Ideally, wash your horse on a warm day and ensure you can dry them off sufficiently afterwards, whether it's by walking them in the sun, with heat lamps or towel-drying. If you're likely to be bathing throughout the winter, it might be worth investing in one of the best portable hot showers for horses.
Constant moisture alone can still irritate skin, setting it up for infection. Further reason to make sure your horse is completely dry before putting him up post-rinse or -bath is that, again, hair plays an important role in thermoregulation and can't do its job well when wet.
The drying process can take anywhere from one to several hours to complete depending on the thickness of their winter coat. You can place them back in their stall after a while, just make sure to stay nearby until they are fully dry.
Once she's clean and rinsed, make sure she's completely dry before putting her back in her stall or pen. A freshly bathed horse will almost always roll and you don't want all your hard work to go to waste as your clean, wet horse turns into a muddy mess before your eyes.
To dry your horse quickly, rub him briskly with a dry towel. Leave the wet hair standing up, rather than slicking it down, to encourage quick drying. If you have a cooler, use it. The cooler will help wick away moisture and prevent your horse from getting chilled.
Blanket Fit
Make sure blankets are kept dry and do not put a blanket on a wet horse; wait until the horse is dry before blanketing. Or take a wet blanket off a horse to keep it from becoming chilled. Days that the temperature becomes warm remove the blanket so the horse does not sweat and become wet under the blanket.
Dr. Talbot said when a horse is hot and sweaty, rinsing him and leaving large amounts of water within his hair can slow that evaporative cooling process. He recommends the handler scrape off the excess water before turning out the horse.
If your horse does not compete, bathing requirements will be different. Opinions on the frequency of bathing horses range from a few times a year to monthly, weekly, only when the horse is dirty and even “never!” Regardless, never place tack on a dirty horse for their overall well-being and comfort!
Trying to brush through damp, sticky mud will be unsuccessful. If you really need to get a damp, muddy horse clean quickly then put an old towel in a bucket of hot water, wring it out as much as you can and then give the horse a rub with it and repeat.
A horse's skin is amazingly delicate. Rubbing from boots or tack, or even being worked in a sand school, can cause tiny cuts that let in bacteria. Prolonged wetting, from damp and muddy conditions or excessive sweating under rugs, softens the skin, making it more susceptible to infection.
After the bath
If it is a sunny or warm day, walk your horse preferably on a hard surface or on grass to avoid any dust or dirt getting on his freshly washed feet and legs. If the day is cool, dry the horse as well as possible using towels and cover it with a sheet that will absorb any dampness.
Most horses will become dangerously dehydrated and susceptible to death within just a few days but may last up to five days. However, as a rule, a horse should never go longer than 3-5 hours without access to water. Avoid dehydration by encouraging your horse to drink often and never letting the trough run dry!
Why do horses roll after getting a bath? In nature, horses often roll to dry themselves off, so they'll often roll immediately after a bath. Dirt also acts as a natural conditioner and insect repellant.
So rolling helps to relieve the itchy sweaty feeling while removing some of that excess hair. Rolling may also help dry the horse's skin, which is why it will do it after a rain or bath.
Sprinkle a layer of hay or straw over the horse's back, and then apply the blanket. Straw is preferable to hay because its shafts are hollow and will hold air (and it's a lot cheaper!) but either one will work fine. Thatching creates air pockets over the horse's back, which will allow water to safely evaporate.
Cooling an overheated horse
Hose down the horse. To cool an overheated horse (rectal temperatures above 103° F): Spray the horse's head, back, neck, rump and legs with a steady stream of cool water. Repeat this continuously until the horse is cool.
DriRug® can be used for travelling, after a shower, bathing or working up a sweat, it not only dries your horse faster but will also regulate its temperature, cooling when he's hot or warming when he's cold.
Most horses do not enjoy water pouring down the face, let alone the hose being sprayed near it – although there are always exceptions! Many owners avoid using any shampoo on the face, but this is up to personal opinion. Take care soapy water does not go in the eyes and any soap residue is completely rinsed off.
You should poo-pick at least twice a week and ideally more often than that. If you don't poo-pick regularly you'll find that your horses will create latrine areas which will result in patches of rough grass and weeds.
During the winter, it's best to bathe your horse in an indoor, draft-free wash area with hot water, preferably during the warmest part of the day. Hose him down with warm to hot water (that you can comfortably touch). Hot water accelerates the cleaning and drying processes.
Coleman said horses' hair coats can effectively protecting them from cold temperatures, but they stand up less to wind and wet conditions. “If a horse's coat gets wet in rain or snow, it can dramatically chill them,” he said. “You may need to bring them inside a barn to dry and warm up.
Some horses are more susceptible to the health problems that rain can cause, while others might be comfortable in it and prefer staying out as opposed to being placed in a stall. In severe weather conditions when hail and flying debris are present, horses should be provided with adequate shelter.
Some horses that struggle with keeping weight on or lose weight during winter, may be getting cold at night.