Complete numpty question re Bathing????

chickeninabun

chickeninabun

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OK, time for total numpty question of the day...

How do you bath a horse?
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As a child I was always at friend's houses helping with their ponies and we used to bath them in the summer, but, now I have my own horse, I just can't remember how we used to do it!
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We, like many I presume, only have a cold water supply at the stables and a kettle. Do you wait until a hot day and just use cold water or keep boiling the kettle and using buckets of warm water??? I just don't like the idea of hosing her off with cold water, so if anyone would like to give me their step-by-step guide to bathing or some tips, I'd be a very grateful numpty!
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Hehe I am probably not the one to help you but I will give it a go anyway - feel free to ignore!
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When I wash my horse in hot weather I dilute shampoo in a bucket of water straight from the tap, and then sponge her with it. Then just hose it off
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Then just stick her in the sun to dry out! She doesn't seem to mind!

If its a bit colder I would put a kettle of warm water into a bucket then add cold water and do the same
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Not entirely sure what you would do about hosing off though.. But when done I would put a cooler on and leave in a stable to dry off

hope that helped a little bit!
 
I always try and bath on a warm day, always with cold water.

First off I wet them all over with a hose, then instead of putting the shampoo straight on to their coats I put it on to a wet sponge, then I just give them a good scrub (avoiding the head).

I usually wash the majority of soap of with a hose but usually chuck a couple of buckets of water over them at the end. Then just scrape of the excess water. I tend to wash the tail after I have done all the above.

If the sun is shining I chuck mine straight out but if it a bit cooler with a breeze I put a cooler net type rug on for an hour or so.
 
That was pretty much what I was thinking of doing, Irish-Gemma. Although I was thinking of using warm water to sponge her down with then rinsing with the hose.
My 4 yo daughter gets very confused when I mention bathing the horses, because she wants to know where their bath is because "they won't fit in ours, will they Mummy?"
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Hehe oh bless your daughter- that is so cute!
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I would have thought that would be fine. However there probably is a 'proper' way of doing it :P

Only bit of warning that I could give is what Horse_crazy2 said- best not to use soapy water on there heads.. wouldn't like to see what they would do with soap in their eyes/ ears/ nose
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I just use clean water and a lot of elbow grease
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Our hose is dead so we fill a couple of big tub trugs/flexi buckets with cold water then use jugs to poor it over them. Then squirt shampoo down the spine and rub it in working from the top down. If there are any particularly dirty patches then apply more shampoo on to them. Scrub well. Re-fill buckets and then rinse. Tail is then washed last while the horse is drying off in the sunshine.
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Wait for a hot day, go for a nice long hack, by the time you come back, they need rinsing off anyway with a hose, they really do appreciate it plus it gets rid of the smelly sweat and prevents sores and flys etc but next time, horse them off all over, get a friend to help you, squirt some shampoo into a bucket and boil a kettle and add some warm/hot water into the bucket (you get a better lather with warm water rather than cold, so your shampoo will go further).

Get a nice soft brush and also from poll right down the spine to the dock, dribble a line of shampoo, then get scrub gently, its like washing car, don't hang around too long with the shampoo on the horse in the sunshine (harder to rinse out an strips too many natural oils out of the coat) remember it like this....''wax on....wax off!'' so that is why it helps having a helper to rinse off, so your horse is not stood around for ages otherwise they will start to get a little cold, specially hairy.

Leave the tail and legs till last, as the shampoo and excess water runs down onto them, wash the tail and the back legs at the same time.

Rinse the dock/tail with warm water, some horses are very sensitive to cold water around this area so best of doing it with warm water.

Do the face with a sponge being careful not to get soap in the eyes, you could use a baby shampoo so if it does, it wont sting, also use a sponge to rinse the face, try not to get water in the ears, they don't like it and puts them off being bathed and will make them a little head shy next time you want to wash their face.

Then get a sweat scraper and scrape all the excess water off, making sure you do underneath the stomach but carefully, as all the water drains to this area.

Lots of towels handy as you will then need to rub them dry (well as dry as you can) but on a sunny day you will find they will dry really quickly.

Spray some detangle into the mane and tail and brush through, bob your fly spray on. Spray on some Lincoln Total Groom onto shoulders/bottom/legs etc (not saddle area) and that will give them a lovely sparkle and prevents dust/mud stains clinging onto the coats.

Little 10 minute walk down the lane to warm up and then stick a summer sheet/fly sheet on.

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easy peasy!
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If you can - get one of those attachments for your hose that has mist/shower/cone etc functions then its not a full on dousing with cold water and they are less likely to object. A stronger setting works great for rinsing too.

You can get them really cheaply at a DIY store etc but so worth it.
 
I use Superpoo......you make a mix of shampoo-ey water in a bucket and either pour it on or use a sponge and give the beasty a scrub......then rinse off with a hosepipe or buckets of water.

I do tail and mane first, then one side then the other. Scrape off and rub down and wack a fleece on.

You dont have to use horse shampoos but I find the ones for humans tend to go really really lathery/bubbly and it can be a nightmare to rinse off.
 
My pony sooooo spoilt and will only have hot showers, but I think he gets that from me cause I couldn't think of anything worse than a cold shower!!! (Other than on a very hot day!!)
 
Aww, thanks everyone. Some great ideas and tips. It seems kind of obvious, but did worry that some people, like Pudzy, would use only warm water and that'd make it one hell of a job, as our kettle is tiny and takes an age to boil.
Ok, so next sunny day (yeah right, in England - Can you detect the hint of sarcasm that denotes I've just got back yesterday from two weeks in the Florida sunshine!!) I'll book the babysitter (OH) and have a long afternoon with the hairy one. A long sweaty hack beforehand sounds like a top idea too!

Florida Mickey Mouse ear-shaped candy all round! Thankies!
 
you can do it in cold weather to but it is a pain in the behind - but...
if its cold and you really do need to bath....
do one section at a time - ie. left side of neck, then left shoulder, then left belly area etc...
use keep them covered apart from the bit your doing, use hot water (hot that its nice putting your hands in - not scalding!!!!) and wash, shampoo, rinse, sweat scrape and then towel dry this area.
Then cover it and move onto the next area. I've done this whilst it's been snowing before in the nothern climes of hte country (i can't remember why we had to do it - it was just a request...)

horse has to be a bit patient and make sure you have EVERYTHING to hand, if you've got a covered area/box to do it in more the better
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just make sure well towelled dry - there fore it does take LOTS of elbow grease...

but it works!
 
when i bath i usually do it on a warm day! but if not i use warm water from the kettle!
scrub her with shampoo, wash it all off with a bucket of warm water again! make sure its all gone.
use one of them scraper things - the name has excaped me, make sure shes not dripping.
rub her down with a towel, put her cooler rug on.
put her in her stable for a bit.
and voila! finished.

chicken in a bun! love the yorkshire quote! made me laugh, but oh so true!
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Sometimes I use the hose, It has one of them settings so it can be mist, shower, jet etc.
For shows or when giving him a proper bath, I fill up waterbuckets, sponge horse so hes wet. The poor shampoo over the one side of him. Get sponge or soft brush and scrub. I do the legs last. I do the body first and mane. Do the tail adn then the legs.

I have a grey and do not see the point of doing his legs then tail as it all goes down his legs and have to redo them. I use a soft brush for his legs and scrub to get them gleaming.
To rinse off I use them little jugs and just poor over horse and use my hand as a scraper to get excess water off.

Dont ask I dont know why I use my hand I just dont like using the sweat scraper.
 
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