Keeping a horse clean after bathing - hot weather!!

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Lydiamae

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Hi,

After a bit of advice/your tips please!

I have been showing my trad cob this year in hand (he is only 4 yrs) and he has been doing extremely well. We have a show this Sunday, it is the first one we have done since he has been living out. The weather this weekend in the West Mids is going to be almost 30degrees! So, I will be bathing him on Saturday afternoon/evening, and was then planning on turning him out, but he is gross. He will find all the dust, poo and anything else dirty he can find. I can put him in overnight but was worried about disrupting his routine too much? I can't rug him though can I? He will be far to hot even over night, but I need to keep him clean.

What do all you show experts do?

Thanks
 
Wash in the morning - sorry. You could wash in the evening and then just hope for a basic patch wash first thing. But horses being horses you are pretty much guaranteed that he will find something yucky to roll in! I know some people do put them in Lycra body wraps - but to my mind it is far too hot and no show is worth making your horse miserable for. But that is just my view.
 
I would wait until he is totally dry, plait his mane and tail loosely after they have been conditioned and brushed out then turn out with a full neck fly rug, make sure the paddock is poo picked and if there are any obviously dusty rolling areas I would tape them off and if he was here I would also move the fence a bit so he had some new grass to keep him occupied. I often bath the night before and find they keep cleaner being out in good weather than stabled when they get stable stains which are worse than a bit of dust to get off the next morning.
 
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I'm no showing expert, but I wouldn't disrupt his routine and would wash the morning of the show - on the plus side, the warm weather means he should dry quickly!
 
I would wash in the evening and turn him out in a fly rug at dusk. You might have to scrub knees and hocks if he lies down but shouldnt be too bad
 
I forgot to add that before you turn out cover the legs to above the knees and hocks with chalk/ whitener it helps reduce the staining and is harmless, you may still need to do a quick wash in the morning but with a heavy feathered cob it is so much easier to do it the day before otherwise the feathers may not dry before you get to the show.
 
I have a grey, you wash and scrub the day before and then do exactly the same thing the morning of the show. Dont forget to set that alarm clock ;)
 
I'm taking my Clydesdale to a county show next week. He will be bathed on Monday night and if it's dry he will be turned out in a full neck no-fill rug. If it is due to be wet he will be stabled in his lycra with tights on his legs and bandages over. If he goes out he will need his legs rewashing before we leave.
It does depend on what time your class is but if I need to leave before 8am I would not even think about doing a full bath on the morning.
I have kept him in once or twice a summer to show for years and never had a problem with it just make sure you put a deep bed down with a fresh top layer just in case he decides to nap!
 
be positive said:
I would wait until he is totally dry, plait his mane and tail loosely after they have been conditioned and brushed out then turn out with a full neck fly rug, make sure the paddock is poo picked and if there are any obviously dusty rolling areas I would tape them off and if he was here I would also move the fence a bit so he had some new grass to keep him occupied. I often bath the night before and find they keep cleaner being out in good weather than stabled when they get stable stains which are worse than a bit of dust to get off the next morning.
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I'd do this (in fact do do this, but have a bay :D), and allow time to patch wash in the morning
 
Lydiamae said:
Hi,

After a bit of advice/your tips please!

I have been showing my trad cob this year in hand (he is only 4 yrs) and he has been doing extremely well. We have a show this Sunday, it is the first one we have done since he has been living out. The weather this weekend in the West Mids is going to be almost 30degrees! So, I will be bathing him on Saturday afternoon/evening, and was then planning on turning him out, but he is gross. He will find all the dust, poo and anything else dirty he can find. I can put him in overnight but was worried about disrupting his routine too much? I can't rug him though can I? He will be far to hot even over night, but I need to keep him clean.

What do all you show experts do?

Thanks
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I bath mine the night before, put a rug on with stable bandages, and also skip out late night. In the morning I always make sure I allow time in case the bit lay in poo.
 
Thanks all!
Luckily its not a big show, so it can be a learning curve for the county show in July. I will scrub him tomorrow and then turn him ojt at dusk in hock boots and a fly rug! I will let you know how he looks on Sunday morning lol x
 
30 degrees isn't very hot. Wash him the night before, put a cotton sheet/hood and tail bag on and if he has white legs, some short travel boots and turn him out in a clean field.
 
I used to wash night before and turn out overnight in a light cotton sheet and a snuggy hood and turnout socks. Sponge any dirty bits in the morning as I damp the mane again to plait anyway. I plait the tail loosely all the way down before turnout and brush in the morning and do a proper plait.
 
on hot days I wash my milk white pony the morning of the show. If I do wash the day before it is usually because she has a bath a day running up to big shows and wears a fly sheet. I never stable her at night as I can guarantee she would wallow in poo and be bright green by morning
 
fawaz said:
30 degrees isn't very hot. Wash him the night before, put a cotton sheet/hood and tail bag on and if he has white legs, some short travel boots and turn him out in a clean field.
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not very hot! I don't know what's going on but if that's not hot what is?!
ETA: Just seen your location so must not be that hot to you.
 
I've got an Amigo Aussie which would be useful for things like this. I use it when the sun is very bright so my fully clipped cob doesnt burn. It doesnt seem to make him overly hot and hes a very hot horse.
 
I'd wash morning of the show too. Too much like hard work trying to keep them clean over night, and you know you'll end up more or less re-doing it all in the morning anyway!
 
fawaz said:
30 degrees isn't very hot. Wash him the night before, put a cotton sheet/hood and tail bag on and if he has white legs, some short travel boots and turn him out in a clean field.
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It is for the UK. Horses that live in hot climates are naturally used to the heat, but ours aren't as we get so little of it. So I can understand the OP's concern.
 
Nugz has dressage tomorrow, so washing his tail tonight as that's the worst bit of him at the moment and plaiting. Then I will wash him in the morning (thankfully a late morning time!) and cover his legs and tail in silicone spray to help prevent exite-a-poo from sticking too much.
Then as he's at Cheshire on Tuesday, he'll be bathed again on Monday night, and then final blue rinse on Tuesday morning (at crack of sparrow fart as in the ring at about 8:15!)
He's out 24/7 and won't be rugged. As long as he's dry, he won't get muddy and the only poo he normally manages to get on him is bird poo which brings its own challenges!
 
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