is it mean to hot rag/cloth a horse in this cold

[amycamycamyc]

or am I being a big softie? my horse is on box rest and I only get to the yard about 7 in the evenings when its cold and dark. instead of just boring grooming i thought i might try hot clothing her one night this week, but is it mean given how cold it is?? i've got a thermatex i could stick on her after to dry her off??

 

[lexiedhb]

\is she clipped? Im guess ing not if on box rest- I personally wouldnt hot cloth her at night with a full coat, as after the water hasd cooled it is really rather cold!!!

 

[Umbongo]

We hot cloth the clipped out racehorses every day. But the cloth is wrung out so that it is only damp. The horses do not actually get wet.

 

[lexiedhb]

Yes but they are also clipped, and would dry much much faster.......

 

[mcnaughty]

Can I ask what hot clothing is and how and why it is done?

 

[JessandCharlie]

You basically get hot water and a rag/cloth and wet said rag and rub it over a horse's coat in a circular motion to bring up all the dust from deep in the coat. Wring the cloth out loads, so it's hardly damp, just hot and steaming. I stick some cider vinegar in the water too, really shiny

 

[competitiondiva]

I think it depends on the circumstances, if going to a show or something then hot clothing at this time of year is probably kinder than bathing!! And I've done my fair share of bathing hunters in the winter in the past!! Also if you're immediately wrapping in a thermatex (or similar) then the horse won't get cold.

 

[Mickeymoo]

I'm rubbing ours at the moment in a circular motion with a towel instead of grooming them. they seem to be really enjoying it.

 

[amycamycamyc]

no she's not clipped yet so yes she probably would soak a little more water up than if she was. Not going to a show or anything like that, I just thought it would be more interesting that standard grooming and was hoping it might make clipping her easier if the grease is gone. Hopefully she'll be back in work in the next couple of weeks so need to clip soonish. thanks for all your comments though - really helpful!

 

[SusieT]

I wouldn't do it just for the sake of it with a box rest horse tbh

 

[Angelbones]

If your horse isn't clipped, and you want to groom and give some tlc, you could give her a really good going over with a rubber curry comb etc, she'd probably love the massage action and it would bring up some grease and loose hair to the surface. You could then 'polish' her off with baby wipes which wouldn't make her really wet at all.

 

[honetpot]

I use micro fibre clothes instead of bathing even in summer. They pick up more dirt than an ordanary cloth and because they are syntheticwhen you wring them out they are practically dry. I also 'bath' sick cats this way when they are too ill to wash themselves.