[QUOTE=Petstorejunkie;6920532]
You’d need to follow it up with a quality moisturizer. Do follow the dilution rating for the body or you’ll crispify their coat.
I LOVE dr bronners, but for me I follow it with a blend of coconut and jojoba oil.[/QUOTE]
i second this 
it’s too harsh for me to use regularly, which is sad because i’m allergic to everything ever, skin care wise. i diluted the lavender and used it on my dog last summer. worked very well. i like to mix it with baby shampoo as well as dilute it, just to tone it down.
I love the stuff! Lavender for the winter, peppermint for the summer (for the humans).
I have and would use it for horses. Rinses clean, minimal ingredients so minimal chances of a reaction (at least in my theory of the less stuff there is in it the less stuff for your horse to react to!).
That being said, the last time I gave my horse a bath was… well, probably many years ago. I don’t bathe them. They are both black and I find that a quick shower gets the sweat off and leaves all the oils on (totally recognizing that this approach is not likely to work for the owner of a grey horse). I would suggest that you back off the bathing unless you absolutely have to. Why risk irritating? Good old fashioned elbow grease, maybe a rag with hot water (no soap) should be sufficient.
That being said, if you have to use a soap I would personally feel more comfortable with a minimal ingredient soap like Dr. Bronners than the other commercial soaps on the market.
For any residue and help with insects, you can do an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse (dilute 1 part ACV to 10 parts water), great for humans and horses alike : ) The smell dissipates when it dries. Just be careful no to get it in eyes, noses or wounds, it’ll sting.
This is going to sound a little silly, but I switched from Castile soap to cat shampoo for my horse (yes, cat). It’s an amazing bar soap that lathers nicely, rinses clean, and comes in an unscented version. The product is called Chubbs Bars, and I use it for my dogs too.
I will preface this by saying I’m a soap nerd.
Castile soap is soap made with just an alkali (usually lye), olive oil, and water. Unless you’re allergic/sensitive to olive oil, if you’re reacting to “castile” soap, it has other ingredients in the mix and is not a true castile. If there are other ingredients, you’re most likely sensitive to one of them and wouldn’t have issues with true castile soap. That said, castile can have a unique handfeel that not everyone cares for.
Fun fact: per the FDA, unless the product is made from fats and/or oils combined with an alkali, it cannot be called soap. It’s actually a synthetic detergent. This is why there are so many “beauty bars”, “cleansers”, “shampoos”, etc out there, but not as many products that actually have “soap” on the label.
2 Likes
My husband has been showering with diluted peppermint Dr. Bronner’s soap for years. I’ve never used it on my horses, but I have used the tea tree version to shampoo my dogs. It works great and rinses very easily - something that is important to me because my dogs have very thick coats and getting soap out is a major pain.
I use Dawn. Works very well in socks and leaves then soft and shiny. No reaction for my diva gelding, who used to be so bad I couldn’t even wash his saddle pads in detergent.
I tried the lavender liquid version of Dr. Bronner’s last summer. Smelled fantastic but boy did it not agree with my … ahem … sensitive areas. And I mean really not agree. And that was only from one use. So just a word of caution that even though it sounds mild, it still may cause a reaction.
I would second the Baby Shampoo. Then add ACV to your horse’s diet - that can help repel flies. You can add garlic too, but be careful with garlic since it can cause anemia issues. You could probably add a bit of ACV to the shampoo too…
