Best way to get horse clean in winter!

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jen1

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I am hoping to take my horse to a showing show at the weekend, he hasn't had a bath since summer, I can do his legs and tail without getting him too cold but what do I do about the rest. Do showing people bath their horses year round? Only have cold water at the yard and no drying facilities. Even after a damn good groom he still looks scurfy along the top of his back/rump. Anyone got any good tips, most I can do is boil a kettle!
 
Boil a kettle and hot cloth him - you need to add a couple of things to the water (which elude me at the moment
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) Folk do this before clipping as it removes the grease in the same way that a full bath does. I take it he's not clipped?
 
give the horse a basic groom to get the mud off, then get half a bucket of water put 2 handfuls of soda crystals in it. take a tea towell soak it in the bucket then scrub the all over with it, the horse doesnt get too wet, then give the horse a groom and it will shine.
 
Take a million flasks of hot water and a million and one towels and rugs! The main area to be careful of is over the loins and back, but I used to wash my grey in winter and she'd be fine as long as I kept most of her covered and dried her back as soon as it has been done. The only washing I have to do now is at work, and we have a solarium there! Bliss!
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Get warm water with a tiny bit of baby oil in and wet a tea towel and squeeze most of the water out, then rub over his body, it gets alot of the scurf out without having to get him very wet. Then put on a waffle rug if you have one, they help horse dry out quicker than a fleece.
 
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Boil a kettle and hot cloth him - you need to add a couple of things to the water (which elude me at the moment
tongue.gif
) Folk do this before clipping as it removes the grease in the same way that a full bath does. I take it he's not clipped?

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That would be lemon juice!!
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If he's healthy inside, then all you should need to do is wipe him over with a damp cloth to bring his coat up. A bath shouldn't be necessary at all.
 
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If he's healthy inside, then all you should need to do is wipe him over with a damp cloth to bring his coat up. A bath shouldn't be necessary at all.

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You have obviously not met my beautiful grey....his legs in winter would defeat any damp cloth....mud stains, dont ya know!
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If he's healthy inside, then all you should need to do is wipe him over with a damp cloth to bring his coat up. A bath shouldn't be necessary at all.

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You have obviously not met my beautiful grey....his legs in winter would defeat any damp cloth....mud stains, dont ya know!
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But aren't we talking about the body? Legs just go under the hose pipe.

I feel your pain though as the owner of a grey myself. Who although currently unrugged and hairy, does manage to keep himself very, very clean.

I'm amazed!
 
If you want to bath him - give him a Newmarket Bath - hottest water you can cope with add vingear to water. Will make a very, very clean horse
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. You'll probably have to do more that once, if really bad.
 
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If he's healthy inside, then all you should need to do is wipe him over with a damp cloth to bring his coat up. A bath shouldn't be necessary at all.

[/ QUOTE ]

You have obviously not met my beautiful grey....his legs in winter would defeat any damp cloth....mud stains, dont ya know!
grin.gif
wink.gif


[/ QUOTE ]
But aren't we talking about the body? Legs just go under the hose pipe.

I feel your pain though as the owner of a grey myself. Who although currently unrugged and hairy, does manage to keep himself very, very clean.

I'm amazed!

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yes.....i misread the OP....ooops...true, the body of my beastie is lovely and white...head and legs mud-coloured!!
 
I always hose off legs, wash tail then hot cloth the rest. Use water as hot as you can stand then i add a capfull of dettol as this helps with the grease & scurf. Rub all over regularly re-soaking the cloth, wipe all over with dry towels and rug up with a thermatex or something similar until completely warm & dry.
This often brings them up better than a bath in summer as you are not stripping their coat of the natural oils.
 
Thanks everyone! So if I use lemon juice, vinegar, hibiscrub and soda crystals will we all have to wear sunglasses on Saturday!!

Seriously thanks for that, so do I scrub him or rub the towel the way the coat goes?

He is already pretty shiny he is very healthy on the inside! Dark bay but white horrible stained legs! Not clipped, doesn't do enough work and doesn't grow too much of a winter coat. Just a bit dull along his back prob due to wearing rugs??!!
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What breed is he? is it a breed that you can clip (as in not be frowned upon in the showing class).

If he's grey...and your wanting to show him regually without bathing him then I'd clip him out and he'll stay as white a snow under his rugs, then all you have to worry about is his legs/mane and tail etc.

However I'd wouldnt clip him now spesifically for this show...as it wont look nice (a fresh clip) but its something you could think about in the future.

Have you not a got a kettle, you could do a section at a time, rather than bathing him all over, seen as you are limited to with our water and of cours drying him. If you did a bit each day you'll have most of his body washed by the weekend then you only have the mane etc to do, providing you keep him well covered!
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You wont really get him clean clean by just brushing/hot toweling...not if he's muck tub with a long winter coat.
 
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Boil a kettle and hot cloth him - you need to add a couple of things to the water (which elude me at the moment
tongue.gif
) Folk do this before clipping as it removes the grease in the same way that a full bath does. I take it he's not clipped?

[/ QUOTE ]

That would be lemon juice!!
grin.gif


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add half cup of vinegar and 2 tsp of sugar, this helps bring grease out!

xx
 
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