Getting a horse CLEAN-CLEAN in cold temperatures?

[RegentLion]

My middle daughter is DESPERATE to do her Pony Club D3 Horse Management rating this spring… April to be exact.

Part of it requires a very clean pony. Including NO DANDRUFF/SCRUFF… and the pony in question has terrible skin/allergies/scurf under the best of circumstances.

In our area, April can be anything from lovely to an absolute snowstorm. I do have access to hot water/hoses, but the air temperature will potentially be very cold. He doesn’t live in a stall or barn (24/7 turnout), but we do have blankets/coolers, and little to no mud in his paddock.

I recall vaguely “hot toweling” as a working student but no longer recall how one does that.

We do have about a month to make sure we are currying the heck out of him daily; and do whatever else will prep us for success… but how would you clean a winter furry pony to SPARKLING level?

[endlessclimb]

High velocity blower, like the ones groomers use to dry dogs fast. That thing works wonders - do that before a hot towel.

[RegentLion]

To like, blow out dirt/dandruff, hair? Or to dry after the hot towel?

Either way, I may need a full 30 days to get him used to one.

[endlessclimb]

I’d do it before. Hot toweling done right doesn’t result in a wet horse. It’s more of a steamer.

I’ve never found a horse to be much bothered by a blower, or a vac. Just introduce like you would a hose/stream of water.

[beowulf]

You could hot towel but if it’s cold they usually don’t like it. For the longer haired ponies, it will leave crimp marks which is worse visually than dandruff. However… it really is tried and true for spic and span ponies in the winter.

I use a fly sheet to keep my horses clean the night before shows, clinics, and ratings. I like it better than a rainsheet, but if the paddock is muddy (as most are this time of year) a rainsheet is better.

Make sure she cleans under the tail/dock, as well as brush out and part the mane to get any dandruff out between mane hairs. Use a slightly damp towel and rub close to the base of the mane to scrub out dandruff. Brush and let dry. The night before, Showsheen legs, tail, and mane. Buff to a sheen and turn out with a fly sheet or rainsheet.

I like Tiger Tongue for getting dirt off without making them seem dirtier, as always seems to happen with winter ponies.

Since she is a little and going for her D, most examiners are very understanding of some limitations as long as she is not making excuses. I hope she has a great time!

[Foxglove]

At the county fair, I saw a 4-H kid use a leaf blower to dry his cow after washing . . .if the day was warm and the pony would tolerate that --maybe it would dry him quicker?? Otherwise, we’ve always used polar fleece coolers --taking the wet one off and putting on the dry one until horse was dry. But I haven’t done a cold weather wash in a long time . . .

[HeartsDesireEventing]

I was always told listerine for dandruff - not sure if that’s still a thing. I’ve used it 50/50 in a spray bottle for rain rot too.

I’ve been the examiner at a couple Pony Club ratings recently and agree with the above that at the D level, the examiner is likely to be fairly understanding if it’s 20 degrees that a bath wasn’t possible. One of the most common issues I’ve seen is that the candidates forget to pick their ponies feet before presenting, so make sure she gets that done the day of

If you can, on the nice days, start doing some deeper cleaning/bathing and using show sheen to help keep him cleaner in between, that will probably help. A green spot remover like Cowboy Magic on a towel also helps remove stains from non-gray pones.

[emeraldcity]

D3 test standards definitely don’t require a deep clean bath or anything. The test sheet says “Mount to be well brushed (no sweat), clean (no dirt), with feet picked out, showing farrier care. Mane and tail brushed and eyes, nose, lips, and dock wiped off.” You can definitely achieve that with a really good curry and a hot toweling. A vacuum or blower after the curry will certainly make it easier, but honestly the standard isn’t that high (there’s a lot of room between D3 and A!).

[lintesia]

If you do hot towel, don’t forget to add a drop of shampoo into the water. It makes the necessary change to the Ph of the water so that it lifts the dirt. A single drop will do – don’t make the water soapy. (This is from Susan Harris “Grooming to Win.”)

[trubandloki]

Not that this answers your question, but I should hope an examiner at this level would look at a well groomed pony and then listen to your daughter when she explains that Dobbin has XYZ skin issues as diagnosed by the vet and that since your barn does not have running hot water and heaters, Dobbin was not able to get a bath with special medicated shampoo but we did < list all the grooming that has happened > and you can see that he is clean and free of dirt and grime.

[Quincy]

I like the answer @trubandloki gave. My winter go-to is to pour some Vetrolyn liniment in a bucket of hot water, dunk the towel in, and then wring it out as much as possible. Then wipe the horse down. Use a wool cooler, several if necessary. Only uncover the area that you are working on.

[McGurk]

My initial reaction to the OP was “Really? For a D-3 rating? They must have really toughened up the standard.” I am glad that others with more recent Pony Club experience weighed in. At this level, I think they’re looking for neat, tidy and cared for, rather than immaculate.

I also think Pony Club errs on the side of a level of cleanliness and turnout that’s reasonable for the child to achieve without adult help.

If I wanted to present a very clean pony in April, I would body clip, hot towel and then blanket appropriately. Especially for a pony with skin issues. As said above, for the mane, I would hot towel with a drop of shampoo in the water. And I’d go ahead and scrub the tail in a bucket.

The technique for hot toweling - use a small (half a standard bath towel) white towel. Dip or rinse in hot water with the drop of shampoo, wring out well and fold in quarters. Rub the pony against the hair growth until the one quarter is dirty, then switch to a clean quarter. When the entire towel is dirty, rinse out completely and repeat, until the towel is not longer picking up dirt. This also works for the mane, but you really have to rub to get all the way down to the roots.

[skydy]

Are pony club ponies allowed to have their manes roached?

One of my TBs had a very un-TB like mane and tail. Very thick and very long if you let it go. His mane was a pain to keep tidy but I only pulled it once. It didn’t seem fair to him to keep pulling his mane, because he was one of my at home hacks and never needed braiding, so off it came and he looked great. It was much easier to keep his crest clean and to check for ticks. He didn’t have skin issues or dandruff though.

Would pony club give kudos for roaching a mane for dandruff management or consider it a shortcut?

I think that little girls are sometimes very enamored of manes and tails so this might not be an option to her.

Otherwise, curry and brush (twice daily if possible), pick hooves, then hot toweling (in an area with no breeze) when needed.

Please keep us posted. Sending her the best of luck!

[paintedpony]

I would phone around and request a day rate for a “spa day”. I have only needed to do this once, and it was worth every penny. We had use of lovely wash facilities complete with heat lamps and an assigned stall. We shipped in, cleaned up, and shipped out as soon as dry. Never did use the stall. I think I paid something like $40 for about 90 minutes in the wash area.

[trubandloki]

@skydy

Are pony club ponies allowed to have their manes roached?

Certainly it is allowed.

I doubt they would consider it a short cut or give you kudos for doing it. Just another option for a mane.

(Curious why they wouldn’t allow it?)

[beowulf]

@skydy

Are pony club ponies allowed to have their manes roached?

Yes.

I never got negative remarks on my gelding that I roached. I did get several positive remarks on how tidy, shiny, and clean his mane was (I use Garnier Fructis on the mane - vigorously rub in and rinse out).

Some do consider it a short cut, but IME, not Examiners.

[rogueknits]

@beowulf

Since she is a little and going for her D, most examiners are very understanding of some limitations as long as she is not making excuses. I hope she has a great time!

As a local-level examiner myself, I agree on this point. Especially during cold weather/mud season and with a pony that lives out, as long as she can explain to the examiner what she did to groom her pony and identify any areas where he could be a bit cleaner she will probably be just fine. She should especially mention that he has sensitive/dry skin and anything in particular that she does to help him with that.

[skydy]

@trubandloki

(Curious why they wouldn’t allow it?)

I have no idea, that’s why I asked.

I wasn’t in Pony Club as a kid, but I did have the manuals. They gave me much treasured reading. It was so long ago though, that I can’t remember all of the rules.

Come to think of it, we kept my pony’s mane roached. I would have loved to have been in pony club, but there wasn’t one in my area.