Showering my mares face?

SlideWithPride

SlideWithPride

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Hi guys,

Well to get straight to the point my mare HATES being showered around her head, she will lift her head up and rear a little bit as soon as the water starts to get too far up her neck.
So do you have any ideas how I can get her to understand that it won't hurt her and that she will feel better after it.
Also my mare is very particular about whom she lets touch her, for instance I am the only one who is allowed to stroke her nose and she will only eat out of my hand. I am wondering if she just has a super sensitive face :p
After re-reading all of that I realise that I have made her come across as a mare who is jumpy and hates everyone but she isn't, she's adorable really, she's just picky :D
Thank you for reading this and to all of you who may have ideas on how to get her used to it.

SlideWithPride
 
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Just seen your other post and you said they are wildish still? - That will explain a lot of It, before you start bathing them you need to gain their trust, more then just 2 months work, I would avoid her neck/head area until you've gained her trust more, many horses hate it.
 
Could you perhaps use a warm damp cloth and increase the amount of water on the cloth? Don't have a horse but a damp cloth works fine on a dog who doesn't like water going near his head :D

ETS: might not work if they still aren't well handled
 
Am i a dirty mink!?!! But i cant ever say in the 20 years of owning horses i have ever showered the face or can think of a reason i would need to!
 
RSL said:
Just seen your other post and you said they are wildish still? - That will explain a lot of It, before you start bathing them you need to gain their trust, more then just 2 months work, I would avoid her neck/head area until you've gained her trust more, many horses hate it.
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I am sorry I should have been more accurate. I am talking about Dream Girl, the appaloosa. She is already handled, broken to saddle, preparing for shows... Thats why I ask because its a bit of a problem getting her clean when she refuses to have her face washed :D

SlideWithPride
 
jillygem said:
Am i a dirty mink!?!! But i cant ever say in the 20 years of owning horses i have ever showered the face or can think of a reason i would need to!
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My first RS instructor said that eyes, mouth, nose and dock should by wiped with warm water and a sponge/cloth regularly (obviously the dock/bum has a different sponge). But she was very particular about the care of her horses no idea how she found the time to do this with 30 horses before lessons started (which I think made her a good instructor) :D
 
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My horses are good bath but I never shower their heads. I will use the hose to the top of their necks but use a damp sponge on their heads.
 
Hi, my cob has always disliked getting his face wet. When I shower him, I stand with my back to his head, and shower towards his bum. Over the years, I have gradually worked backwards, so to speak, up to his withers and shoulders, so that now I can stand by his head and shower his neck so long as the flow of water is facing away from his face back towards his body. He would still not want his face done with the hose, and quite honestly I'm not going to force him. It's back to the sponge then!!
 
Jake10 said:
My first RS instructor said that eyes, mouth, nose and dock should by wiped with warm water and a sponge/cloth regularly (obviously the dock/bum has a different sponge). But she was very particular about the care of her horses no idea how she found the time to do this with 30 horses before lessons started (which I think made her a good instructor) :D
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Oooops! I do infact clean my horses nose, eyes, mouth etc with a damp sponge, what i should have said is i would never spray water directly onto my horses head. They would all likely be fine but know i would not like it done to myself and therefore wouldnt do it to them!
 
horsecrazy25 said:
Jake10 - I have always been taught same thing but using different sponges for face and bum :p
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We had different sponges. My instructor even went as far as writing which part should be done first E-eyes then M-mouth then N-nose separate sponge with D-dock/bum (each horse had their own set) All the horses were squeaky clean! :D
 
jillygem said:
Oooops! I do infact clean my horses nose, eyes, mouth etc with a damp sponge, what i should have said is i would never spray water directly onto my horses head. They would all likely be fine but know i would not like it done to myself and therefore wouldnt do it to them!
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:D I wouldn't spray water directly onto a horses head either. I doubt they would be pleased if I did :p
 
Jake10 said:
:D I wouldn't spray water directly onto a horses head either. I doubt they would be pleased if I did :p
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I did know one horse that loved it - ok he was slightly special :D

I bathed him and he tried to eat the spong, lick the shampoo and drink out the hosepipe. He didn't like his face being sponged but loved the jet spray on his head :confused::confused::D
 
My mare loves having a shower .... on her terms
2613498530233_0_ALB.jpg

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If she is restricted , she does not enjoy it (so I do not ask unless it is necessary),
but loose on the yard ... she's there (until she has had enough, when she wanders off )
 
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forgot to say, it is up to her when she wants to put her face in the water.
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Our pony will have none of it !! (except for her neck, chest , legs and bottom)... which is great,
because a few years ago, she never even liked having a hose near her hooves ! :)
 
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ChwaraeTeg said:
My mare loves having a shower .... on her terms
2613498530233_0_ALB.jpg

.
If she is restricted , she does not enjoy it (so I do not ask unless it is necessary),
but loose on the yard ... she's there (until she has had enough, when she wanders off )
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She looks like she's having fun and there's even a bit of rainbow :p:D
 
I don't usually shower Perzka's head either (use a sponge) but if it's been really hot as it has been a lot this summer and I'm hoseing down after a hard lesson, she does like a quick refreshing shower on her face. It must feel good in those circumstances or she wouldn't acccept it!
 
jillygem said:
Am i a dirty mink!?!! But i cant ever say in the 20 years of owning horses i have ever showered the face or can think of a reason i would need to!
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Lol ours are done everyday almost\whenever they're washed off....none of them seem to care and all used to it after one or two gos.
Our baby [who ironically HATED water], adores the hose on his head?! Go figure. lol.
 
Izzy loves the shower head on her face and drinks from it too, either that or shes rinsing her teeth.! I work my way up her neck having the shower head directly on her so that theres no spray and do round her ears and the top of her head like that. When Im past her eyes then the spray is allowed by her. She loves her baths and adores being clipped. Bit of a pampered mare!!
 
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