Bathing your horse ... do you and how often?

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Greylegs

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Looked at my highland this afternoon and thought he looked a bit grubby, especially his tail (he had been turned out for several hours and was a bit muddy). He's also busily shedding his summer coat, so lots of short, biscuit coloured hair coming out, soon to be replaced with long biscuit coloured hair!!

Anyhow, I thought he could do with a bath, but opted for a good brush instead.

So I just wondered how often people actually bath their horses? My lad hasn't had one this year and he's none the worse for it, but I know people who are always bathing, shampooing and generally "pampering" their horses.
 
Maybe do a proper bath once a year but do mane and tail quite often as he too, is a highland, a cream dun one and our clay soil stains his coat. I can brush and brush but he still looks grubby. I sometimes do his neck or quarters if he looks particularly manky but do his mane and tail once a month through summer and occasionally in winter (although I cheat and turn him out in a tailgator bag). Dirty horses are just a pet hate of mine and being grey, he justs looks so uncared for when hes filthy :(
 
I have a grey and a coloured ... neither get washed that often but i do wash tails a lot. We are going XC training Saturday, they are both minging and wont be washed but follow weekend off to a fun ride and they will be spotless for that. Im not precious anymore, as long as the saddle and bridle area are brushed i dont care!
 
A good groom is given so bathing is not unless required, am a firm believer in all that grease being needed in the coat.
 
Greylegs said:
Looked at my highland this afternoon and thought he looked a bit grubby, especially his tail (he had been turned out for several hours and was a bit muddy). He's also busily shedding his summer coat, so lots of short, biscuit coloured hair coming out, soon to be replaced with long biscuit coloured hair!!

Anyhow, I thought he could do with a bath, but opted for a good brush instead.

So I just wondered how often people actually bath their horses? My lad hasn't had one this year and he's none the worse for it, but I know people who are always bathing, shampooing and generally "pampering" their horses.
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I do a proper wash on mine twice a year. I wash the tail often, especially if it's thick, and legs too. I hot towel them as and when they need it to keep them looking smart. Only hot towel if you rug though as its strips the protective oils from the coat. :)
 
I usually bath my shetland once a year, just so he gets used to it (he's always been a little nervous of the hose). My ridden boys get a sponge off with no-rinse shampoo (the kind that says it doesn't take oils etc out of the coat) after I ride in the summer and they are sweaty, to keep the flies away. My grey gets scrubbed within an inch of his life the day before a show, but due to the effort I don't do many of these any more!!
 
Mine gets hosed off all over almost every day in the summer as he gets very sweaty when I ride. Proper baths with shampoo only tend to happen before competitions and hunting, but we go out at least once a month and at the moment are out most weekends, so he ends up being bathed almost weekly! I'd love to get away with just brushing him, but he's grey so can't really get away with it :p If he's not got particularly dirty I might just do mane, tail and legs, then spot clean his body though...
 
I'm very spoiled - my share horse is dark bay and does a very good job of keeping himself clean, except for the inside of his near hind. No idea how he manages it, but it always ends up with a thick layer of greasy mud/dirt that refuses to be brushed off. So that bit of him gets bathed every two months or so, and the rest of him occasionally gets hosed down if he's very sweaty.
 
Brown horses not much. Grey horses are spot treated daily to keep them white. In summer I will do the odd bath, but mostly a wash down with non rinse wash after work.
 
My old mare is 24, I bred her myself and she has never had a bath as she hates water. She is black which shines as soon as you just put a soft brush on her even if she is muddy thank goodness.
 
i bath mine about once a year but she does get quite sweaty when being ridden so is sponged off most days....i am lucky she is bay with no white anywhere.....i feel sorry for all of you with grey horses, it must be a pain especially in the winter....
 
Mine only get bathed if going to a show. Jeff hasn't had a bath in 7 years! Charm in about 13 years ish... Too much faff if it's for no real reason such as a competition!

Gray is now more brown than white and loving his year off!
 
I have several "mouldy" roans so can get away without bathing! :)

Ridden ponies get sweaty parts sponged down when hot. Otherwise a quick mane and tail wash if needed before a show. I prefer to hot cloth than bath, far less depressing when you watch the ******* roll afterwards.
 
Black cobby/draft x with sweetitch & mallenders so am paying attention to feathers, mane & tail. The rest of him is brushed not washed (or sponged if sweaty), unless he doesn't manage to pee through his sheath cover on his snuggy. Then he's covered in sticky wee and I either sponge or wash it off depending on how bad it is. He is unbelievably shiny, though the coldish spell has started him moulting again.
 
My highland gets bathed about once a month but she is creamy white her daughter about three or four times in the summer for big shows. Hazel is a pig and likes to wallow so as I hate her going out dirty gets washed pretty frequently even so she sometimes manages to appear in public mucky and I hate it but her riders aren't so fussy
 
In the summer, it can be daily - not to a show standard, but if I'm hosing/washing off I chuck some no rinse shampoo in there too. Whenever he looks fairly dirty & the weather is nice, I'll bath proper. I'm not going to lie, I have fairly laid back standards over what I consider 'properly' dirty :D

In winter, never. He's unrugged generally so needs as much grease in his coat as he can get.
 
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Mine get a bath, trim and foot rasp once a week, every week, all year. I have access to heat lamps and hot water though, which makes it much easier. They also don't live out and (1 of the current 2) is in full time competition work, so it makes sense to keep them clean.

The 3yo hates the hose with a passion but has still learnt that standing still is the best option.
 
With my Highland on full livery it used to be weekly in summer and and every other month in winter perhaps. She had a mane and tail wash every week but only for shows etc in winter. I've used a tailgator in the past but mainly used to leave her tail in a thick plait. I've also used those mane packet thingies but they were too fiddly.

Now she's back home and living out I've not bathed her or done her mane or tail (now trimmed and released from its plait so that she can swish it more effectively) in several weeks. She's fleabitten grey and loves rolling so with the recent rain she now looks more piebald than anything!! She might have to have a bath at the weekend if the weather is sunny.

Other horse is an Arab and although she's the same colour she keeps herself very clean for the most part so I've no immediate plans to wash her. Her mane and tail are fine and skimpy compared to the HiPo beast so I can't think they will need much attention at all.
 
If I'm going to a show then I bath them. If they are looking dusty I bath them. The bays don't get bathed as much as my traditional did. I wash Kevin's feathers every week. I don't feel guilty if I want them clean I just do it. I don't feel guilty if they are dirty. I also don't pay much attention to the weather either. In the winter the traditional would get a bath before a show and I'd rug him up until dry. No ones died yet ( apart from extreme old age) and it's been forty years. I think people worry to much about it, if you want to bath your horse get on with it, if you don't.....don't
 
Mine has sweet itch so in the summer she gets a full bath every few weeks, also gets rinsed with water after rides most days when its hot.
 
I bath him a fair bit. A proper scrub with shampoo once a month at least, and every time he works hes washed off with a slosh wash. He gets a good groom fairly often as well, but is still grubby looking most of the time!
 
Fairly frequently as I show a lot, most if the herd get bathed twice a month on average. Coloureds more often than the chestnuts and bays!
 
as soon as it is warm enough my boy gets a bath at least once or twice a week. he has sweet itch (although you wouldn't know it due to being washed frequently). the more regularly he has a bath the less likely he is to scratch - I use herbal essence shampoo and conditioner
 
Probably once a year on a warm day prior to his autumn clip. Maybe again in spring. He's piebald with white legs, mane and tail, and lives out but I couldn't really care less if he's a bit yellow sometimes. He does appreciate it when he's moulting though.
 
My bay gelding gets hosed off after sweaty riding in summer, but gets only good brushings every other season. He has never in his life seen shampoo.
 
They usually get an annual bath in the Spring, when they are moulting, to help get out the coat and scurf that's accumulated over the winter (hairy natives) and make them less itchy. Or when going to a show, which is maybe once every couple of years.
 
I hardly ever bath Mads and she has the best coat on the yard by far. I feed micronized linseed and groom her properly using Haas brushes. She's a dappled bay and looks like a conker fresh out of it's case when I've finish. I'm a big believer in coat condition coming from feeding and elbow grease not washing and spray on products. I think she last had a bath three years ago when someone at my previous yard had bought a horse shower and everyone was having a go with it.
 
I only give a proper bath if he's really grimy. Otherwise will just brush and spot wash any stable stains. He is disgusting though. I don't like to full bath really, neither of us enjoys it so I try to keep it to a minimum. If he is sweaty after work, he will be sponged off, sometimes just water sometimes with a no-rinse wash. Will often tackle any small dirty spots at the same time.

In the winter I will try to combat dirt with appropriate rugging and will only wash (with hot water) if I really need to.

Tail is washed at least weekly, though. Stains set fast on tail hair! He is hogged so don't have a mane to worry about :)
 
manes and tails once a week year round.

then in winter they get hot clothed once or twice a week and in summer hosed off after every ride and shampoo washed once a week normally.
 
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