Bathing horse in this weather?

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Spookywood

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Hi all
I have a wee comp tomorrow and the day off today. I was thinking of giving my horse a bath (her first one with me and looks like her first one for a long while!) as she is pretty dusty/greasy/ generally dirty :p. My question is would it be ok to give her a bath in this weather? It's drizzly and about 12oC. Because I haven't bathed her before I don't know if it will be a quick job or not :rolleyes:

So is it too cold & wet and should I leave her until the summer decides to make an appearance or am I ok to give her a bath?

All thoughts much appreciated xx
 
as long as you dry her off well I don't see the problem....afterall, its only like them standing in the rain outside in a field!!

Once you've bathed, use a towel to dry as much as possible...especially over her back and loins. You could then do the old fashioned 'thatching' - putting straw under a rug which will wick away moisture and leaving her with a haynet for half an hour, before taking it all off, and putting a dry 'wick away' rug on?
 
Do you have access to warm water, a stable and rugs?

I have a grey and if I want to be presentable for a competition he has to have a bath. In this weather I use warm water and am as quick as I can be and get a couple of wicking rugs onto him and put him back in his stable to dry off. He is quite happy standing out in the field all day in the rain with no rug so a warm bath isn't that much different.
 
I'm sure it will be fine.

Just make sure the stable is ready with hay for afterwards, and that you have a few good wicking rugs to put on and change as the horse is drying.

To make it nice and quick, hose the horse, and ensure you already have a bucket full of water and a splash of shampoo ready to use.

Sluice the horse with the bucket and sponge, hose off and scrape.

Job done in about 5 mins.

Make sure you wash the tail before wetting the horse, as this is always the longest job.
 
bounce said:
Do you have access to warm water, a stable and rugs?

I have a grey and if I want to be presentable for a competition he has to have a bath. In this weather I use warm water and am as quick as I can be and get a couple of wicking rugs onto him and put him back in his stable to dry off. He is quite happy standing out in the field all day in the rain with no rug so a warm bath isn't that much different.
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I shall be doing exactly this in about an hour as I have a lesson later. He's already wet from the rain anyway! :)
 
I'm washing mine this evening and will Thermatex him / leave him in with a large haynet overnight, instead of chucking him out as normal at this time of the year...
 
Thanks guys, was just needing some reassurance :) I have stable rugs and fleeces and although I don't have a stable ( she is out 24/7) we do have a sheltered indoor area for tying up. Will raid the towel cupboard and give it a go! Wish me luck!! :D
 
You will need rugs that wick - so not stable rugs or fleeces (although these can be used once the horse is dry obviously.

If you're turning the horse back out afterwards, show sheen the coat (not on the saddle area, and stick a rug on. That way the horse should remain relatively clean overnight for you.
 
amymay said:
You will need rugs that wick - so not stable rugs or fleeces (although these can be used once the horse is dry obviously.

If you're turning the horse back out afterwards, show sheen the coat (not on the saddle area, and stick a rug on. That way the horse should remain relatively clean overnight for you.
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Ahh ok I only have fleeces and a stable rug. Can do the thatching that dollymix suggested though and thanks for the show sheen tip, will definitely do this.

Any advice for doing plaits the day before? Was going to plait but not roll them up and put her out with a rug & neck combo and keep my fingers crossed that they are still ok for tomorrow!
 
amymay said:
I would get up nice and early, and plait tomorrow.

Nothing worse than second hand plaits.......
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Agreed, but I often divide the mane up the night before and band it which saves a bit of time.

And if you don't have a wicking rug, then put a couple of big towels under the rug for half an hour while your horse is tied up as that will absorb most of the wet.

Good luck! :)
 
Thanks for all your help! Successfully managed to give my girl a bath. :D In fact she seemed to love it, until it came to rinsing her down it would seem she likes being lathered up :o the sun also came out for us and it turned into a really nice afternoon.

The reason I wanted to do the plaits today was due to the last time she got herself so worked up with all the goings on (show is at yard) that I only got half done and had to pull them out during my 2 min warm up. Quite a few of the girls at the yard plait the night before and chuck them outside. Fully prepared that I may have to redo them all or go in unplaited again if she plays up in the morning. :rolleyes:

All good practise though :D
 
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