The weather has warmed up and so a lot of you will be out bathing your horses. For the best results, follow our top tips and help transform your muddy monsters into gleaming show-ready horses.
What you will need:
- If your horse is particularly muddy when you start, remove the worst with grooming.
- Wet your horse all over with plain water and use a hose or sponge if you have the facilities.
- Mix your chosen shampoo with water and apply with a sponge, using some elbow grease on the really dirty bits (particularly the white areas). Some shampoos also include fly repellent so this is worth considering when you choose one. Include the mane and the tail when shampooing. Make sure that you squeeze out your sponge regularly and wipe off the dirty water that is accumulating on your horse. If it isn’t very hot weather then you might want to mix hot water into your bucket so your horse doesn’t get too cold.
- Once you’ve finished shampooing, remove the soapy water from your horse with plain water, using a hose or a fresh bucket. Some shampoos are non-rinse and you don’t need to follow this step.
- Remove the excess water using a sweat scrape and, if you don’t have one to hand, cup your hands and use your hand like a scraper.
- For the finishing touches you can spray on a coat shine spray and use a mane and tail conditioner to comb through the mane and tail. Your horse may be feeling cold at this point (depending on the weather) so pop on a rug to keep him warm - one that wicks away moisture is particularly useful.
Now stand back and admire your gleaming animal! Maybe even take a few pictures as you know that you minute you turn him out he is bound to undo all your hard work and roll in the mud!
Have fun and feel free to comment below with your own top tips.
Written by: Adam
