Share your stable secrets + tips to make everyone's lives easier!

[AnnaandStella]

I thought it'd be a good idea if everyone shares their little ways they use to make their lives easier!
As a relative newcomer to the horsie world, any secrets/ tips from insiders + old hands would be much appreciated (believe me!!!)



I'll start!

i use this

with some baby shampoo to spot-wash stable stains off my grey mare who's a very clean horse EXCEPT for her face which is always stained! what does she do when i'm not there?


Any reccs, anyone!
Thanks!
Annabel

 

[AnnaandStella]

Also -

SUDOCREM (nappy rash ointment) for skin grazes is ace - works better than lotions made for horses IMO

Vaseline on the bottom of hoofs so stop snow collecting

Vaseline + tea tree oil rubbed on the hooves + legs of horse out in muddy fields helps to stop them getting mudfevery/soft hooves!

These are probably not revelations to anyone except me, but they do make life easier!

 

[AmyMay]

Will be nicking that one Anna - being the owner of a grey myself.

Baby oil legs, elbows and ears (horses that is) a couple of times a week. A muddy horse will be clean in the morning

 

[appyjude]

Comb out the tail with show sheen or de-tangler then plait like a long 'pig tail' not the show type plaits.....put a scrunchie on the end and put ina tail bag (if you have one) your tail is always clean, knot free and doesn't end up being covered in stable muck from being lain on!!

 

[Mrs_Wishkabibble]

No secret but does make life easier.
I use a leaf blower/vacuum to "sweep" the yard. Saves loads of brushing and is so much quicker.

 

[HBII]

Show sheen on legs, stops the mud sticking and makes brushing easier.

Human hair conditioner for tails leave in for a good 10 minutes then wash out and easy to brush.

Rubber matting ... the work of Gods!

Hb

 

[Baileyboo]

My mare lives out-

- I put johnsons baby oil gel in her feathers to stop the knottiness.

- When I wash her tail I put cheap human conditioner in- usually the 44p coconut one from tescos- I use it after shampoo, then wash it out then when the tail is still damp put some in the ends and leave it in. please note this is only if she is going back out and not going some where that she needs to look posh!

 

[Eaglestone]

For all those pill popping horsie owners ... a free and easy way to administer them in a paste ... to your horse

I soak a small amount of High Fibre Nuts (any horsey nuts will do!) in a little container overnight in water and then in the morning, give it a good mix with a spoon and then carefully spoon some in a doser syringe, then the soaked tablets (I soak them in the morning as the Vet said I could not do this in advance

) then top up with some more nut mixture ... and then hey presto my darling little chap curls his lips back in eager anticipation of his nutty mix .. and then everyone is happy

I used to use apple sauce, but as well as being expensive, my Cushings Horse is not really 'allowed' apples, but it was the only way I could get the d*mn things down him

I think my mate Revilo on here suggested this to me

 

[K27]

We apply a small amount of Liquid Parrafin to the horses legs before being turned out as it really stops the mud sticking (Just be careful that you don't light a cigarette near your horse, for any of you smokers!!!)

Also plait the tails in a long plait when they are turned out in the winter to make brushing them much easier.

Hmmm Can't really think of anything else at the moment!

 

[Theresa_F]

Plastic scourers from the Pound Shop - best way of getting mud of faces and those with sensitive skins.

Pig oil and sulphur for hairies - keeps the legs mite free and mud slips off.

Mane and tailbags - don't know how I survived before them with a gypsy cob. Better than just plaiting.

Sudocream - tablespoon mixed with teaspoon of sulphur and 5 drops of teatree oil - great for putting on sheath to prevent mites biting, excellent for "grease" on heavies and mud fever scabs etc

Avon skin so soft and fresh bath oil - major ingredient in my fly spray.

Brewers yeast - can be very effective in reducing sweet itch rubbing.

For those with long manes and tails that need to be straight before a show - put in bunches and then use vetwrap bandage and electrical tape to keep secure.

At the weekend make up extra haynets and feeds ready for the week when you are short of time.

For a glossy coat in winter - groom as usual and then use very hot water with a little dettol and a tiny dash of washing up liquid - use a small towel well wrung out and lay it on the coat to steam clean - wipe down hard and repeat - keep changing the water which goes black quickly. You can add essential oils to give a nice smell Finally repeat with a little pig oil or baby oil in the water to give a great shine - horse should not be wet at the end.

When clipping get an old motorcycle all in one wet suit. Wear wellies and rubber gloves - with suit over the top. No more itchy underwear and hair in unspeakable places - remove suit and not a hair inside.

 

[Ani]

Theresa_F I use plastic scourers/ pan scrubbers too, they are fab for getting the mud off my fully clipped mare who is sensative when groomed and i always hot towel, it is soooo much quicker to get a bucket of hot water with whatever you use (i use soda crystals or baby oil or dettol) and wipe over after a quick groom, b**ger all this 45 minute strapping, i've no time for that.

 

[cobstar]

Theresa-F you have some good suggestions there!

Can I quiz you/anyone on the below:

Pig oil and sulphur for mites

Brewers Yeast for sweet itch rubbing?

Many thanks
Lx

 

[Cahill]

i put my baby oil in a plant sprayer, watered down a bit,then its always ready.or use an old fly spray bottle.

 

[cellie]

Havent tried this but for geldings who wont let you wash their bits use a spray with baby oil it cleans the sheath without touching.

 

[ajf]

Baby oil in there tails when washed, so easy to brush and goes very shiny and lovely looking!!!
Gonna steal some of the others though!!!!

 

[Theresa_F]

I found feeding about a heaped tablespoon am and pm really did help with Chancer's rubbing of his willy and tail. I then gave it to Cairo and he is far less itchy. I do feed a fair amount of instant linseed which is also good for the coats and this too may be helping. Brewers Yeast is also good for the digestion and is often used as a calmer - not that my chaps need if for that being laid back types.

I also stopped feeding garlic after reading that it can make the immune system work more - great for preventing bugs but sweet itch is an overactive immune problem.

This combined with my cream and flyspray applied twice a day and rambo fly protectors meant that Chancer did not require a vet visit and steriods as he did the previous year. He also was able to live out all summer. Cairo's tail has never looked better - no bog brush in sight.

So it may be worth stopping garlic, feeding linseed and especially brewers yeast. I half it in the winter and start increasing now ready for the SI season.

Pig oil and sulphur - I do a very very long PM on using this and general hairy horse leg health - send me a PM and I'll send it to you.

 

[chriscrogul]

I bath my boys with a wool hand wash liquid, such as Stergene, leaves coats glossy and dirt slides off easily.
Take fiddly leg straps off rugs and just fit a fillet string.
Leave nz rugs on horses brought in for night.
If your rugs have clip fastenings tie a loop of string to d-ring so that breaks instead of the clip.

 

[Janette]

Best thing for getting white bits 'white' - Tresemme, the sort that removes daily grime

Another vote for tailbags - the 'tailgator' sort. Amazing things for keeping tails clean.

Cowboy magic Greenspot remover - it does what it says on the bottle.

Can you tell I have a dirty horse with a lot of white bits?

 

[lifeslemons]

[ QUOTE ]
No secret but does make life easier.
I use a leaf blower/vacuum to "sweep" the yard. Saves loads of brushing and is so much quicker.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto. But if used all the time it can leave the floor greasy, so nothing like some good 'ole sweeping now and then too!

 

[Fiona]

Soaking hay in a plastic tub rather than nets.

Put hay in tub, pour water over, leave 20 min, and drain water off. Put tub in stable.

Much cleaner and easier on the back than having to lift heavy sopping wet haynets out of bins of water. Also better for the horse to eat at ground level.

Fiona

 

[AnnaandStella]

Oh also - my mare can be a complete ratbag to lunge and quite scary when she bucks + leaps + gallops around but by passing the lunge line through the bit ring on the nearside of the direction you're lunging and clipping it onto the outside bit ring (e.g. over the poll) she settles down much quicker when i yank the line!

 

[manicmare]

vaseline on patches if hair has worn of and cuts that have just healed to encourage the hair to grow back and having a light that attaches to your head for horsey chores on a darkish or dim yard works wonders especially when doing hooves as you can see exactly what you are doing

 

[FinkleyAlex]

alvadazzle on feathers and tail to stop mud sticking, feed hay on the floor instead of making a dozen haynets, baby oil to moisturise mane and tail, megatek on any baldy/rubbed patches, followed my daily application of alvadazzle to affected area - prevents rub ever occuring again (we have a full mane this year!)

really obvious one that I didn't actually start doing untill a few weeks ago is undo all buckles on all rugs quickly and then pull off, as opposed to undoing buckles, taking a layer off, undoing buckles, taking another buckle off etc.

 

[Janette]

Alvadazzle and Megatek - magic stuff. They get a thumbs up from me

 

[frannieuk]

I wash tails (especially white ones) with biological laundry tablets - put a liquitab in a bucket of hot water, dunk the tail (keeping the dock free of the water) for a couple of minutes, rinse and then wash with normal shampoo and condition - it comes up amazingly!!

 

[Cop-Pop]

I use baby wipes to clean the dock area and her other 'private' areas and also for cleaning tack!!

(they do get a proper clean sometimes too).

If you have a light coloured horse and are keeping them in overnight for a show good old furniture polish (always try on a small area first) is BRILLIANT for stables stains they literally slip right off!!!

Rubber mats (god send)

Plastic scouring pads - I'd have to clingfilm my horse if they didn't exist...

Neck rugs to keep the mane clean - also lots of mane and tail conditioner!! As I don't compete over the winter I cut my TBx's tail quite short then bag it so it keeps clean.

Def agree with the conditioner in feathers - works a treat on my welshie!!

 

[CastleMouse]

Cornucrescine - Aids hair regrowth on bald patches and scars. Apply it daily and you'll definitely notice the hair regrowing.
The photo below was taken two days after Ali had to have an area on his backside stitched up after another horse backed him up into barbed wire out hunting - November '07

The photo below was taken in January '08 - The black mark below the area where he had stitches is due to the Cornucrescine - be warned, it's a pain in the a** to scrub out of your horse's coat!

 

[CastleMouse]

Baby shampoo - I find that baby shampoo is actually better than some of the expensive equine "whitening" shampoos. If your horse's tail is very grubby then give their tail two quick washes with baby shampoo.
Chalk - (If your horse is grey or has white socks) The day before a show, wash your horse's legs (I use baby shampoo) and then apply chalk (I prefer the powdered format) whilst your horse's legs are still wet. Then bandage their legs, and the morning of the show all you have to do is unbandage and brush off the dry chalk. And voila - sparkling white legs!

Not the best photo, but it shows you how clean I managed to get Ali for that show!

 

[Baileyboo]

Another good one that I think I may have read on hear in the past is when taking bridle apart for cleaning tie cotton in the holes you use. Saves loads of time re-fitting!!

 

[Helen71]

I'm also a plastic scourers/ pan scrubbers fan, especially good for grooming muddy faces!!