Getting ready for clipping without washing/hosing - can I?

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

Has anyone any ideas or suggestions please of getting all the thick white grease - even as deep as 1" in (length of coat) to get my horse ready for clipping - without giving him a full bath/hose off?

I don't mind wetting the coat and scraping off and rugging to dry - but what I really don't want to do is have to use the hose to rinse off.

Is there anything I can add to hot water to do this that will remove the grease, without me having to rinse it off? A low lather rinseless kind of shampoo perhaps? Or another something else in a bottle that will de-grease, not smell too bad, and doesn't need washing out?

I would love to hear any suggestions. I have been hot clothing over the last few weeks, but that's only really getting to the grease on the surface. I have kept brushing it out daily and then hot clothing, but it seems endless, there is still more white grease coming out.

He is due to be clipped later this week, and I know I've probably left it a bit late and should have done it before the coat got too long, that would have been easier to clean.

 

[Cedars]

We've clipped a really greasy one today, has to be said we just clipped through the gunk..! But I often use a hibiscrub and hot water mix to get the grease/dirt off ours. A penny sized drop to a whole bucket of warm water. x

 

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

Did you Cedars - how many sets of blades did you get through and how much did you clip off? I am considering doing this, and just keep washing the blades off through mentholated spirits regularly, to stop them getting too blunt/hot too quickly.

If washing with the hibiscrub, does that get all the grease out? Do you drench the coat or just wipe it over when using this method?

 

[Cedars]

Trace clip, the same set of blades that have done 5 clips before....! This is the last clip they'll do though.

It doesn't really work if the coat is dirty right at the base of the hair... you'd have to really scrub and get in with your nails etc.

 

[Passionflower]

I've been giving my mare a wash down with warm water and afew drops of dettol and makes her really clean and shiny

 

[Littlelegs]

Hot towel, but use 2 caps of dettol per bucket, & don't wring the towel dry. Use circular motions, & comb through the coat with a water brush dipped in the hot water. Then a plastic curry comb right to the base of the coat. Takes as long as bathing but doesn't involve a hose, & leaves them grease free. And doesn't blunt the blades either.

 

[mandwhy]

I use baby wipes for a quick degrease, just get a whole packet of cheap ones (sainsburys basics!) And rub all over, maybe you could do that before hot clothing... And bring the grease up with rubber curry comb first.

 

[Tash88]

NAF have just brought out a new product range that might be suitable; I got a leaflet from my tack shop yesterday about it. It's called "Love the skin he's in" and there is a special wash that comes with a cloth for hot-clothing... I was going to get this for after clipping as it is meant to sooth the skin, but it says that you can use it for a cold/hot towel wash to remove grease. Might be good value if you can use it before and after.

 

[Captainmouse]

Boiling water, couple of drops of lavender oil, tea towel and rubber gloves and hot towel him.

.

 

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm going to get some Dettol or lavendar oil to add to the hot water. Yes littlelegs that sounds good, use a brush to get through to the skin, as the hot towelling just isn't doing it, and brush it out whilst wet, I hadn't thought about that.

He's so greasy I think the water from the hot towelling was just sitting 2mm-3mm on the coat and going no further, so he looked alright "on the day" when I did it, but just as bad the next day after grooming.

 

[whatawizard]

Another trick is to spray lightly with show sheen just before clipping, helps to get the blades to slide better.

 

[Passtheshampoo]

When we shear the sheep the blades get really greasy so we just keep popping them in a hot water with fairy liquid and the grease just drops off. Should imagine that would work on horse blades also. Dry off thoroughly before using again.
I clipped our coloured cob 2 weeks ago. Didn't bath her before hand as she lives out. Was quite hard work (with harmony clippers) but had a good end result.