Washing your horse how to.....

[dcp]

Hi, I would like to give Charlie a bath this weekend but don't know what to do. He smells pretty rank (not that horsy smell I love) and on his back there is a lot of dead skin. So what do you do? Can you recommend a good horse shampoo? Do I need brushes? How do I let him dry off if I put him in the field he'll only roll.

Thanks ;)

[kedwards]

You can just use a sponge, but I do like to use a brush to work the lather in. Personally, I just use my dandy brush, which serves the additional benefit of cleaning out the brush. Be sure to get all of the soap out with a good rinse and use a sweatscraper to get rid of excess water.

If it's a warm, sunny day, I walk and/or hand-graze until the horse is dry. If it's not hot out, I'll throw on a sweat sheet.

[SO1]

Someone told me you shouldn't wash horses if they live out as it gets rid of their natural oils and they can't keep warm properly without the horse grease.

Does anyone know if this is true? I only want to wash her before shows so about 4/5 times during the summer I presume it must be OK to wash them occassionally, anyone know how often might be too often?

[Pickles]

It is true that washing removes the natural grease that keeps the horse dry when living out.

Personally I don't ever bath my horses, though since I how have a coloured without much colour (ie mainly white) I might get tempted.

For shows I think a thorough grooming brings up a lovely shine, I am talking about a thorough grooming though which removes alot of the grease anyway.

[aliw]

I get them all wet with the hose, then in a bucket put shampoo and dilute it with water. Next I get a sponge or a brush and rub it all in, then rinse them off again. To nuetrulise the shampoo, you could add vinegar when rinsing off.
I like the Carr & Day & Martin shampoo, as I've got two greys and it is good for getting stains out.

[Colorado Sunset]

I would in this case recommend giving him a bath if theres lots of dead skin, he will feel a lot more comfortable and we arnt in the middle of winter, just make sure hes nice and warm before you leave, and preferably a weather forcast with good weather.

Shampoo wise, i use some i got from Rideaway, called Dirtie Beastie just because of the name :p but it works! :D I use water brushes instead of dandy brushes as theyr that little bit softer. Just cover where you want to wash with water, dilute the shampoo, wash over with copious amounts of shampooy water, give him a good scrub with water brush, rinse of very very well NO shampoo to be left as this could irritate the skin, and then sweat scrape off. I would walk him around until dry as he probably will roll if hes wet and ruin all that good work!

Jo

[SO1]

ok so any suggestions for cleaning a horse that is completely white and loves to roll in muddy patches or green grass without washing her :D I do need her to look white for shows but at the same time don't want to get rid of her natural waterproofing!.

[Colorado Sunset]

SO1- hmmmmm i think thats a question wed all love to know the answer to. Without water.... rubber curry combs get a lot out, but i dont know if youll achieve "whiteness" with out water :p

Although, people are very inventive on this board! :D maybe you could paint her?

Jo

[eeyore]

Shampoo wise, i use some i got from Rideaway, called Dirtie Beastie just because of the name

DIRTIE BEASTIE! haha.. ohh.. i love that name too :D
i even call my horse a beastie occasionally because of it!

ehem.. aaanyway - someone told me you could dip a towel in hot water and it takes out the grease in the coat! i haven't actually bathed ben yet though; i'm waiting for a nice hot day ^_^
i probably won't shampoo him properly until we start doing some competitions and things though.

oohh but you want the dead skin off.. well the shampooing thingy is probably better lol!

[notpoodle]

i just use babyshampoo with mine and rub it into a lather with my hands. pony has sweet itch so benefits from a bath every now and then. she is NOT a big fan of baths though! she likes the bit where she is shampood, but when it comes to de-foaming her, she gets bored with it and prances around. by now i figured out that she will NOT kick me or anything and it's best to just get on with it, ignoring her little dances.

julia
x

[Colorado Sunset]

eeyore- i know i call mine dirtie beaties all the time, and then i saw it and HAD to have it!! :D

Jo

[ColouredChaos]

This weekend is definitely bath time for my lot, with such a good weather forecast who could resist!

Should be fun though - first ever bath for my yearling and two year old! fingers crossed they're better behaved than my 26yo who has perfected standing on the hose!

[NoviceNic]

I too have a coloured who is mainly white. I recommend the rubber curry comb. I didn't find out about it until last weekend though. I went upto the stables in the evening to find Captain covered in thick mud head to toe. :mad: I groomed him for 3 hours and thought ok that will do. In the morning I went up to trailer him to a fun ride only to find him covered in s**t. :eek: I was absolutely speechless. I got him to the ride and found he wasn't the only mucky cob there though. :D