California Drought: New Barn Rule of Bucket Bathing Only Allowed

[Mukluk]

[QUOTE=doublesstable;8194462]
Even in the CA summers I limit baths because I have found it not good for the hooves… Mostly sponge baths - no soap. If I do rinse at my old barn I would rinse on the grass turn out so I was watering as I rinsed

Use of vacuum and good grooming works. Keep socks clipped for easy cleaning. You can use a soft brush and dip it in water, flick it a bit and brush. That takes dirt off too.

For sweaty horses in stalls if you can safely hook up solar powered fans? For the arena Fibar wood chips seem to help with the footing dust.

We recently purchased a 20 acre avocado farm - we are aware of the water shortage and high cost. Even when we weren’t in a shortage we have tried to conserve water. We have taken out many trees that were not producing food. We are designing water catch basins (for when we do get rain) to use on the orchard, removing older trees that are not productive. We recycle our gray water and use it on the orchard. It is a work in progress but it’s nice to know we are producing food for others. We also talk to our kids about water conservation. And if you look at my cars, you can tell we hope for a good rain to wash them… At our old house we used fake turf and it was really nice. As we continue to improve on our orchard we will create grass areas with the fake turf…

We recently went on a camping trip to the Kern river and it’s pretty clear we are in a very bad drought… all we can do is appreciate everything needs water to live and we must use wisely.[/QUOTE]
I LOVE Avocados. If you have any extra I will be more than happy to take them of your hands!!!

[Mukluk]

After riding I use a bucket and the girl gets a sponge bath. Takes the sweat off and uses very little water. She does get a bath once a month for her show but I try very very hard to use very little water. And I conserve as much as possible the whole rest of the time too. I just hope we get a big winter this year. And the next and the next. We really really need it. We do have a lawn…. but it is brown.

[laskiblue]

Well, I went to the ranch today and whooped and hollered with excitement when I saw the new HUGE water tank had been installed! Definitely a “only a horse/farm person would understand” moment of joy, LOL. I was even more pleased when the BO told me the tank was full enough that my mare could have a REAL bath, although brief. Now that I have the critical mass of the grubbies off of her, it’s time to maintain her with elbow grease and sponging off so I won’t have to give her a bath but once a month or so for the rest of the summer. My girl is a complete pig, so water is definitely necessary at times.

[Dune]

[QUOTE=laskiblue;8215390]
Well, I went to the ranch today and whooped and hollered with excitement when I saw the new HUGE water tank had been installed! Definitely a “only a horse/farm person would understand” moment of joy, LOL. I was even more pleased when the BO told me the tank was full enough that my mare could have a REAL bath, although brief. Now that I have the critical mass of the grubbies off of her, it’s time to maintain her with elbow grease and sponging off so I won’t have to give her a bath but once a month or so for the rest of the summer. My girl is a complete pig, so water is definitely necessary at times.[/QUOTE]

LOL! I understand. It was like when we had been told the well was dry and the foreman found a bad leak and suddenly we had water again. I’m all for conserving water, I really am, but I’m just not buying that you can maintain a horse working 5-6 days/week in the summer with just bucket bathing. I think folks that do this are maybe getting their horse a little sweaty under the saddle pad/bridle. I’m talking full body sweat and then horses rolling in the turnout afterward…every day! If we had to go to bucket bathing, honestly, I think I’d just put mine out in pasture for the season. Too much aggravation and by then the arenas would be terrible as well, they are already heading that way. :-/

[newhorsemommy]

My mare’s a huge sweater, even without a strenuous ride, and I can’t imagine how itchy and uncomfortable she would be without a quick rinse after each ride, drought or not. My gelding can go without the rinse, but not my mare.

I’m trying to conserve water in other ways. No real baths with shampoo, smaller trough so not so much is wasted during cleaning, etc.

[seabreeze]

I usually hose off at home after a “sticky” ride. Of course, at local day shows, I do a bucket bath. Yesterday at home I decided to bucket bathe as an experiment (as a result of this thread).

Pros: Quicker and easier without having to roll and unroll the hose, neater due to not making the big wet spot in my bathing area, horse was more thoroughly cleaned because I scrubbed all of him with my hand and the rag, used a fraction of the water I would normally use.

Cons: None, really. I will use a hose when I need to really scrub the mane and tail roots and rinse them well.

[yellowbritches]

I’m feeling very spoiled here in soggy, humid Virginia. I groom the crap out of my horse and rarely use soap (except for his tail, which I do shampoo with some regularity). But, oy vey, not sure how well I would handle a bucket and sponge only rule. My horse sweats like a monster for even the easiest rides, and, to top it off, is allergic to his sweat. I must be missing a grooming skill as I have never gotten him satisfyingly rinsed with just a bucket and sponge. My go-to is always a hose, while using my non-hose hand to get grime and sweat pushed out of his coat and away from his skin. I often follow it with an ACV rinse. We would probably fail miserably as Californians.

[shayaalliard]

I like to use the shop vac on the horses, and I admit I have washed her with a bissel green spot clean machine

[Peggy]

My horse who is allergic to his sweat was much better if I did a rinse with cider vinegar after first scraping the water from the initial hosing off. FWIW. YMMV.

[poltroon]

[QUOTE=Dune;8216067]
LOL! I understand. It was like when we had been told the well was dry and the foreman found a bad leak and suddenly we had water again. I’m all for conserving water, I really am, but I’m just not buying that you can maintain a horse working 5-6 days/week in the summer with just bucket bathing. I think folks that do this are maybe getting their horse a little sweaty under the saddle pad/bridle. I’m talking full body sweat and then horses rolling in the turnout afterward…every day! If we had to go to bucket bathing, honestly, I think I’d just put mine out in pasture for the season. Too much aggravation and by then the arenas would be terrible as well, they are already heading that way. :-/[/QUOTE]

I really have maintained show horses this way for years at a time. I would add that we sponged them after coming in and did not turn them out to roll until they were dry. We weren’t masochists.