Grooming white socks

Midge13

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Advice please to whiten socks on chestnut horse. Shampoo not always good enough especially on grass stains. Thanks
 

windand rain

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Depends what for and weather conditions for showing scrub with shampoo getting fingers right into tha skin while wet coat in chalk or baby powder bandage with gamgee under the bandages and brush vigorously in the morning once at the show. For every day clean then a soft brush and keep dry you can use baby powder as a dry shampoo
 

Midge13

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Depends what for and weather conditions for showing scrub with shampoo getting fingers right into tha skin while wet coat in chalk or baby powder bandage with gamgee under the bandages and brush vigorously in the morning once at the show. For every day clean then a soft brush and keep dry you can use baby powder as a dry shampoo
Thank you. Not for showing just daily grooming.
 

windand rain

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Keep as dry as possible and use baby powder as dry shampoo white legs are often more likely to get mud rash so the drier the better
 

HashRouge

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Oh goodness for daily grooming I wouldn't bother with more than a brush over! I find a rub over with a rubber curry comb and then a brush with a body/ dandy brush usually has them looking fairly respectable. They don't need to be spotless for everyday riding. I speak as someone who has owned a grey for the last 20 years...
 

Widgeon

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Oh goodness for daily grooming I wouldn't bother with more than a brush over!

I was going to say....life is far too short to be getting grass stains out every day - I only bother when we're going out somewhere in the trailer! (mine is coloured, with white, aka green, knees and hocks....) Then I use Fairy Platinum, a pait of bobbly grroming gloves to rub it in, then a sponge and hot water to get it out.
 

Spot_On03

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If stains are particularly bad, you can try hot clothing. basically get water quite warm, dip cloth in water, wring out and wipe over. Can bring up a lovely shine on coat.
 

Kat

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I have asked a tame pro groom who recommends using a water brush (vale brothers equerry do a traditional one) to really scrub with shampoo when bathing. I think they bath twice, once the day before needed.

If you were showing then chalk but for competition just a good scrub should do.
 

PSD

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Mine has 4 big whites and o don’t bother keeping them clean day to day.

But for shows I’ll shampoo twice and then I use supreme products leg whitener and make it into a paste, paint on and bandage for travelling. By the time I’ve arrived it’s dry and I brush any dust off.
 

Midge13

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I have asked a tame pro groom who recommends using a water brush (vale brothers equerry do a traditional one) to really scrub with shampoo when bathing. I think they bath twice, once the day before needed.

If you were showing then chalk but for competition just a good scrub should do.
Thanks a lot. Very helpful
 
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NinjaPony

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Give them a good wash with purple shampoo, dry, and then spray liberally with pig oil or similar (please patch test first!!). Then any mud flicks right off and stains don’t tend to stick. For grass stains, I like carr&day&martin stain remover, just spritz on, rub in and wipe off. No need to do it every day though unless you’re showing or competing regularly! I’m lucky, my Welsh’s 4 white socks seem to repel mud and stains, they always look immaculate even though I barely touch them.
 

Spot_On03

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Give them a good wash with purple shampoo, dry, and then spray liberally with pig oil or similar (please patch test first!!). Then any mud flicks right off and stains don’t tend to stick. For grass stains, I like carr&day&martin stain remover, just spritz on, rub in and wipe off. No need to do it every day though unless you’re showing or competing regularly! I’m lucky, my Welsh’s 4 white socks seem to repel mud and stains, they always look immaculate even though I barely touch them.

Funny you say that, my welsh, also with 4 white socks never seems to get too dirty either. Only really when she's first in season spring time.
 

Widgeon

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Funny you say that, my welsh, also with 4 white socks never seems to get too dirty either.
Ugh, you people make me sick :p I think I might try the pig oil trick this winter, we have orange clay mud and it's horrific. Vets, farriers etc say no one else in the area has mud like it. Clearly we are uniquely blessed :eek:
 

milliepops

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My Welsh stays fairly clean too, the worst thing with her is that her feathers get greasy from the wax on the arena surface ? I wash with a good shampoo every few weeks to de-gunge that but otherwise just ignore any stains that don't brush off, they're usually gone by the next day anyway ?‍♀️
 

I don’t like mondays

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Echoing what others have said, unless you’re going out (out out ?) learn to turn a blind eye. My horse has white legs, lives out and in winter his legs are always dirty. If we are going to a show, I wash his legs in human purple shampoo (has more pigment than horse purple shampoo) and use naff brighter than white chalk as a paste, then bandage or pop stable wraps on. Brush out the next day, looks fab. [Then during travelling poo all down your back legs...if you’re my horse ?]

Day to day cowboy magic is great (my kids used a whole bottle on their grey pony when they were younger, that’s £6 I’ll never see again haha). Naff also do a spot cleaner that’s good (muck off I think it’s called)
 
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