How to achieve the perfect quarter mark - blog by Autumn Palmer Rosser

As the sun is coming out and summer coats are starting to come through I thought I would give some tips and tricks to get those lovely quarter marks, and to show just how simple it is if you have the correct tools.

Firstly the coat has to be super clean and free from and grease or dirt so a good bath and a scrub with a curry comb should do the trick. Make sure all the shampoo is completely washed out too. Leave area to dry. While you are waiting decide which type of mark you want to create. If it is show day don’t try different styles as it moves the hair around and you won’t end up with a polished look.

Start by brushing the area down with a soft but firm bristle brush like the HAAS Lippizaner followed a super soft glossy brush like the ‘Mr Glossy’ from the Alan Davies pack. Once you are happy with the area you will be working on, the hair is all going in the same direction and is nice and flat you need to get your quarter mark brush. The best brush for this is the Alan Davies quarter mark brush, it has smooth bristle but they are firm enough to drag the hairs in the desired direction. Wet the brush and flick off any excess water, if the brush is too wet it will make the hair separate when it dries.

If doing the ‘V’ shape which is commonly used to enhance the top of the rump on finer more sporty types drag your brush with even pressure downwards you at about a 45 degree angle and the same again till they meet in the middle. Once you are happy with your ‘V’ sweep your brush along the bottom to tidy up.

If doing the classic vertical lines, which are commonly used on hunter types to extenuate the larger more rounded hind. Start close to the hip and drag the hair down with even pressure and in a straight line from top to bottom. Then do the same thing again with even space between your lines. Two or three are a common amount depending on the size of your horse hind. Do the same again at the bottom and sweep for a nice clean finish. Once you have done the same on both sides, check that your marks match up and are even, the sweep the brush down the spine to finish the top.

Then we move on to the sharks teeth on the thigh. This is commonly used in showing, but looks really smart for dressage too. Prepare the area as you did the top, the hair must be really flat to get nice sharp lines. Hold your quarter mark brush at a 45 degree angle away from you starting close to the hip and sweeping towards you in an upwards motion. You should be left with a similar mark to the one in the first picture below. The starting at the line closest to the hip, drag your brush down but towards you to create a triangle at the end. Then repeat until you have ¾ sharks teeth.

To finish off your marks run your brush down from the top of the tail in a straight line dragging the hair outwards slightly, this creates a more rounded look behind and finishes off any messy lines. Finish off with some hair spray and if you want a bit of extra sparkle some YOU & YOUR HORSE silver spray, and now you are ready to wow the judges!

Just remember these are super easy to create if you have the right tools and a good coat to work with. Practise different looks on your horse and go with what suits his/her shape as this will give the most effective look.

Till next month

Autumn x


Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.