Washing faces - how?!

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MagicMelon

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My grey has permanently got a brown head. He keeps himself relatively clean (considering he lives out 24/7) except for his head! His ears especially are always filthy. He's a bit of a nervy type and although doesnt mind me brushing his face/ears etc. he HATES me washing his head. Ive tried doing it by bucket but just I have trouble rinsing the shampoo out. Ive tried doing it with a hose on a drizzle (not on his ears - he HATES water in his ears) but again he's not keen.

Any ideas on how to make this experience easier?! Im fed up eventing on a horse with a white body and brown head!
 
warm flannel so the heat brings the dirt to the surface
smile.gif
 
why not try the waterfree shampoo, all you need to do is damp him face with a wet sponge of cloth then put the shampoo on the cloth, rub it in, leave then towel dry - hey presto clean face.
 
I use one of those small sponges with a scrubby side and a soft side that you do the washing up with! If he doesn't like that, try cutting it in half so it is very small, and he might accept it as a nice bit of fuss.

Also, once you have got the head clean, wipe a bit of baby oil or coat shine around face and on ears, as it helps to keep them clean afterwards.
 
If you are wanting a full on face wash, we untie the horse keep hold of the end of the leadrope, point hose pipe upwards then let the water drop down like raindrops on the head.

Works every time with minimal fuss

x x
 
weak shampoo solution in bucket of warm water, and a piece of old towel to be used like a face flannel. Then rinse in the same way. If you're really lucky you might be able to do some rinsing at least on the front and sides of the face with a wet sponge. Poor greys, it must be awful having to be bathed so often compared to the other colour horses.
 
I've got a grey that does exactly the same! I use water as hot as I can touch it and a flannel, the hot water 'steam cleans' if you like, just don't wring the flannel out in the hotwater otherwise it turns green! You can always add a little bit of babyshampoo to the water if you have a bad stain. Vinegar in the water works well too.
 
I had a grey like this on hunting livery this year. She didn't like having her face washed at all, but would tolerate having it brushed. I bought one of those brushes with a sponge in the middle like this and that sorted the problem. Provided the sponge wasn't dripping too much, she let me scrub away nicely and she was squeaky clean!

Best thing I ever bought
grin.gif
 
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