Another thing is after Vetrolin if you towel dry, and I mean several towels and DRY, you will get a really nice shine.
The damp towels in the hard to reach spots will also take care of any residual dirt the sponge missed.
[QUOTE=dungrulla;8175575]
80+% of the water use in California is actually agricultural (cattle/crops).[/QUOTE]
I do realize that, but since it is such a large part of our economy I don’t begrudge them as much yet hope they consider how they can cut back as well such as switching to less water thirsty crops.
In Hidden Valley it sounds like most of the wells are dry so they are trucking in water. Most Moorpark barns receive Ag water as long as they have some avocados, etc. It might be worth looking into boarding out there vs Chatsworth since it is likely that those on city water will have to pass on added costs to boarders as the summer comes along. We have been lucky to have some May gray and June gloom so that we can ride in the am before it gets too hot and dusty.
I’d also consider staying away from the oily fly sprays as they not only build up, but can eventually scald once the weather gets hotter.
I read the thread a few hours ago and am adding now, so forgive if this hasn’t been mentioned before: Vacuuming.
A good curry to lift the hair an loose dirt, then vacuum that off. THEN use a clear water sponge bath (maybe a splash of vinegar --I hate vetrolin and feel it leaves a film).
I hadn’t bathed my horse all summer one year due to no hose. This is what I did, and some ‘hot toweling’ to get out any sebum that had made him grey. Horse never looked better.
And for tails, you can dunk the whole thing in a bucket of water, sparingly apply soap, then use another bucket of clear water or two for rinsing the tail. Hoses are overrated.
I freuently wash my horse’s white tail with 5 gallons of water all year 'round. You need a second bucket. Pour a third of a bucket in. Dip. Shampoo. Dip to rinse. Change water. Rinse. Change water. Rinse. Adding white vinegar to the rinse will kill the suds. But be careful not to over suds or you won’t get it rinsed.
After hunting Maori shower = Bigeloil in bucket of water, rub and scrape, cover with cotton mesh cooler. (In really cold weather add a wool blanket.)
First world problems, for sure!
I don’t ever bath my horse, so a water ban would be no issue to me. I also try to convince others at my farm not to fully bathe the horse unless they have to! It’s no good for their coat anyhow.
Anyhow, my routine is to curry my horse as long as my arms will hold up. I then use a long-bristled brush to flick the dirt off. I then use a medium-length soft brush to flick the dirt that the long one didn’t get. Lastly I use a soft horsehair brush and smooth the coat down. After that is done I use a horse hair spray called “Healthy Hair Care Moisturizer” which I spray all over his body (it’s not slippery). I let it sit while I brush his legs, and then I spray those too. After that I take the softest brush again and smooth the hair with the moisturizer on it.
My horse SHINES in any light and looks incredible. He hasn’t had a bath in years!
I remember visiting my grandparents during a drought in Ohio where they were having issues with their well. We had to run the shower to wet ourselves, turn the water off, lather up, turn the water back on to rinse, and turn the water off as fast as possible.
I think it’s why I’m conservative with water today.
I ride at a barn in Northern California and we also have a bucket rule in effect. Not all barns do - I think some wells are still pumping out water, while others have run dry - but while I definitely miss the luxury of using a hose, I can’t complain about conserving water given how bad the drought has become.
As others have said, I find that in most instances a good curry + brush + damp rag is often sufficient, and Vetrolin + bucket of water is a good backup. I’ll have to try some of the other suggestions, too - one horse I work with is in the midst of a series of shockwave treatments, and that gel can be a pain to dislodge!
We actually have a spring we draw water from, but hosing is uncool when the water situation is bad.
Buckets are just fine to get off sweat, and I can shampoo and rinse in two buckets, maybe three if the tail is bad. If you need to shampoo, which you really shouldn’t have to do much, the low suds horse ones are great. I won a bottle of Eqyss and actually really like it–super low suds easy to get out.
The Ag water in Moorpark is VERY expensive, and they are giving no breaks. Malibu wells are not immune to going dry. Plan on it! Especially west of Kanan. Buckets are simple. Its what they do at the racetrack. You don’t even need a whole bucket. Half will do. Then water the plants with whats left. Yes… you can curry… the issue here in SoCal is that any amount of salt left on the hide creates issues with the sun. Even sometimes when rinsed, its not enough and you get bleaching.
[QUOTE=enjoytheride;8175805]
I remember visiting my grandparents during a drought in Ohio where they were having issues with their well. We had to run the shower to wet ourselves, turn the water off, lather up, turn the water back on to rinse, and turn the water off as fast as possible.
I think it’s why I’m conservative with water today.[/QUOTE]I try to do this when I can. I also stick a bucket under the shower while the water warms up and then take it outside and either water something or pour it in my water barrel.
[QUOTE=SmartAlex;8175738]I freuently wash my horse’s white tail with 5 gallons of water all year 'round. You need a second bucket. Pour a third of a bucket in. Dip. Shampoo. Dip to rinse. Change water. Rinse. Change water. Rinse. Adding white vinegar to the rinse will kill the suds. But be careful not to over suds or you won’t get it rinsed.[/QUOTE]Based on my chemistry knowledge the vinegar does just that–cuts the suds. I don’t think it actually removes the molecules that make up the soap (anions of fatty acids); instead it acidifies them to a form (the fatty acid itself) that doesn’t foam. That’s why pH (acidity) can affect the ability of soaps and detergents to foam. Having said that, doing a rinse consisting of a glug or two of cider vinegar in a bucket of water really helped horse of mine who was kind of allergic to his sweat and would have been one hot, itchy mess otherwise.
[QUOTE=Cindyg;8175988]I’ve been using a sprayer tank like this. A gallon can go a long way.[/QUOTE]Great idea.
Forgot to bulk-quote the post citing that 80% of the water in California goes to agriculture, but apparently that 80% either includes environmental uses or is the percent after environmental uses are taken off the top. And, it’s not a huge percent of the gross domestic product–2% if you exclude commerce that supports or is supported by agriculture. Here’s one article that appeared in today’s LA Times: http://plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov/wordpress/?p=8685
[QUOTE=INoMrEd;8175131]
There have to be other people on this BB who are boarding at ranches in the southern California (Los Angeles) area that are facing the same thing - massive water use restrictions.
Yesterday the ranch had a sign posted that we are not to use the hose to bathe our horses…as in at all. We were instructed literally use a bucket and a sponge.
The boarders are quite upset by this as how the heck to you rinse soap out of a horse using only a sponge and a bucket (no running the hose to rinse allowed at all)?
I know how to use a curry - but after months of not bathing there is dirt imbedded in the fur/tail/mane that just won’t come out.
It gets super hot in the San Fernando Valley and the thought of not being able to use soap to bathe a horse to remove all the accumulated dirt after weeks of not bathing is bothersome. What do others do?
Anyone have solutions they are willing to share that work to get a horse clean without using soap or a hose to rinse them?[/QUOTE]
I am laughing. Sorry, but laughing.
I grew up riding in the Newhall area, at a barn that was on a well. EVERY summer was buckets only. If the summer was really dry, they would have to truck water in for the horses to drink by late August.
And so, thanks to necessity and Victor the groom who taught me, I am an expert at washing a horse with a bucket and sponge. I like warmish water if possible, and vetrolin. Scrub and slosh and scrape. With that, I can get any horse very clean.
Even white socks can be done almost with this method, because most show horses in CA aren’t staining their socks in summer, and you can clip the longer hairs if they are stained. But there was generally some allowance for a little bit of hose on a white tail before a horse show.
These days, even when I have access to a hose, I actively prefer the bucket. It just works better. Thanks, Victor, for making me see the light.
[QUOTE=dungrulla;8175575]
80+% of the water use in California is actually agricultural (cattle/crops).[/QUOTE]
Feeding and washing horses counts as ag water, as does watering arenas and the like. 
But actually, that number is of human used developed water. It doesn’t count water that falls from the sky on the ground and isn’t moved, and it doesn’t count water that is developed and managed for rivers. Water rights and usage is a super complicated topic. There aren’t going to be easy solutions if this is a new normal.
[QUOTE=candico;8175450]
It does irritate the heck out of me that many of the very wealthy neighbors are still irrigating acres and acres of landscaping, because they can pay the extra $$$ no sweat… However, they are sucking up the water supply for the rest of us - that and the damn fracking![/QUOTE]
What makes me nuts is there is NO enforcement. Our water district sent out strict instructions over the past six months: NO watering between 6am and 6pm. Several of my neighbors’ sprinklers are spraying away during those hours and no one says anything. Don’t get me started on the fricking fracking. I’m so sick of hearing how it’s lowering gas prices. Where??? Not in my universe! OK, I’m done now.
We’ve had some droughts in MD over the years - none as bad as CA but bad enough that some towns were putting people on notice for 2 minute showers, limited flushes; many of the area farms (and homes) are on wells, some farms’ wells went dry. Our barn, also on well, also instilled a no bathing rule which some of the boarders freaked out about… but I said I would prefer that my horses had water to drink… a bucket w/ vetrolin works well; there are several spot/stain removers as well as dry/waterless shampoos. I had a horse at one time that got some weird skin condition - after trying a bunch of lotions, potions, bedding switches - all to no avail, what ended up working the best was no bathing and a good curry and grooming post ride. Her coat never looked better.
Just remember, more important to have drinking water than bathing. I feel for you out there.
[QUOTE=enjoytheride;8175805]
I remember visiting my grandparents during a drought in Ohio where they were having issues with their well. We had to run the shower to wet ourselves, turn the water off, lather up, turn the water back on to rinse, and turn the water off as fast as possible.
I think it’s why I’m conservative with water today.[/QUOTE]
This is how I have showered for the majority of my life!
Wet - turn water off, then shampoo, soap body, soap face - water on rinse. Water off, condition hair, shave - water back on rinse!
For those who say that they NEVER wash their horses - that means shampoo bath right? While I do not shampoo often (due to water issues - seriously, with a mostly white horse - it would be easier to do soap baths) - I DO rinse/ wash down my horse often.
I couldn’t imagine being able to keep a coat nice - without rinsing, when I am working my horse into a heavy sweat several times a week.
[QUOTE=sorrelfilly721;8177227]
What makes me nuts is there is NO enforcement. Our water district sent out strict instructions over the past six months: NO watering between 6am and 6pm. Several of my neighbors’ sprinklers are spraying away during those hours and no one says anything. Don’t get me started on the fricking fracking. I’m so sick of hearing how it’s lowering gas prices. Where??? Not in my universe! OK, I’m done now.[/QUOTE]
I am with you on this! San Jose implemented a NO sprinkler run off, NO car washing, etc etc - yet twice a week I still find puddles and little rivers through the Caltrain parking lot -and I HAVE reported, I HAVE taken pictures, I have sent it to Caltrain, the water company, and the state authority to turn these things in - but ZERO response…
The Adobe Systems building in SJ still has sprinklers running in the middle of the afternoon, onto the side walk - and a river down the street every week…
Neighbors still washing their cars, my next door neighbor has a tropical garden, lawns galore, and a pool - I can FEEL the humidity pouring off their property… but apparently they see no problem with their gross water use.
As for fracking lowing gas prices - hog wash! Oil is a GLOBAL market, we could drill and exploit every last drop of fossil fuels in the US - and it would not change OUR gas prices - because those are based on the GLOBAL oil market.
Appsolute - I forgot to add that I put in Xeriscape (no grass whatsoever in my yard) and supposedly California is offering incentives for doing so. I applied on some website, but got no response. Meanwhile, the new homes going up are all going up with grass and sprinklers - WTH?? I love the Xeriscape. It looks nice and natural and my water usage is next to nothing.
I was reading an article about water become rarer than oil in the coming years. I live in a very water rich area but I am quite conservative about water.
I use a bucket to wash my horses. I hot towel quite a bit and I also use a ACV wash. I have two grey horses. I also have a chestnut with a lot of chrome and two bays. All of my horses have a very nice shine on their coat.
I don’t do baths very often. I don’t even do them for shows unless its a CCI or CIC event. I do wash my horses white tails with a bucket of water to get it white, but thats about it.
It can be done. I would avoid oil based remedies because of the sun as well as the dirt sticks to it. Show sheen tails to keep them clean. Wrap the tail if you have a white horse to keep from bathing it so much. Clipping socks like another poster said as well.
