The Secret to Producing Perfect Quarter Marks & Sharks Teeth Every Time

To those new to the show ring, applying quarter marks can seem like a complex and difficult procedure. However, practice is all that is needed to perfect them. If you get them right, they can enhance the hindquarters and can be that final touch to a polished, professional looking picture.

Show Hack and Show Pony Quarter Marks

Firstly you will need the following equipment.

• Quarter Mark Comb

• A wide body brush with closely knitted bristles

• A bucket of water

• Supreme Products Professional Collection De Luxe Coat Gloss

• Supreme Products Sparkle

Step 1

Take a body brush and submerge in a bucket of water and shake off the excess. Start at the top of the your horse quarters and brush the hair straight from left to right, working your way down to just above your horse’s thigh.

After the quarters have dried, spray Supreme Products De Luxe Coat Gloss generously on to the coat. This De Luxe Coat Gloss creates a blank canvas for you to work with and will also help keep the finished markings in place all day.

Step 2

For Show Ponies and Hack the traditional markings are an upside down V checker- board pattern. To create this effect you will need a quarter marking comb.

Start on the left hand side at the top of your horses quarters and gently comb down to create an even small square around 1 inch in size, then leave a gap of an inch and comb down again.

Show Hunter Quarter Marks

Show Hunter Quarter Marks are much simpler to apply than show pony ones.

Step 1

Prepare the hind quarters as you do for the show ponies by using a damp brush and Supreme Products De luxe Coat Gloss.

Step 2

Place the main comb or brush on the rump and comb down vertically to create a rectangle.

Leave a gap about two inches and then repeat. You should be left with two or three rectangles, which should produce a simple look.

It is important to remember that these are show hunters so create something that is bold yet still ‘showy’.

Sometimes to put even more emphasis on the hind quarters create a V-shape instead of rectangular blocks running down the quarters. To create this, take a body brush from the hip and brush into the centre, then take the brush and start from the top of the tail and brush to the centre.

You can jazz show hunter quarter marks up a bit by using a small quarter mark comb and comb horizontally in the rectangle you have just created one or two small squares.

Sharks Teeth for all Show Horses and Ponies

Now the quarter marks have been completed, it is time to add the sharks teeth underneath.

Standing at the side or wherever you find it most comfortable to see - with a damp body brush, brush in an upwards direction in one stroke in an arch shape. You should be able to see this clearly as the hair will now be laying in a different direction. Then starting at the same point brush downwards in a diagonal movement.

The next step is to brush up and try and meet the last point down, repeat this until you have three or four shark’s teeth down, depending on the size of the quarters.
To add a professional finishing touch, take a brush and starting at the dock brush down in a gentle arc down the quarter to create a more refined look.

Use Supreme Products Sparkle to add the finishing touches to the quarter marks and sharks teeth, enhancing the overall appearance of the quarters even more.