Fairy Liquid not only keeps hands that wash dishes feeling nice and soft - it's great for getting horses clean too! Just be aware that, as mentioned above, it may upset the pH balance in the coat.
A rubber curry, sweat scraper, gentle horse shampoo, mane/tail detangler, hose, sponge, towel and bucket of water are the essentials. When using a shampoo, it's important to use only products specifically made for bathing horses, as other products can deplete essential natural oils and dull her coat.
Some horse owners and grooms use human shampoo or a mild dish soap such as clear Ivory to bathe their horses. These products won't harm a horse and are reasonably effective, but for the best results, you'll want a product that is formulated specifically for equine skin and hair coats.
The recommended mixture ratio is one tablespoon apple cider vinegar to a cup of water. The use of baking soda as a cleansing agent and food additives is widely known, and yes! It can also be used in cleaning your horse's body. Just dilute a tablespoon of baking soda with a cup of water and mix well.
Many products made specifically for horses feature a steep price tag, but generic products can often serve the same purposes. For example, instead of paying a premium for equine anti-fungal shampoo, Dawn dish soap can often do the trick to eliminate fungus on your horse's skin.
Strong detergents such as Savlon or Dettol should not be used.
Please don't. The warning on my personal laundry detergent says to avoid contact with eyes, it may irritate the skin, and call a physician. We have all witnessed our horses rubbing their noses and eyes on their legs, even a trace of detergent can be ultra irritating and potentially dangerous.
Dunk a towel and then wring out as much of the water as you can. Start on one area of your horse, such as his neck, and rub the hair briskly. Rinse out the towel and repeat, working over small sections at a time. Once you finish an area, take a dry towel and rub the hair the same way.
Head and Shoulders (yes, the human version) can be effective for your horse's dandruff. Always be sure to rinse thoroughly—any residue left on the skin can cause further itching, irritation, and more dandruff.
Sensitive to Tea-Tree Oil: All the commercial cleaners contain tea-tree oil, which helps with softening collections and is both antifungal and antibacterial. However, some horses are sensitive to it. If so, try cleaning with Dawn dish soap, baby shampoo or a gentle shampoo, like Corona, instead.
Baking Soda Baking soda mixed with water will also help scrub those whites clean. The baking soda helps to lift the stains and also is slightly abrasive and helps scrub away dirt. Quick Fix For that chrome on colored horses, as a quick fix use Baby Powder on dry legs to quickly cover dirt or stains.
If the reason for the itch is bacterial or fungal, like rain scald, you need to wash the horse with an antibacterial and antifungal shampoo like Malaseb Medicated Foam, allowing it to sit on the coat for at least ten minutes and then gently remove any scabbing before rinsing.
How frequently you bathe your horse depends on preference. Once a week is probably too often—you don't want to strip your horse's skin of the essential natural oils it produces to make their coat shiny and beautiful. Once a year, on the other hand, is far too infrequent.
If a horse has never been bathed before, they may not like the idea of being sprayed with a hose. I have seen horses truly terrified of water spraying them; if your horse is like reacts as such, then desensitizing them to this will be very helpful.
This behavior is a way horses naturally groom each other. When your horse tries rubbing its head on your body, it may be attempting to “groom” you as a show of affection. Even though some horses rub their head on humans as a way to show affection, it's a behavior that should be discouraged due to the risk of injury.
Don't brush your horse's face, mane, tail, or lower legs. (Some do use the hard brush for these areas, but I find the soft brush is better because it is gentler on the horse and their coat/mane/tail.)
When a horse is wet, his critical temperature will increase by anywhere from 10°F to 15°F; therefore, it would be unwise to bathe a horse if the temperatures are below 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
The clean and rinsed horse should be thoroughly dried, ideally in the sunshine. You can also rub them dry with a towel, walk them around or stand them under heat lamps if you have them. If it is cool, put a cooler rug on to help speed up the drying time.
It is okay to wash a horse with cold water during the summer. However, horses can get sick if washed with cold water during winter. So you should either avoid giving them baths during winter or only use warm water and then dry them off properly afterward.
Spray liberally on your horse. 3. Hoof and Fungus Issues: Thrush and other foot fungus infections can be greatly reduced by a regular spray or soak application of apple cider vinegar to the sole and frog of a horse's feet. By making the hoof area more acidic, fungus is no longer able to grow well there.
White Vinegar
One of the most versatile horse grooming aides is white vinegar, and it has a wide variety of uses. Stain removal on your horse's coat is one of them! Just rub the white vinegar right on the stain.
The blanket should be checked and removed every couple of days. You'll need to do this to make sure it is still fitting the way it should, and so that you can check the horse's body condition under the blanket to make sure they haven't lost too much weight in the cold weather.