Bathing!

[nat17]

What are your considerations for bathing horses?

eg: temperture, in or out after , procedure afterwards? etc....

[stephydoo]

i would make sure its a nice sunny day, and its going to stay that way!!
i use a sweat scraper after and then put on a good sweat sheet and walk the horse around till he is nearly dry, if its nice enough he can be turned out before completely dry. mind you these new rambo rugs etc are so good you can turnout in them even when the horse is damp

[DITZ]

and if you are going to turnout make sure they dont go straight off and roll!

[HairyCob]

I bathed HC yesterday...... and forgot to take my camera! It was so warm on our 'suntrap' yard that he was practically dry by the time I'd finished combing out his mane and tail!:D

He looked absolutely gorgeous for all of five minutes.... the minute I turned him out he had a good shake, which sent his mane flying in all directions, then had a good roll in some poo, and to top it all he proceeded to get up and have a poo, which splatted right down what was a sparkly white back leg...... it's now greenish!:rolleyes: :D

I only ever bath him when it is really warm, and also use a sweat scraper to take the worst of the wet off.

I know if it's warm enough, cause I am in shorts and a bikini top and not worried about getting splashed by the hose!:D ;) If i'm not in a state of undress and/or am thinking it's going to be chilly if I get wet, he doesn't get done!

[Gemma16]

I bathed Taffy on staurday night ready for the show on sunday.

I bath in the same way each time with Taff, i do his mane and tail first, these usually take the longest to dry so they have plenty of time to start drying.

Then after doing his mane his neck is soapy and wet so, I work back doing him like that, rinsing him off as I go along scraping off the excess water. Then I go round and do theother side. Finally I do his legs lastly.

This allows time for this newly bathed side to start drying. By the end his mane and tail are dry and the first washed side is nearly dry.

If its cool I put a sweat sheet on, but if not I leave him to stand out side with a haynet to bask in the sun for a while.:D until he's dry.

One point though, if your horse is damp don't put him into a shavings stable. You will end up with a dust coloured horse!

[Sidesaddlelady]

I'm very lucky (and very poor) - our yard has a horse shower and a solarium with a fan so now we can bath in winter as well as summer. Actually, I prefer proper grooming with plenty of elbow grease to frequent bathing - it gives me a work-out as well as bringing up a fantastic shine.

However, the WH enjoys a bath in spring when he's moulting as it helps remove the loose hair. I always mix the shampoo into a bucket of warm, not hot, water as it is easier to rinse out, is more economical and there is less likely of his skin reacting to the shampoo. I use Herbal Essences 2-in-1 shampoo & conditioner, which brings up his chestnut coat beautifully and makes him smell nice but which is the source of great hilarity on the yard!

[Sidesaddlelady]

I was always taught never to put cold water on a horse and use comfortably warm water but these days people throw cold water on their horses wih gay abandon regardless of the weather and outdoor temperature

[Bebe]

Sidesaddlelady, I don't bath with cold water either, lukewarm is best for rinsing soap suds out anyway. I do use cold water to cool off after a ride but I use a waterbrush to put it on so don't end up with a soaked horse.

I only bath when it's warm and sunny and I know it's going to stay that way. This is because Bebe lives out for most of the year and I need her to dry off quickly and have at least a day or so of dry weather so that the oils in her coat can work back up to the surface to waterproof her. Plus she takes ages to dry if it isn't sunny, regardless of the temperature.

Bebe hasn't actually had a bath since last June or thereabouts!! She's really shiny though and you only find the dust if you pat her

:D

[DITZ]

I've only bathed once in 2 years and to be honest he looked no different when I did it so I shan't be doing it again! Thats the beauty of a bay horse!

[nat17]

I am glad I didnt do it when I was going to as the weather changed and is still so changable.

I normally bath twice during spring and summer and I use Tea Tree Shampoo and I find it helps with the Flys and midges etc when they are at there worse.;)

[Yann]

I throw cold water all over my horse when she's hot and sweaty and she definitely seems to enjoy it. I don't 'bath' as such very often though, maybe once the warm weather arrives and perhaps before a show.

[Jakes Mum]

Jake has had about 3 baths in the last 4 years, and same as Ditz, he didn't look any different. I wash his mane and tail a couple of times a year, usually Spring and Autumn on a warm day. When he gets sweaty after a ride I sponge him down with Red Rum Soothing Rinse. I always use warm water on him. I let the rain do the rest of the cleaning, surprising how soft, dust free and clean his coat is after a downpour, providing he hasn't had a roll of course :rolleyes:

[Mehitabel]

i only bath before a show - i use warm water if it's cold and outof the hose if it's a nice day. when we bath for hoys or olympia, we park the lorry in the yard with an electric heater in it, so it was warm inside, then got buckets of hot water in the lorry and bath in there with the doors shut so it was warm, then hairdryers until the horse is dryish and then rugs on and back out.
petal lives in the woodchip school the night before a show, as she gets too dirty in a stable! so she goes in there with an unlined NZ on.

[Showjumper]

I bath her if she's very sweaty, very muddy, or too matted to groom. I only have cold water, so I do one side, dry her off with a towel, do the other side, dry her off again, then throw a rug on and take her walkies to help her warm up.

If it's a really hot day, I'll rinse her off with the cold hose because otherwise she gets really unhappy, then just turn her out again :)

[AJB]

like Yann throw cold water over my horse with gay abandon when hes streaming after a spring or summer hack as long as im in short sleeves and its sunny or mild...he dont seem to mind and actually holds the hose in his teeth...if its damp or colder I use a warm water bucket and sponge now Ive got hot water at my new yard...before im afraid it was cold sponge...as for bathing I do mine a few times a year and maybe more this year as were starting to show but hes a bay and thats different from all you poor souls with greys or coloured horses:eek:

[Tor&Warrior]

I too just use water straight out of the hose! I only wash on hot say in the summer though. I always think whether I'd be happy to have the hose on me, and if its hot enough for that its hot enough for a bath. And they get sponged down after every ride and then rugged. They are rugged up to there ears most of the year though so stay pretty clean, even Vin!!! They have their legs washed every day before they come in with soapy water even in winter. I am absolutley dreading keeping Vin clean for shows!! He's going to have to wear a thin summer sheet and I'm getting him a lycra hood and he'll wear stable bandages so I think that'll cover most bits:D I wanted a show horse so in my wisdom I bought a appy who is white, yes actually white NOT grey white with just a few spots. How clever of me! I've always had bays & blacks and I never realised how much I took cleaness for granted.