Bathing what do you use and how often?

[Nudibranch]

I wash sweat patches off with water after a ride (why would anyone leave them?) but don't bath unless we have a show. I don't use products on the coat or mess about with the mane and tail, I have limits on my time and prefer to be riding. I use whatever I have which is usually something boring like Battles animal shampoo, just because I love the smell.
Imo grooming produces a deeper shine than bathing anyway.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Imo grooming produces a deeper shine than bathing anyway.

I would normally agree with this whole heartedly, and do for my Shetlands mostly, but when it comes to GrayMo? He is just a tink! If there is mud he will roll in it. If there is a puddle he is splashing in it then he is rolling on the soggy patch he has just created. If it is raining he will roll. All grooming him does is turn him from an off white colour to thick brown where you stir the dirt up out of the coat with a brush and no amount of brushing makes him white-ish again ?? the colour that washes off him when he gets a bath is the same colour as if you washed ALL of my others, collected the water in a bucket, added a bag of compost, put a lid on it and then left it to ferment in the sun for a fortnight! ?????‍?‍

This is what I am dealing with ...

 

[pansymouse]

I very rarely bathe mine - the last time was three years ago because she rolled in the ashes from a bonfire and was disgusting. I firmly believe that she has a beautiful shiny coat because I feed linseed, groom her vigorously and never wash her - her glow is from the natural oils in her coat. The only time I apply water to her is to slosh her down when she sweats up.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I always sponge down and rinse sweat marks after riding.

Full baths with shampoo - not really. I did bath my grey once before a show. I don't think I've ever given either of the chestnuts a full bath. Full grooms and spot washes, maybe a tail wash for the mare. The gelding no... not even a tail wash as he doesn't pee in it by accident. Chestnut mare shines like polished copper in her summer coat as she has a metallic sheen to her fur.

They live out, so there is a good reason for leaving the oils in their fur.

 

[HollyWoozle]

I have owned my mare since Nov 2009 and she has never had a bath in that time. She lives out all year and isn't ridden these days - when I did ride her I sponged off any sweaty bits with plain water.

Her skin and coat are healthy so I don't feel the need and we don't go anywhere. We have very occasionally washed the others if required, for example when we had an older Shetland he had a yearly bath to help get out his winter coat. My Mum's horse got washed once or twice when he arrived as he came with some skin issues, but that was something like 2011 and he hasn't been bathed since.

They don't get groomed everyday either but personally I don't feel it's beneficial (in our circumstances) to groom too often. At the moment I go over them very briefly every few days to help get out any leftover winter hair.

@paddy555, I've got your back.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I hate to say it but I am possibly the only person on here who never baths their horses unless someone else owns up. I have horses that I have had for 20 odd years and never bathed them. Not sure why I should. There is no build up of anything on their coats, I don't use anything like coat shine nor fly sprays. If I want to keep flies off they have fly rugs.

If they come back from riding sweaty I wash off the saddle/girth area, between their hind legs and anywhere else with sweat with a sponge and warm water and that is it.

Clearly I am a lousy owner.

Not lousy at all! If you don't need to, then don't. Simples

I only bath as regularly as I do as my boy is really sweaty and we've had issues with girth and tack rubbing in Spring/Summer. Trial and error has found keeping him clean really helps minimise this and for mine, cold hosing doesnt remove enough of the more engrained dirt that will then rub.

I wouldn't bother nearly as often otherwise!

 

[paddy555]

@paddy555, I've got your back.

mine shine beautifully because I do it the lazy way with linseed. Far less hard work

 

[SpotsandBays]

Mine get a “spring bath” to get rid of the winter crud and last bit of the winter coat. Then it only tends to be before a show that they get another shampoo bath. My riding horse gets hosed/sponged down after every ride in summer. On really hot days I’ll bring them all in and give them a hose down also but no shampoo usually.

shampoo - depends on how I’m feeling. I bought a fancy horsey shampoo last year and used it once but then it fell over in storage and the rest went everywhere!! So mostly mine just get the cheap supermarket stuff ? however if I do ever have nicer shampoo I save it for before shows.

 

[Auslander]

I bathed one of the gremlins today.

 

[windand rain]

Pony is milk white and is a muck magnet. Our soil is orange sand so all combined makes it almost essential to bath reasonably regularly the black pony gets a bath maybe once a year if that and the buckskin if she is going out anywhere gets socks washed and mane and tail groomed the rest of the time none of them see a brush. Grooming is not high on my agenda for ponies living out 24/7

 

[AFB]

Not very often anymore actually - I've not bathed yet this year but he could probably do with one.

I used Aldi's baby shampoo on both horse and dog. Just can't bring myself to pay the ££ for animal specific shampoo. I might think differently if I had a grey though.

 

[holeymoley]

Hardly ever! He hates getting bathed- maybe would be better if I had a warm water hose....

Normally on a hot day if his coat is still coming out or just after to rid it of grease and freshen up a little. I use Citronella no-rinse wash as by the time we're to rinse he's normally had enough. He is quite a clean horse though. I do legs and tail if we're going to a show. Also hose of if sweaty but wouldn't use any products for that.

 

[SEL]

mine shine beautifully because I do it the lazy way with linseed. Far less hard work

Me too! With 2 roans in the herd I'm loving having the bay microcob around who is so shiny she dazzles. Just can't get a dazzle on a roan coat.

Microcob gets hosed off after riding and then promptly rolls in the dirt. I've never given her a bath but I do need to battle with her manky tail soon.

Big boy is very anti the hose but will tolerate a slosh when it's very hot. Never given him a bath in all the years I've had him - not sure why I'd want to wash all that protective grease out.

Appy loves the hose in hot weather and i will use specialist anti itch shampoo on her mane but I think I last gave her a full bath in 2017 when she had a roll and found fox poo. She's not going anywhere where she needs to be smart and i think washing them too often does more harm than good.

 

[cold_feet]

This is me

I hate to say it but I am possibly the only person on here who never baths their horses unless someone else owns up. I have horses that I have had for 20 odd years and never bathed them. Not sure why I should. There is no build up of anything on their coats, I don't use anything like coat shine nor fly sprays. If I want to keep flies off they have fly rugs.

If they come back from riding sweaty I wash off the saddle/girth area, between their hind legs and anywhere else with sweat with a sponge and warm water and that is it.

Clearly I am a lousy owner.

this is me too. I’ve used shampoo on his tail occasionally but never all over. I do groom him thoroughly though.

 

[Berpisc]

I used to bath when showing, white legs especially. Other than that, I would sponge or hose down sweaty bits and if it was very hot but other than that, no. If I had a horse who benefited (as some have said above) I would no problem but I never felt the need for regular bathing, I preferred to groom well. Now they are all unridden they get groomed occasionally.

 

[Sealine]

I sponge off any sweat marks immediately after riding. I have a coloured so if we're going anywhere we need to be smart in the winter I wash mane, tail and legs but I do this approximately once a month in the summer regardless of whether we are going anywhere. His tail is huge so I wash it approximately once a month and liberally apply mane and tail spray as I rarely brush it fully between washes. I use general horse shampoo but I use Touch of Silver human shampoo on the end of his tail to get it white. I don't think I've ever given him an all over bath in the 11 years I've owned him.

 

[spotty_pony]

I sponge/hose off after a ride depending how sweaty they are. Then they probably have 2-3 proper baths per year, more often of hunting or competing. I tend to use Gallop shampoo or the blue shampoo. I'll wash tails as and when they need doing all year round though.

 

[Carrottom]

The only time mine would have a proper bath is after hunting, this is because the layers of mud and sweat build up over a few hours. Otherwise I sponge of saddle and bridle areas if sweaty and slosh water over them if warm.