Bath-Time for Your Horse
You’ve bought yourself a horse but realize you have no clue how to give him/her a bath. It’s not really as much of a problem as it looks, at least not if you’ve ever owned a dog. While a horse may be bigger than man’s best friend, they have similarities when it comes to grooming techniques.
First you’ll need the following items:
1 large basin/metal tub
- horse shampoo (always use a shampoo especially formulated for use on horses)
- water
- towel
- sponge
- horse brush
Before using it on their entire body, always make test area for the shampoo if you haven’t used it previously on your horse. Pick an area that you can easily observe to make sure she doesn’t have any reaction to it. As with humans, some horses have skin that is more sensitive than others and they need a gentler shampoo. Once you have a safe shampoo you’re ready to begin.
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Fill the tub up with water. The tub should go at least up to the horses knees and right below his belly. As you are filling up the bucket be sure to toss in a little shampoo in order to clean any areas you might otherwise miss. Tie her to a post or something nearby whilst you’re bathing her – just in case she’s not happy about the whole bathing idea!
Begin washing your horse slowly from her feet up, making sure to follow any special directions on your shampoo container, or from your veterinarian. This is especially important if there is a tear in the skin. A sponge is the best way to wash her down and get through to the skin. When it comes to washing your horse’s mane, think of how you wash your own hair. Make sure it’s wet, mix the shampoo and massage it in really well before you rinse it out. To add a shine to it you may want to put a special horse conditioner in it.
To wash your horses head take a moist cloth and wash down the face, eyes, nose and ears very carefully. Horses hate their heads to have water on them so the quicker you can do this, the happier and less stressed the pair of you will be!
Rinse off your horse’s entire body, making sure to get every part clear of shampoo so it won’t dry out the skin. Once you’re satisfied that you don’t need to repeat begin to towel dry. You’ll probably need to be quick about this as your horse will start become agitated with the whole process and start to move away. To complete the drying process you could walk around the yard a time or two until her hair is completely dry. So that’s the bathing process done, but before you let her go, remember to brush out the mane to keep it tangle-free.