Frequently Asked Questions

Cheval International recognizes our customer's satisfaction is our future! Thus, we have included a few tips in the form of frequently asked questions to teach our clients to maximize their results using any of our coat enhancers. Please take a moment to read over this valuable information. Thank you!

My horse has been on Gold-As-Sun for 2 weeks now--when will I start to see a difference?
Give it time! Our natural coat enhancers are a feed not a dye. Coat Enhancers are incorporated into the hairs as they form in the follicles under the skin. The built-in sunscreen effect comes with new hair growth. Old burnt looking hairs, already on the surface, should be worked off via active grooming. Therefore, depending on the season, customers notice a difference starting at about 6 weeks. Then, the longer a horse is given the coat enhance the more color intense the result.

What is in Black-As-Knight / How does it work?
Black-As-Knight Coat Enhancer, Cheval's #1 product, is a miraculous combination of spices, natural oils, Western South Dakota Chopped Wheat Hay, five seaweeds and other natural ingredients, blended in perfect proportion. The result of this highly-specialized mix is horses' hairs grow in as if they had a built-in sunscreen. This product has been  used on thousands of Blacks, Bays, Grullas and Pintos across North America for over 15 years now!

Do I need to change anything about my horse's current diet?
No! None of Cheval's line of all natural products are a vitamin or mineral supplement. There is no risk of  "toxic build-up". Keep feeding your horse his favorite diet and add as much coat  enhancer as you want, knowing it is totally safe.

Are Cheval's Coat Enhancers safe for pregnant mares, young horses, and breeding stallions? 
You bet they are safe for ALL horses. In fact, our enhancers are very good for these horses. They bloom with health from our awesome natural ingredients.

How much should I feed? ***********(Coat Enhancer not working well enough? - There is always a cause! Review these suspect situations and beat the faded coat blues / oranges for good!)***********
A normal dose is two HEAPING TABLESPOONS; however, if you have a bad fader, a large horse, a series of really hot days, lots of sweat on the horse, use of a brand of fly spray / show polish that cause fading or if you wash your horse frequently in chlorinated water,  many recommend up to TRIPLING the dose. Others triple dose all summer, then go back down to standard dose to save money during the winter, while maintaining the benefits. Scoop about 1 Tablespoon for minis and 1 teaspoon for most  K9's.  For use on K9's only, we recommend Cheval's All Breeds Coat Enhancer, which is less herbivorous than the Equine blend.

How long does a bucket of Coat Enhancers last?
For the average sized horse, a 2.5 pound pail lasts about 6 weeks, 5 lbs 2.5 months...

What does Black-As-Knight do for Whites/Pintos, other color horses?
With any Cheval Coat Enhancers you will find whites are even more gorgeous than ever. ALL colors of hair can be somewhat dulled by the sun's burning effects (along with chlorine, sweat, etc.). Our Enhancers do nothing to alter the horse's genetic coloring.  It just makes the coat healthy, shiny, and resistant to the dulling effects of sun, etc. MANY pinto users use BAK. Your whites will become "snow-blindingly white".

Best recorded case? Two weeks, entire horse got black and shiny, then stayed that way.

Worst recorded case?  BEFORE  BAK faded to orangish yellow (for 10 years!)
After BAK all friends noticed within 6 weeks and commented.
(I was still a skeptic, although he was shiny, he still wasn't solid black).
After 2-3 months I tried to buy that beautiful black horse out there in the
pasture only to be told he was my horse (honestly didn't recognize him).
After a year, Black at last (still slight fading during summer).
After 2 years, Black with no fading and a triple thick tail.
After 3 years, Blue Black year round. I feed triple doses during the summer as my horses are outside all day every day.

Most people are quite thrilled with difference after a month. But the longer they are on it, the better the horses look.

When should I feed a Coat Enhancers?
While a few customers only use coat enhancers prior to the spring coat coming in, then through the summer show season to look their best at competitions, we at Cheval recommend year round use. The longer any horse is on the product the greater the results, hence the virtually 'blue sheen' achieved on blacks by our best customers, such as many Friesians Ranch owners and some of Hollywood's 'top dog' horses. In addition, horses left on Coat Enhancers year round grow out that vital sun protection in their manes and tails as well.

What about Chestnuts and Sorrels? The customer should decide if they want to emphasize a darker tone in the coat with Black-As-Knight or bring out golden highlights with Gold-As-Sun.

Please Note: All of the above information is applicable to ALL Coat Enhancers,  including; Black-As-Knight for Blacks & Bays, Gold-As-Sun for Palominos, Buckskins & Duns, as well as, Silver Horse Supplement for Grays.