Bathing a horse when it's cold

Pippity

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My fluffy cob is being clipped tomorrow, and the woman doing it has asked me to bath her first. Being me, I've now started dithering about the best way to do it when the weather's this cold!

I have:
Hot shower
Solarium

I don't have:
Thermatex or similar (just a bog-standard fleece)
Walker

How would you do it?
 

SOS

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I would bath in sections with hot water bucket and sponge, do neck/body first then then sweat scrape. towel dry a little and pop under solarium. Then do legs/mane/tail if needed so the horse isn’t standing, cold and wet for a long time. Once semi dry, thatch with the fleece and normal rugs over. (Thatching I.e the original thermatex ;))


Personally I’d just give a very good groom then hot cloth if very fluffy before clipping. Obviously thermatex/walker is very useful in this circumstance too.
 

Hollychops

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I never bathed mine the day before clipping but if i had i would get all the gear together and start early to give him enough time to dry before the temp drops. Make sure you rinse as much shampoo (if using it) out as you can and get rid of as much water as possible. Stick his fleece on and take him for a walk. or pop him under the solarium. As he dries you can decide whether to keep walking/solarium or put him in a stable.

If its a one off instance i doubt he will suffer greatly, just try and keep him warm whilst he is drying off, feeding ad lib hay so that he can keep warm by eating.

Thats how i would do it but others may have different experiences/advice.
 

BOWS28

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If you wash her today and she's really hairy, she may not be completely dry by tomorrow even if you had a thermatex. A really thorough grooming should be fine.I've clipped traditional heavyweight cobs many times, using well sharpened, coarse blades without a problem. After clipping, hot cloth her and she'll love you for it.

^^^^ This!! i never bath. just ensure they have a good groom first. Once clipped, a cloth and some nice warm water all over her body and a nice cozy rug. You'll have a happier pony that way and the pair of you will stay dry! (Until the heavens open over the weekend)
 

WelshD

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Id hot wash as normal, scrape, rug then do legs and tail once rug is on

I can see how people are saying to groom only but if the clipper specifically asked you to wash the horse then I would do as they've asked.
 

Cortez

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I very rarely wash horses even in the summer (and I have greys); I absolutely wouldn't wash a horse in this weather. My neighbour thinks I am an unbelievable softy and she merrily turns a cold hose on her poor horse willy nilly, I can't bear to watch him shivering miserably.

A good groom should sort out the horse pre clip, as long as the blades are sharp and the right type.
 

Rosiejazzandpia

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If I was lucky enough to have a hot water shower and a solarium I wouldn't hesitate to bath. Hot water is kinder than cold water, good scrub and then pop under warm lights to dry off with fleece/thatch with straw
 

gallopingby

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I’d be asking why! Also ask how often they have the blades sharpened!
How thick is the coat? If particularly thick it can be more tricky clipping but not impossible given decent clippers and sharp blades. I wouldn’t be bathing in the middle of winter although a solarium is obviously a great advantage. Hot clothing should work after the clip.
 

paddi22

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cold bathing works if you do it in strips and make sure the horse is kept warm immediately after. i can totally understand a clipper asking for this. they see some amount of filthy horses, and even sharp blades blunt with dense dirty coats.
 

Pippity

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Blades were sharpened especially for doing Blue, so I'm not worried about that. (The woman clipping her is somebody I've known for years, has supported me endlessly, and who always puts the horse's welfare above anything else.)

I decided it was too cold to bath her, so spent a good hour or so grooming her more thoroughly than she's been done in her life. With the fields being so cold the past few days, she hasn't been able to find a mud puddle to roll in so wasn't too dirty. She's now so shiny I'm almost reluctant to take it off!
 
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