- If something changes, reassess the plan with the right professional.
Finish the care before you load.
- Recheck comfort, movement, legs, and recovery.
- Make a water and ventilation plan for the return trip.
- Use travel protection only when appropriately fitted and familiar to your horse.
- Write down concerns and check again after arrival and the next morning.
03 / Read the horse
A cooldown is not a fixed timer.
After ordinary exercise
Use a cooldown appropriate to the effort and conditions. Observe how breathing, comfort, and behavior recover. A set number of minutes does not prove a horse is ready for another effort or the trailer.
Warm-up and cooldown also give you a chance to notice changes. OSU conditioning guidance.
When a horse is overheated
Stop exercise, remove tack, and get help. Use shade and airflow where available, and apply cool water continuously with a hose or repeated fresh water. Keep cooling the horse; do not turn it into a sequence of long scraping breaks.
Offer clean drinking water. Suspected heatstroke needs immediate veterinary attention. University of Minnesota heat-care guidance.
Stop and call the veterinarian.
New lameness, inability to bear weight, marked swelling, a significant wound, colic signs, weakness, incoordination, collapse, or distress that is not improving needs professional attention. For suspected overheating, begin cooling while help is arranged. Do not apply a product and wait for a horse to “work out of it.”
04 / Pack with a plan
Your away-from-home checklist.
Check each item as you pack or confirm it. Tailor the kit to your horse, destination, and veterinarian’s advice. Draw It Out® · drawliniment.com/pages/show-day-prep-guide
Check items here, or use your browser’s print command for a paper copy.
Build your horse first-aid kit. This checklist helps organize supplies; completing it does not assess fitness to travel or compete.
05 / Check before you compete
Use the rulebook for your event.
“Natural,” “topical,” or “show-safe” wording does not establish permission. A useful check covers the exact product, ingredients, intended use, timing, and rules that apply to your entry.
- Identify the governing body. Check the organizer’s current rules for your event and division, including tack, boots, wraps, and topical applications.
- Review what you will use. Keep the current ingredient list and label. Include supplements, medications, grooming products, liniments, and products someone else applies.
- Ask the right question. Discuss medication timing and substance questions with your veterinarian and the relevant rules office before the event. Do not invent a withdrawal time from a label or another rider’s experience.
- Keep a record. Note the product and batch, dates of use, applicable guidance, and who answered your question. Recheck when the formula, event, or rules change.
USEF states that it does not approve, endorse, or sanction herbal, natural, or medicinal products. See its 2026 Drugs & Medications Guidelines. FEI and USEF resources serve their respective competitions; other associations and racing authorities have their own requirements. Use the edition effective on your competition date.
06 / Choose a useful format
Where Draw It Out® fits.
Make optional topical care part of an established routine. Introduce it at home, follow the current label, and complete your event’s rules check. Liniment does not replace conditioning, warm-up, water cooling, rest, or veterinary care.
16oz Liniment Gel
A ready-to-use format for riders who want controlled, targeted application without mixing.
View Gel and current directions
32oz Liniment Concentrate
A mix-to-use option for a spray-based routine. Prepare and label your mixture according to current product directions.
View Concentrate and mixing directionsConsidering wraps? Check the exact product directions and learn correct application from a qualified professional. Read the liniment-under-wraps guide.
Questions riders ask.
Is this guide only for horse shows?
No. Use the same planning checkpoints for clinics, organized rides, and other haul-out activities. Match the workload and recovery plan to the horse, and follow the venue’s requirements.
Does a liniment replace the warm-up or cooldown?
No. Topical care is an optional part of your routine. It does not prepare a horse for work they are not conditioned for, replace water cooling, or determine whether they are fit to continue.
Should every horse recover in the same number of minutes?
No. Fitness, effort, heat, humidity, travel, and individual health affect recovery. Follow your veterinarian’s guidance and compare your horse’s response with their usual pattern under similar conditions.
Does “natural” mean a product is allowed in competition?
No. Check the exact product and ingredients against the current rules for your event. Marketing language is not governing-body approval. Use the official resources above and resolve uncertainty before using the product.
Will my checklist still be here when I come back?
When browser storage is available, checked items are saved in this browser on this device. They do not sync between devices and may be cleared by private browsing or browser cleanup. Use Copy checklist or Print checklist to keep a separate copy.
What if my horse seems off after hauling?
Pause the riding plan and contact your veterinarian about a new or persistent change. Do not assume it is routine travel stiffness or use a product to postpone assessment. The travel guide linked above can help you organize observations.
Sources and further reading.
This guide translates general education into a practical planning routine. These resources do not test or endorse Draw It Out® formulas.
- Oklahoma State University: Physical Conditioning of Horses, Kris Hiney. Conditioning, warm-up, cooldown, and observation.
- University of Minnesota Extension: Caring for horses during hot weather. Water, cooling, and heat emergencies.
- US Equestrian: Drugs & Medications and FEI: Equine Prohibited Substances List. Current official competition resources.
For more practical education, visit the Horse Health Library. For an individual health concern, contact your veterinarian.
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