A grooming conundrum - the Old Man Horse

[endlessclimb]

I think I have a 3f or something Iike that, I got it for my mom’s cockers. I wonder if that would help? Or maybe it wouldn’t be short enough.

@candyappy I haven’t tried that, but it’s a good idea. His blankets do end up reeking my the end of the season, I have two sheets but only one medium for him. I try not to wash TOO often because I don’t want to rewaterproof but I have to wash them frequently.

@Jarpur The wet spot doesn’t smell bad, this barn is REALLY GOOD about keeping stalls clean and shavings fresh, and they’re on mats. It’s just that he removes the shavings from the top of the pee spot by shuffling around, then lies there on 2" of wet shavings. He’s always done this. It’s so annoying!

@Casey09 I see ads for that stuff on my Facebook all the time - have you tried it?

@Calvincrowe I went looking for guards for the A5 I have, and boy were there mixed reviews. I don’t know if they fit or not, or if they work or not, or if the people writing the review just didn’t know how to put them on? I’m going to try my 3f blades tomorrow as a test.

[Simkie]

@endlessclimb

I went looking for guards for the A5 I have, and boy were there mixed reviews.

Just regular ol A5s? I used these for my husband during covid. Can confirm they fit A5s

https://a.co/d/cuSXLhm

[TooManyTBs]

Just chiming in to say that Coat Defense does help. My horse digs up his shavings, pees on his mats, then rolls in it, so I understand the unpleasantness. Coat defense on the pee spot does help with the stench. As does baby powder if you happen to already have that.

[vxf111]

The QH folks have these super thin nylon sheets that they put on horses in the stalls when the horses are in under the lights. They do not add anything in terms of warmth. They would still be a barrier between the horse and the gross bedding, so that might be an option if you end up deciding not to clip. They’re cheap and machine washable and you could get a couple to rotate.

[Casey09]

@endlessclimb

@Casey09 I see ads for that stuff on my Facebook all the time - have you tried it?

I have. I’m not saying it’s perfect or that it isn’t messy to use, and I think that grooming is one of those things where preferences vary - but that’s what I put on pee in the coat and just generally use as a dry shampoo.

[Jarpur]

I tried the guards I already had for dog clippers for clipping the horses, thinking the same as you, and was really unhappy with the results.

They just couldn’t cut through the coat nicely, it was a hack job, and I quickly gave up. Of course, my horses’ winter coats are thick plush, like stuffed animals, nothing like that of a dog.

[endlessclimb]

My 4f did a hack job as well. I couldn’t correct anything, it was weird.

I think a sheet + some type of waterless shampoo is going to be the ticket

[IPEsq]

My horse tends to sleep in his pee, and I do not think Coat Defense is very good for that issue. Does seem to help the sweaty and itchy spots, but not the pee spot. YMMV

[endlessclimb]

Do you have another waterless shampoo you find works better?

[vxf111]

I would hot towel the pee areas with a little lightly soapy water, honestly. I’m not sure how much dry shampoo is really going to help crusted in urine. Even when it’s really cold you can carefully bathe just spots here and there with hot hot toweling.

[Kimstar]

Try Miracle Groom. It’s now made by Absorbine, but I’ve been using it for decades prior to their purchase of the company that originally made it, and prefer it over Show Sheen as a detangler and coat conditioner as well as a “waterless cleaner”. It has a not-too-obvious scent and It works well at lowering the “whiff” level of the horse. I’ve also been known to use it on small areas of an otherwise fairly-clean blanket to de-stink and extend the use of the blanket between launderings. I find it especially useful on tails that have been saturated in mud when it’s too cold to bathe. I let the mud dry, brush it out of the tail carefully and then use Miracle Groom liberally to remove the last vestiges of dirt. (I haven’t read the ingredients on the label, but I don’t believe it contains silicone, which is good as far as I’m concerned. And shake the bottle well before each use.)

[silversnaffle]

I have your horse’s twin, but he does have Cushing’s and lots of pee. You can bed him to his eyeballs and he still ends up wet, mostly on his belly. And does it stink. I do a modified strip clip and basically clip his belly which is really the grungiest part and leave the rest. I can keep that area pretty clean and not stinky by hot toweling a couple of times a week, which he quite likes. He’ll wear a turnout or light blanket when needed, and a belly band blanket when it gets really cold.