It’s a sure sign of summer when you can give your horse his first bath of the year. A good bath can help your horse’s body rid the last of the loose winter hair, as well as scrub away any dirt and grime that built up over the winter. It’s an invigorating bath that hints to your horse that it’s time to get back in the saddle.
However, the more common time to bathe your horse is when you’re preparing for a show or some sort of event where you want a little more shine to his coat. Bathing your horse the day prior to a horse show or event allows the natural oils to return to the coat, thus adding that lustrous sheen. After a strenuous ride or workout, you might consider taking a little extra time while rinsing off your horse to scrub around the saddle area, the legs and anywhere else that might have some built-up sweat and grime.
How can you get the best results when it’s bath time?
- Be Organized. For bathing efficiency, it’s best to have all your bathing supplies readily available for an easy grab. Keeping bottles of shampoo and conditioner, along with scrub brushes, sponges and a scraper in a tote like the Tough1 Mesh Tote keeps everything in one place, while not having to worry about water and dirt accumulating at the bottom. Some owners like to use smaller buckets to carry supplies in so they can combine soap and water in the bucket at the wash rack.
- Prep your horse for his bath by giving him a good grooming session with a curry comb and stiff bristled brush. Especially if your horse has attempted a mud mask prior to his bath, it’ll make the bathing process much easier. Tip: Don’t groom in your wash area or the dirt and hair might clog the drain over time!
- No matter the temperature and how often you’ve bathed your horse before, always remember to start slow. Let the water run down the insides and outside of your horse’s legs to let him get acclimated to the temperature of the water from the hose.
- Be careful of adding shampoo straight from the bottle to your horse’s coat—most types of shampoos are concentrated, so it’ll take a lot more effort to rinse out the soap and can cause a reaction on your horse’s skin. Dilute the shampoo by adding some to a bucket of water.
- Use a large body sponge or a bathing brush to dunk into the soap bucket and lather on your horse.
- It’s easiest to start at the neck and work your way down your horse’s body, paying close attention to the underside of his barrel and between his legs. Focus on each section of the body individually, then do one last go-over before rinsing.
- Thoroughly rinse shampoo from your horse’s coat, mane and tail. Check that no soap bubbles are appearing in the hair when you think you’re done.
- Pay close attention to washing your horse’s head. Do not spray water at his face or in his ears. Instead, use your sponge (no soap, just water) to wipe away dirt, sweat and any "eye crusties" for a fresh face.
- Remove the water from your horse’s neck to his chest, to his barrel and his hip with a sweat scraper. To remove excess water from the legs, use your hands to run down the legs to squeeze the water. You can also take a soft sponge that’s been wet down, then wrung out and use that to soak up the remaining water on the face, neck, legs and anywhere in between.
- Wash and condition your horse’s mane and tail separately from the body. You can either dunk the tail in the bucket of soapy water or apply a dime-size dollop of shampoo to your hands, lather and then scrub into the tail. Scrub the tail bone well and then rinse well prior to applying conditioner. TIP: After washing the tail be sure to rinse the back legs again to remove any soap that dripped from the tail.
- While applying conditioner to the tail (from the end of the tail bone to the ends of the tail), use your fingers to work out any tangles before rinsing. You can spray in a leave-in conditioner once the tail has been wrung out to dry. A leave-in conditioner helps to work out more tangles and knots while also adding a little shine and protection.
Depending on your end goal with bathing your horse (preparing for a show or just giving him a bath), you may want to consider spraying your horse with a conditioning body spray that can help repel dust and keep him cleaner longer. You may also want to have your horse wear a lightweight sheet, such as the Tough1 Poly/Cotton Summer Stable Sheet. As a final step, always clean up the wash bay after you are done. You’ll want it clean and ready to go for other horses and riders.
