Bath Time Clarification

[PunkJunker23]

I’ve been perusing he forums for a couple months now trying to figure out what products and grooming/bathing techniques to use this summer when I pick up my lease on a wonderful black and white tabiano mare.
While I have learned a lot there are a few things I would like to clarify

When using vinegar on a horses coat during a bath do you use it after the shampoo but before the conditioner or after using conditioner?
What type of vinegar should I use? (I’m really hoping white… it’s cheaper)
What ratio of vinegar to water should I use?

Is there a difference in effectiveness between normal solid coconut oil and the type that stays liquid in cooler temps when using it in a horses mane/tail/coat?

Go ahead and add any of your favorite bath products and how you use them (especially if they keep your ponies stain free, sparkly, and your products/methods don’t use bleach)

I am planning on using Orvus, Quic Silver, Tresemme conditioner, and vinegar (once I figure out how to use it :lol:)

[soloudinhere]

Honestly, I don’t do anything with vinegar, etc.

Rinse off salt and sweat so it doesn’t bleach the coat. I personally really like the Santa Cruz grooming products (I use the diamond white shampoo and the really convenient one with the attached foamer, and their detangling gel)

[Scribbler]

My mare loves a warm bath in the summer so I hose her down after almost every ride (we have no water restrictions, or else I’d use a bucket and sponge).

But I rarely use a soap product on her. She is a chestnut Overo Paint with a super shiny summer coat (feed lots of flax) so I don’t want to strip her coat of its oils. She has big white belly spots but I find I can brush manure stains off her summer coat, certainly wash right off with no soap. So quality of coat helps a lot.

We are in a no mud environment.

Sometimes I wash her mane and tail in cheap hair conditioner but no soap or shampoo. I find low end human products from the dollar store more cost effective than horse products!

I do use Johnsons baby wash from time to time under tail and udder but often just plain warm water.

Anyhow I think you don’t want to over shampoo a horse. One thing you can do with white bellies or hips is try putting a silicone product like showsheen or cowboy magic on to try to repel stains. But really they stay cleanest if they aren’t stuck having to sleep in their poop in a stall.

Something you can do to perk up a white tail that’s getting yellowy is one of those purple or blue shampoos. Just rinse it out before it turns the tail blue!

[BatataHead]

I’m a big vinegar user - it has mild anti-viral, anti-microbial and anti-infammatory/anti-itch properties and cuts sweat and soap residue well. I wouldn’t rely on vinegar’s anti-funk properties to cure a skin condition, but I think it is probably good for them, and harmless if diluted. Cheap white vinegar is fine.

I try not to bathe with soap more than once a month - usually only before a show.

Each ride in warm weather horse gets rinsed off, then I sponge him down (not the face - don’t want vinegar water in the eyes) with about 1/4 white vinegar and 3/4 water. I let it sit a few minutes then scrape it off.

When I bathe him with soap, I use Aloedine shampoo. It never strips his coat oils and in fact the water beads up on him after, like a waxed car. I use Johnson’s baby shampoo on his face, though, to avoid any eye sting if suds get in his eyes. Even though it has iodine in it, and is very dark, it gets his white socks clean. And he still gets the final vinegar sponge down after the soap is rinsed off.

I’ve never used conditioner on a horse’s coat - only the tail. I get the cheapest leave in conditioner I can find. After washing his tail and twirling it to sling the excess water out, I work in the conditioner then gently comb through.

He always looks shiny and gorgeous, and has a long, full tail, but I don’t know how much to attribute to his spa days in the wash rack, or his diet and genetics (he gets a cup of flax daily, and he has naturally full tail).

[PunkJunker23]

I guess I should have specified, I don’t plan on bathing Pan everyday, I want a pretty and happy pony, not a dry and itchy one!
Soapy baths are being saved for before shows (and as soon as it gets warm enough to give her one, I live just outside of Seattle and boy is a certain mare covered in mud) and other times I want her to glisten and even then I plan on dousing the little cow in conditioner and coconut oil to add back the oils I stripped from her coat.
Coconut oil will be put in the tail ever so often to keep it soft and pretty (She’s supposedly part gypsy vanner so I expect her to have a tail like one:lol:)
I’m simply looking for clarification on some minor details that tend to be overlooked.

[ChestnutArabianMare]

I’m lazy… the mare gets rinsed off if she’s been sweating when it’s been warm out and I use shampoo maybe once a year, and when I do it’s just dollar store shampoo - usually VO5. She’s remarkably shiny and soft, even in her winter coat, so it seems to work for her. I do a lot of currying, though.

[Zu_Zu]

I use regular vinegar to get the soap throughly out of the tail - some vinegar mixed in a bucket of water dip the tail in and sponged on the top of the tail… then hose the tail top to bottom again.

• vinegar is wonderful for ensuring a clean rinse … no more soap !

[Scribbler]

For us, number one in tail care is not letting maresy rub out big chunks of hair, which means keeping her lady parts clean so she doesn’t itch. When she does rub you can see it isn’t the top of the dock she is trying to itch but rather underneath.

Yes, up to date on worming, no obvious fungal, but something she started the fall she had diarrhea.

Likewise number one in mane care is making sure horse doesn’t rub it out ( fortunately not our problem).

[warriorhorse]

I use Johnson’s head to toe baby wash on manes & tails. Buy the leave in conditioner for manes & tails. I keep tails cut off just above hocks easier to keep clean.

I only ever use soap on body maybe once a year. Rest of time just rinse them off.

[Scribbler]

Also when I do use shampoo I dilute it a lot first. You just never get it all out if you pour it on full strength.

[Texarkana]

Race horses get bathed with shampoo just about every single day they are in training and will have the nicest coats you have ever seen. Sun, sweat, and lack of nutrients do way more damage to the coat than shampoo alone. The difference is that most of us kick our horses back out in the heat and sun after washing.

I use a few glugs of vinegar (the type is irrelevant) in a bucket of water alone as a summertime rinse, or after rinsing shampoo to help cut any lingering soap.

I can’t say I’ve ever used a true hair conditioner; tails get sprayed with Show Sheen or the like after a bath to help de-tangle.

I’ve been blessed with a lot of solid colored horses lately; I haven’t had a grey or pinto to deal with in over a decade and can’t say I miss it!

[Simkie]

I use Orvus to wash (mix a handful in a bucket of water and sponge on, don’t apply straight to the horse) and whatever conditioner I’m no longer using on my own hair on the tail. The Suave ones are a lot better than Tresemme, or the stuff from CostCo. Picking through the tail while it’s sitting in conditioner is a SUPER way to detangle. Any blue shampoo works about the same for the stained white parts.

[Palm_Beach]

@PunkJunker23

I’ve been perusing he forums for a couple months now trying to figure out what products and grooming/bathing techniques to use this summer when I pick up my lease on a wonderful black and white tabiano mare.
While I have learned a lot there are a few things I would like to clarify

When using vinegar on a horses coat during a bath do you use it after the shampoo but before the conditioner or after using conditioner?
What type of vinegar should I use? (I’m really hoping white… it’s cheaper)
What ratio of vinegar to water should I use?

Is there a difference in effectiveness between normal solid coconut oil and the type that stays liquid in cooler temps when using it in a horses mane/tail/coat?

Go ahead and add any of your favorite bath products and how you use them (especially if they keep your ponies stain free, sparkly, and your products/methods don’t use bleach)

I am planning on using Orvus, Quic Silver, Tresemme conditioner, and vinegar (once I figure out how to use it :lol:)

VINEGAR - if you decide to use, it, use apple cider vinegar. White vinegar has a ph of 2.5ish, apple cider vinegar is much closer to normal skin ph of 5-5.5. Some soaps have a high ph, so be aware of that.

Your horse sounds very pretty - I love the drama of black and white! And I concur that the white really needs something like Quicksilver or another whitening shampoo before shows or competitions. It makes a big difference.

I don’t do anything fancier than Quicksilver on white. I hose with warm water to remove sweat after riding, and will bathe with a mild shampoo prior to a competition. I wash manes and tails a couple times a month, and use show sheen or canter as a detangler.

[mfglickman]

Chestnut tobiano large pony mare - I swear by Lucky Braids shampoo. Very diluted, even with frequent summer shows I’d use about a quart every 2 years. It’s gentle, doesn’t strip skin or coat, and (mabye because it doesn’t strip), dirt pretty much brushes out if you let it dry. It doesn’t suds a ton but it also rinses really clean. Maresy has somewhat sensitive skin/allergies and it doesn’t irritate her.

I’m not affiliated with the company I just like the product LOL.

[candyappy]

I just sponge off when sweaty after a ride. My mare is fond of standing in the rain so a bath is never needed. The white on her body just glistens. She is a clean mare and good brushing does wonders.

Where are you putting coconut oil and conditioners??

[PunkJunker23]

@candyappy

Where are you putting coconut oil and conditioners??

Conditioner in the tail during all baths and a diluted version all over after her first bath of the year (it’s gonna take a lot of soap and scrubbing)

Coconut oil is going to be used in her tail between baths

[candyappy]

@PunkJunker23

Conditioner in the tail during all baths and a diluted version all over after her first bath of the year (it’s gonna take a lot of soap and scrubbing)

Coconut oil is going to be used in her tail between baths

I have never used coconut oil but oil in the tail and left on would have me afraid that she would be rubbing her tail and the oil would have it attract dirt like a magnet? Never heard of diluted conditioner as a rinse, as plain water is best.

Show sheen or cowboy magic would be better??

I haven’t bathed any of my horses in a long, long time so if this is a common practice now please don’t take offense at my comments. It is just not the way I grew up doing it and it seems odd to me.

[Simkie]

@candyappy

I have never used coconut oil but oil in the tail and left on would have me afraid that she would be rubbing her tail and the oil would have it attract dirt like a magnet? Never heard of diluted conditioner as a rinse, as plain water is best.

Show sheen or cowboy magic would be better??

I haven’t bathed any of my horses in a long, long time so if this is a common practice now please don’t take offense at my comments. It is just not the way I grew up doing it and it seems odd to me.

FWIW, I LOVE conditioning the tail with good conditioner. I’ll also do the mane as long as we’re not bathing prior to braiding. A good conditioner really makes the tail stunning. I often follow up with cowboy magic juuuuust before the tail is 100% dry…figuring the silicon helps to “lock” in the moisture? I also think it’s easier to detangle the tail when it’s wet and sitting in conditioner vs after a wash, dry with a detangler.

[candyappy]

@Simkie

FWIW, I LOVE conditioning the tail with good conditioner. I’ll also do the mane as long as we’re not bathing prior to braiding. A good conditioner really makes the tail stunning. I often follow up with cowboy magic juuuuust before the tail is 100% dry…figuring the silicon helps to “lock” in the moisture? I also think it’s easier to detangle the tail when it’s wet and sitting in conditioner vs after a wash, dry with a detangler.

I used regular conditioner in the tail after a bath, but it was before we had " leave in conditioners". Is that what OP is talking about as a rinse? I told you it has been a long time.

[Simkie]

@candyappy

I used regular conditioner in the tail after a bath, but it was before we had " leave in conditioners". Is that what OP is talking about as a rinse? I told you it has been a long time.

I didn’t see anything about a leave in, but may have missed it! Coconut oil would be a leave in (too messy for me!) I have used that pink Healthy Hair stuff with good affect :yes:

I think the OP may be planning a dilute conditioner rinse after a good soapy bath to “make up” for some of the oils stripped? Like you, certainly not something I’ve ever felt necessary!