Cruel or kind?

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Ginn

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Have just got back from the yard after spending about 3 times as long up there as I had intended!

When I arrived Tilly came flying over to the gate (she had been happily grazing as I drove past on my way) and was soaked to the bone with sweat and muddier than I have ever seen her!!!! Checked her over, no damage done and looking at the skid marks in the field I suspect she got her knickers in a twist as Asbo had been put in his stable and she shut in the field. Stupid animal!

So I figured I has 2 options, 1) leave her as she was and brush her once she'd dried off or 2) put the kettle on and give her a really good bath!!!

I decided as she was filthy and in need of a good scrub anyway she would have a bath! So a really good scrub with soapy warm water followed by 15mins stood under a cold hosepipe to get the soap back out again.

She is now all tucked up in her stable with a lovely fleece on and although shivering a little was happily tucking into her hay and warming up nicely.

My question is, was it a cruel or kind thing to do to her? I figured kind as she wouldn't have been very comfy left in that state, especially as she is moulting, so although she'll be a little wet and chilly for an hour or so she only would have had the same if I'd left her as she started to cool down and then stood in a pool of sweaty goo anyway.

Mum's reaction "That's so cruel, you can't bath her this weather - she'll be freezing!" Thanks mum!
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She'll be fine, mine gets bathed regularly in this weather and colder (grey!) for competitions and as long as he is rugged up with something to eat he soon warms up.
 
Probably not something I would have done.

But as long as she's still breathing when you go back later - then no harm done
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I personally would of left her, i dont mind doing legs and tails in this weather for shows etc but would not do their body until it warms up a bit.
 
She should be fine, ours often have baths throughout the winter but are done first with warm water then hosed off with cold and then rugged up really well.

As long as she wasn't too cold when you left her she shouldn't catch a chill
 
No she wasn't too cold at all, just felt a little mean. To be fair once she was in her stable she wasn't shivering at all but she was just a little while I left her on the yard as I mucked her stable out.
 
Just a couple of concerns, if she has been running around & she was sweaty she would be warm, she then had warm water put on her the showered in cold. Cold water is very poor at getting out suds anyway, but you can chill them down too quickly. Even with rugs on the fact she is then immobile in a stable means she is going to take longer to warm up. She will survive, but I think she will be uncomfortable while she is drying off.
If you want to test the theory wash your hair then rinse with cold and see how long it takes to get the soap out compared to when you wash it out in warm.
 
I'd love to be able to rinse off in warm water (as would my fingers!!) but unfortunately that would take hours as we only have a cold water tap
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Thanks for your concerns about cooling her down too quick, that thought did enter my head but her body felt lovely and warm throughout (was steaming when she first came in from the field!
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) I did contemplate taking her for a walk for a while while she dried off but she was far more interested about tucking into her hay
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I have just been up to check her and she is very happy and beautifully clean, warm and dry and not remotely sulky with me so thats good!
 
IMO I think you were right to bath her she is now tucked up cosy with her fleece, if the temperature had been below freezing then maybe not but now I am sure she is much more comfortable than being covered in dried sweat.
 
Why bath in warm then rinse in cold? I don't think I would have bathed her at all until it warms up a bit. I'd probably have got out the sponge instead then dried her off and brushed it all out.
 
Don't worry hun she will be fine.
I bathed my lad yesteday and he i unclipped, I just made sure I dried him off as much as possible, walked him off and rugged him and he was happy as larry.
He is fine today so your girly will be I am sure of it.
 
i would of done the same as you, and if im going to a show this sunday the grubby little grey will be getting attacked with a hose pipe! dont worry, as lonmg as she is all warm and tucking into her hay i dont see a problem at all
 
I only have cold water as well. I washed one of mine last week, which I will continue to do weekly from now until the end of the summer (he has sweet itch).

My grey is a total woose about being bathed. None of my others shiver, except him. But then he starts to shiver before I even turn the tap on....! I just make sure Im as quick as possible and walk them around in the sun after before rugging up with loads of hay.
 
I do that because we get warm water from the house-can't attatch a hose in the house!! So do it in warm so while your scrubbing all of them they're not stood with cold water on them, then rinse of with cold cos thats all thats avaliable and do it quickly
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I have bathed a coloured recently for a show, bathed in warm and then rinsed in cold (only have cold water in the hose!
As long as you do it as quickly as possible and get them well rugged after I have no problem..
 
I would have left her in the field, expecting her to have a roll and dry off naturally. Mine are t.b's are still a little too hairy for me to bath them fully as they take forever to dry. It's difficult to answer your question, as we dont know how hairy your horse is and of course the weather in your area.

By her standing in the stable with a rug on, she would have taken longer to dry, than had you turned her back out and let the wind do the work, but then of course she would have got mucked up again. Sorry, I havent really given an answer.
 
I would have done the same as you, when I was a teenager (years ago now) much to my mum's horror I let my old pony into our utility room and put the tumble dryer on so he would be in a warm cosy enviroment after getting soaked in a rain storm. He was quite happy munching away but my mum almost had a heart attack upon opening the door and seeing him standing there munching hay. Needless to say it didn't happen again!!
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I dont think id have done it, but oh well, its your horse so you can do what you want. The rug and hay would have warmed her up soon anyway.
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Yep would probably have done the same - at least a part wash off anyway.

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I would have left her in the field, expecting her to have a roll and dry off naturally

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Not sure that would have worked if I am reading the OP's thread right. Mare ended up in that state because she was in the field on her own - leaving her would just have continued the problem surely. I know that's what my mare is like and it doesn't matter how long you leave her there, she will not calm down. I've literally had oodles of white foam under rugs before because she has got herself in a state.
 
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