Ok to bath now?

[Nikkimac23]

I’m literally beyond looking at and smelling our minging little mare

she’s piebald and hairy and prone to being a clammy bum in the stable with the current mild temps

she actually minging and a manky shade of brown is it reasonable to bath her ? I know it’s Jan but it’s sitting around 10 degrees most of the time here at the moment

it’s set to be a dry bright day today just wondered if im being mean giving her a bath ?

 

[Red-1]

It is dependent on a few things, for me.

Firstly, can you get her dry in a good time frame. I bather Rigs last year but have heat lamps, so washed, towel dried, heat lamps and chose a sunny day. He was dry in a couple of hours.

Secondly, the fall out from washing is a lack of grease in the coat, which is waterproofing. Last year Rigs was rugged more, so after bathing he had a 50g rug on.

This year I still have the heat lamps, but Rigs is not rugged. Even when I thought he was smelly, I didn't wash him. Good job too as I now think it was actually the halter that was smelling, not him LOL.

 

[Nikkimac23]

I thought I would towel her off really well and just take her for a little in hand walk out after to aid drying if it’s warmish

she’s stabled at nights and in any wet or horrendous weather at the moment any way she’s not usually rugged as she’s like a woolly mammoth and sweats in the stable above freezing at best of times ?

 

[gallopingby]

If she gets so hot and smelly why not clip her?

 

[Nikkimac23]

I don’t want to clip her as she’s in foal so would prefer not to have to rug her as been advised it’s not ideal
She’s not pouring in sweat just a bit clammy at times in the stable when it’s been wet and milder

 

[meleeka]

I don’t want to clip her as she’s in foal so would prefer not to have to rug her as been advised it’s not ideal
She’s not pouring in sweat just a bit clammy at times in the stable when it’s been wet and milder

Mine have a strip, so like a belly clip but it only goes from their head to the girth line. Taking the hair off between their front legs is enough to stop them getting hot when in.

In my experience it will take all day to dry if she’s got a proper winter coat so if you do bath, make sure you rug appropriately afterwards and keep out of any wind.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I expect that she is actually covered in condensation, rather than sweat. Just a bib clip should be enough to sort the problem. I wouldn't bath her but give her a really good brush.

 

[Nikkimac23]

I expect that she is actually covered in condensation, rather than sweat. Just a bib clip should be enough to sort the problem. I wouldn't bath her but give her a really good brush.

Yes I think there is an element of that at times as her mane feels damp

my daughter has been brushing her most days using tigers tongue etc she’s still filthy her mane that should be white is stained brown ?

 

[ycbm]

Does it matter if she smells like a horse and looks dirty? I doubt if she cares.
.

 

[twiggy2]

I dont bath anything that's not in hard work, she won't care that she smells or what colour her mane and tail are, can she stay out at night of she is sweaty in the stable?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would just bib clip and maybe just wash the worst bits I wouldn't want to do a complete bath if she is in foal not in winter.

I also don't see the point she will probably just be filthy again after a few days, and unless you use hot water it doesn't get them properly clean anyway.

 

[Leonajlt]

I have been pondering on this for the last week myself. My cob is absolutely filthy and I’m dying to give him a wash. I’ve given him a really good brush today but his mane and tail are in desperate need of a good shampooing. He’s a hardy little pony so I’m thinking if there’s a mild day when the temperature is above 10 degrees I’m going to go for it. If I dry him off really well, walk him in hand then put him in the stable with his fleece on I think he should be fine ??

 

[Sossigpoker]

As long as you've got warm water and good , wicking rugs to get him dry without getting cold ,.it's fine to bath now.
I start with the head and move backwards from there . As soon as the body is done , I put my first wicking rug on and then start on tail and legs. This way he doesn't get cold.
Or you could do legs first if you wanted to.

 

[Widgeon]

I would just bib clip and maybe just wash the worst bits I wouldn't want to do a complete bath if she is in foal not in winter.

I gave my coloured cob a bath (with properly hot water) of the worst bits a couple of weeks ago. I washed his legs, chest and tail and gave his mane a rinse. I left him in with a haynet to dry then I towelled and baby oiled his legs, then he was dry enough to rug and turn back out with his cosy coat-grease intact. He's still looking a lot cleaner as the baby oil means the mud isn't sticking to his legs - so definitely worth doing even though it wasn't a proper bath.

 

[chaps89]

Sometimes when a hairy cob gets that minging bath time is called for!
However hairy cob coat will not dry out quickly - I’d be tempted to wash mane and tail with warm water, maybe legs too if really disgusting, then hot rag her face/body.
You might go through a few rags and buckets of water but it should freshen her up and lift some of the grime away.
Then pop her on a lunge or go for a walk with a cooler on to wick away any dampness - don’t leave it on too long though as leaving a soggy rug on won’t help.
I’d then be inclined to do a little bib clip down her throat/chest/tummy if she’s warm. She’d need to be clean before doing that anyway.

 

[Fjord]

Can you just sponge off the really minging bits with warm water? Unless she's so mucky it's causing her a problem then I doubt she cares. It's mild at the moment but I would imagine it wouldn't be comfortable for her to be fully bathed if you haven't got a really warm area to dry her.

 

[Birker2020]

It is dependent on a few things, for me.

Firstly, can you get her dry in a good time frame. I bather Rigs last year but have heat lamps, so washed, towel dried, heat lamps and chose a sunny day. He was dry in a couple of hours.

Secondly, the fall out from washing is a lack of grease in the coat, which is waterproofing. Last year Rigs was rugged more, so after bathing he had a 50g rug on.

This year I still have the heat lamps, but Rigs is not rugged. Even when I thought he was smelly, I didn't wash him. Good job too as I now think it was actually the halter that was smelling, not him LOL.

I always find that if I have a bucket of very warm water to finish off with and then scrape it off it will evaporate off the horse quicker and will leave a warmer lasting feel as long as you shove a nice fleecy thermatex type rug on top. Or rug and walk off/put on walker for 20 mins.

 

[mini-eventer]

I would give mane/tail a wash but I wouldn't fully bath a hairy. they just take too long to dry. If she is really bad I might wash legs too. It is amazing the difference this makes

 

[Sossigpoker]

I would give mane/tail a wash but I wouldn't fully bath a hairy. they just take too long to dry. If she is really bad I might wash legs too. It is amazing the difference this makes

Unless you can leave them in and have good , wicking rugs

My half clipped hairy had a full bath on Friday , I changed his rugs twice afterwards and he dried nicely over night (and wasn't cold )

 

[southerncomfort]

Only thing to bear in mind is you won't want a rug on her once she's foaled so bathing now may not be a great idea unless you know for sure that she has a few weeks to go yet.


Could you just wash mane and tail and sponge off the worst bits?