Hygiene/washing stuff!!

Ladybird L

Ladybird L

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Haven’t been on the forum for a while, apologies, but I have some stuff on my mind now and can’t think of a better place than HHO to try and get it off!! Hope you don’t mind!!

Something I have always sort of found challenging not being brought up with horses and having them at home with no one to tell me what I should do 😎 is how often to clean/wash everything. I’m currently driving myself crazy trying (and failing!!) to keep everything ridiculously clean and with winter coming too I feel like I need to know what everyone else does to at least be comforted or maybe get some good ideas! So how often do you change numnahs? Or clean the bridle? Riding boots? Rugs? Grooming kits? And how on Earth to keep brushing/tendon boots reasonably clean?! Please tell me what you do yourself for all your washing/cleaning 😂

Sorry about this 😅
 
I like things to be clean so I will change the numnah every week if I ride every day. Wipe the bridle down after use and take it to pieces to clean maybe every month. I wash grooming brushes a couple of times a year and clean out my grooming bag. I keep a spare dandy brush for brushing dirt off brushing boots and numnahs in between washes. I don’t like to use anything that looks too grubby.
 
I do not clean just for looks unless very grubby but I religiously clean anything that might rub the horse. My numnahs and girth sleeves are sheepskin or pure sheep wool and normally get thoroughly dried and brushed after every use. When this is not enough to keep them soft they get washed. Tack is cleaned often enough to keep it supple
 
I change saddle cloth roughly weekly. Tack gets cleaned as and when I find time / get too embarrassed I’m afraid. Ditto riding boots. I don’t use (horse) boots so not an issue for me.
Rugs get cleaned and proofed maybe once a year, depends on how often they are used. The heavyweight rugs are only used for a few days once in a blue moon so haven’t been washed yet.
I’ve not cleaned my grooming kit in years I’m afraid.
 
Generally everything gets a polish before a clinic / lesson apart from changing saddle pads virtually every ride. Caked mud off quickly, bit rinsed every time but otherwise we live in squalor 😁
 
Any part of horse that tack and equipment touches is groomed before a ride and afterwards.

Bits washed off after every single use.

Tack, particularly girths and numnah checked after every ride and washed/changed if needed
Tack cleaned when needed, more often in wet weather when it is stripped down to dry

Use liners in turnout rugs which are changed out when grubby - waterproof parts dried but not cleaned to preserve proofing.

Grooming brushes usually washed once a week, stable rubbers changed more often as needed.

I do have spares of just about everything though that has been built up over many years....
 
I cycle through 3 or so saddle pads as in case of pressure spots/seam rub I don't like to use the same one multiple times in a row. I do however need to wash them really, has anyone used those bags that you can put things in in the washing machine and do they actually work? I have a new washing machine and I'd be heartbroken if it was forever filthy/covered in horse hair if I washed them.

Saddle gets a wipe over every now and again if I notice it looks grubby, ditto girth, bridle rarely if ever gets done. Rugs get done as and when they desperately need it also, I don't like to wash heavyweights so much as I find they're never quite as waterproof again, but he's only in his 100-250g for maybe 2 months of the year and we don't get loads of mud so I find they cope alright, I may brush the thick mud off if he gets covered.

I don't use boots or any other contraptions, so little to keep clean. I don't think I have ever cleaned my grooming kit.
 
Tiddlypom said:
The orange Horseware wash bags really do work well at containing horse hair, shavings etc which would otherwise eff up your washing machine. Also use them for dog bedding.

I draw the line at putting synthetic girths in the machine becomes of the hefty buckles.
Click to expand...

Fab, thank you! It's either try this or see if I can get a free washing machine off of FB marketplace and plumb it into the outside storage - but that feels like an awful faff for a numnah or two
 
I never stick anything like horse boots in washing machine as it tends to wreck them. Just tend to wash with hose pipe/pressure washer and scrub. Gets them up clean enough. Unless they are white ones then they do go in washing machine but tbh they are only worn at comps.

Saddle cloths get done by pressure washer twice a year for hair on top of washing machine.

Rugs are professionally washed and washed cleaned as needed.

Tack cleaned more in summer than winter.

Brushes done twice a year on whole. But have an everyday set and show set. Everyday is just a long dandy brush, magic brush and mane brush so easier to clean for that reason.

Comp gear is washed asap after being used then put away in own storage bags/boxes.
 
We have an old washing machine next to the barn sink - it's not permanently plumbed in but I screw it onto the tap when in use - dog beds, saddle pads etc.

Don't use rugs but when I did I had summer sheet under everything that was washed regularly then rugs on the outside had mud rinsed off when disgraceful. Washing too much (even professionally) wrecks the water proof - IMHO.

Tack is before a show / lesson - so usually twice a month

Brushes when I look at them and thing -uggh

I change saddle pads when they have been sweaty - so more in summer than winter - which helps with drying too.
 
I have a washing machine for horse and dog stuff. i bought a larger than average 12kg so i can fit a lot of rugs in, except big ones.
I wash numnah and synthetic girth weekly unless its been really warm and sweaty. Fly masks/rugs when they are dirty or weekly. indoor rugs are washed if the horse lies in poo! Boots/brushes as and when needed.
Tack cleaning, i try my hardest :D honestly. My bit is kept clean.

I saw a post on FB where someone asked if putting her haynets in the washing machine just once a month was enough :oops:
 
Grooming kits - I do these 4 times a year and during one of those cleaning sessions, I also go through like a fine tooth comb and disinfect everything to keep them as clean as possible. I also find that it helps how clean the horses come up after grooming cause all the crap you got off them in the prior grooming session(s) is being taken off the tools that you are using to keep them clean. Nothing is more satisfying than a grey all shiny in my opinion as these guys are the hardest to get a shine on I find!

Bit - I do my bit after every single ride.

Tack- and I also give the bridle/girth/saddle a quick flick over after every 2 to 3 rides (if it has been a sweaty ride, I'll give it a thorough clean on the day), otherwise I do a thorough tack clean once a month where I strip everything down to bare bones, check stitching, clean, condition etc and then spend the next 2 hours wishing I had a tack cleaning fairy as I hate doing it (I get bored halfway through and it's usually when everything is in bits around me!).

Saddle cloth - because I am an absolute hoarder of saddle cloths and have about 15 of the things (bearing in mind I have a 20 year old in light work and an unbacked youngster!), I change after every ride generally speaking. If the ride hasn't been too bad and the saddle cloth is just hairy with a bit of dirt, I'll re-use it for the next ride, but if it's all gross and sweaty it gets washed and replaced with a fresh one.

Boots - I let these dry from use and then brush the dirt and hair out of them afterwards. When they need a wash they get done by hand and I use a power washer and scrub away. The boots get a thorough cleaning about every 2 months as I'm paranoid about them rubbing and causing issues with the skin.

Turnout Rugs - I might get shot for this, but I don't actually wash my rugs....I find they loose waterproofness if they're cleaned too often. I will get the worst of the mud off and I will clean the inside of the rug by hand to make sure there is no grime etc lurking, but generally speaking, I tend to leave rugs as they are. They get absolutely caked the nanosecond you pop your beloved equine out with a freshly cleaned rug, so my viewpoint is as long as the worst of the mud is off, and the inside is clean, I leave them be.

Indoor Rugs - I only tend to use fleeces, stable sheets and the odd cooler/wicking rug and these get washed in the Summer ready for use in the Autumn/Winter. Of course if they happen to lie in wee or poo, I will wash as soon as I notice as find the stains are easier to get out rather than if they've been left. I generally shake off the shavings, check the fastenings etc and pop them away for the next use.

Competition Gear - I don't compete any more but when I did, these were washed the evening of the show and stored away ready for next use once dry.
 
At the moment... nothing as my yard washing machine is dead!
Rugs go off once a year to be repaired/reproofed, I have natives they don't use them very often, I do have many fond childhood memories of cleaning NZ rugs in the summer by gentle scrubbing with Fairy. No wonder they were never very waterproof! I don't own any indoor rugs and don't use boots
 
Tack cleaned each time used, saddle pads probably only once a month but in winter would be brushed off if hairy. Boots in winter will get washed at the yard when I feel they are in need, will depend on weather, what we have been doing etc. They go in the washing machine from time to time. I used those orange bags and they seem to work well. I have quite a lot of brushes so tend to rotate and wash when needed. Neck cover, fly rug, fly mask etc stuck in the washing machine probably monthly but more often if muddy or sweaty.
 
Tack - cleaned when it looks dirty/when I am in the mood.

Bit - wiped or washed after every ride.

Girths (I use string girths) & fabric numnahs - washed when they are getting a bit dirty/hairy. In shedding season this is sometimes after every ride, in cool weather/no shedding, can be up to 5-10 rides. I wash them in the washing machine on cold, and hang to dry. Girths in a wash bag, and numnahs in the bag as well if they are hairy. I also throw in a pair of "FurZapper Pet Hair Removers" which are miraculous. In shedding season I will sometimes run a cleaning cycle on the machine afterwards. (I have a North American front loader, and it's survived 10+ years of washing construction work clothes, canvas drop cloths, outdoor gear, and horse gear. We've replaced a couple of parts as it's aged, but otherwise it seems to be standing up to our laundry habits.)

Sheepskin numnahs - dried sheepskin side out after every ride, brushed as needed. Washed when they stop being soft.

Brushes - get brushed off if they're gross. Cleaned only if horse has had a weird skin thing that I don't want to transmit/reinfect.

Don't use blankets or boots. And don't show or have lessons, only school & hack on property. No one to impress, and horses live out, so I actually try to groom them minimally, other than under where tack will be, or if there's mud, burrs, etc.
 
Tack - when at a comp unless it is in dire need of a clean, so probably a handful of times a year. With the exception of the bit, which is cleaned after every ride.
Saddle pad - I rotate between two and swap after a weeks use (ride 4/5 times a week) unless particually greasy or hairy - always brush off hair before the wash. Sheepskin half pad less often as it sits on top of the saddlepad.
Girth - mine is synthetic so it gets a wipe down if needed, and any hairs brushed of as needed.
Horse boots - get a quick wash in the machine if particularly muddy but try not to do that too often.
Brushes - never! Obviously remove excess hair as needed, but have never washed them.

I think trying to keep anything horse related spotlessly clean is just a waste of time tbh. The most important thing to consider IMO, is ensuring nothing will rub the horse due to excess dirt/hair.
 
Numnahs once a week (at least) if in proper (6 days a week) work, sometimes twice if sweaty. Otherwise, as needed (if the dirt can't be shaken off, it wants washing). Girths the same.
Rugs- fly rugs every fortnight if I can, turnout rugs as little as possible, as mentioned above they lose their waterproofing with every wash, even if ostensibly reproofed. I don't have liners, although might try them when I need to replace rugs as have heard good things.
Leather saddles and bridles- once a week when in proper work, synthetic saddles cleaned only when muddy. Wipe off bit after, or, given my general disorganisation, before each ride!
 
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