Dressage and a dirty horse

Vikki89

Vikki89

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Thinking ahead to next saturday, I'm planning on taking my 4yr old to his first proper dressage.
Now I'm thinking how am I going to get and keep him clean :confused: (he is piebald but mostly white), what is the best product to use especially on a stained tail!
and.... what do those of you do with the mane of a cob in dressage? before with my mums dales we have left it natural or put it in a running plait to keep it out the way but which would be seen as correct.

This will all probably be done before the day as I have two to get ready.
 
Scrubbing usually works. Perhaps if you wash the ends of his tail every day til next Saturday and then plait it for turnout it may be relatively clean looking?
Also a running plait or just left out is acceptable for a cob :)
 
Give him a bath when you've finished riding him one evening in the week while he's warn/sweaty on a mild evening/day, then bob a fly sheet or light weight breathable rain sheet on him to keep most of the dust/mud out, leave his mane and tail until Friday evening or Saturday morning, bob his tail in a tail bag, spray his mane with plenty of grooming spray (so the dirt/dust easily brushes out) then do a running plait, so his mane is not getting tangled up in your hands/reins, plus if he's got it a bit grubbby least in a running plait it won't be as obvious.

Good Luck. :)
 
Personally I think a hogged mane and a pulled tail always look smarter on a coloured cob but a running plait would be perfectly acceptable.
 
For mine, I use whitening shampoo and CHALK (my saviour during camp :D). For stains made the night before, I find the best way to deal with them is try and get most of the stain out with water, then brush the stained area with a chalk block and then once it's dried, brush off the rest of the chalk and it should be white! There's also show white paste i sometimes use on legs but it leaves it quite sticky so can give you white hands if you touch it. I've also been told with tails to get a cap of blue ink (only a little bit) and dilute it really well with water, then dunk the tail into the diluted ink then let the tail drip dry so it gives it that bluish tinge. Person who told me this did showing so it should be true but I've never tried it so don't blame me if your horse gets a blue tail :D
Good luck!
 
Firstly, make sure you patch test first!

Daz or washing up liquid works wonders on "white" horses. Personally I wet the horse all over thoroughly first, then squirt said detergent onto horse and also onto a water brush and scrub like hell. Rinse and repeat.

For the tail wash the dock area as above and then rinse and then reapply detergent to level below dock and leave on while you go off and wash other bits.

Mane - I would pull and plait or if that is a horrendous idea for you I would plait in a running plait. Anything clean and tidy works.

Personally, I invested in an all over lycra suit for my boy this spring as I wash the night before and then turn out then scrub socks in the morning before throwing nag into trailer and off!
 
BonneMaman said:
Firstly, make sure you patch test first!

Daz or washing up liquid works wonders on "white" horses. Personally I wet the horse all over thoroughly first, then squirt said detergent onto horse and also onto a water brush and scrub like hell. Rinse and repeat.

For the tail wash the dock area as above and then rinse and then reapply detergent to level below dock and leave on while you go off and wash other bits.

Mane - I would pull and plait or if that is a horrendous idea for you I would plait in a running plait. Anything clean and tidy works.

Personally, I invested in an all over lycra suit for my boy this spring as I wash the night before and then turn out then scrub socks in the morning before throwing nag into trailer and off!
Click to expand...


I have been looking at the lycra suits, with my older boy I usually wash and plait the night before and usually turn out in a fly rug or no fill depending on the weather.
To be honest the price of the lycra suits has put me off although I would like one.
 
I've got a mostly white piebald myself so I'm reading this avidly for hints and tips! :D

I've also been told that a spritz of purple spray into rinsing water acts a little like a blue rinse and will help to make white appear sparkling (don't overdo it though.... you don't want a purple pony!!! :eek:)
 
For my white grey (who loves nothing more than being filthy) I use a good whitening shampoo (the gallop extra strength one is good too). For his tail, i was twice then get a bucket of cold water with blue rinse in it. Dunk the tail in it and hold it there for as long as my tired arms will let me...then pour it over. Have a cup of tea....then rinse it off.

It works really well, even on the yellowest of tails. Be careful though, i have been known to dye him slightly blue on the odd occasion!

Also, i do a really liberal spritz all over of a good coat shine...it seems to stop any dirt from really ingraining and makes stains easier to remove.

Generally though, there is nothing I can do to prevent him from laying in every single bit of poo he can find over night...and from rubbing his head/neck on stuff. If you cant get a lyrca hood...just build in a bit of time on comp morning for a quick srcub or a rub of whitener (chalk or cream).

Best of luck!:)
 
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