Hot toweling: A tutorial, please?

[mvp]

I bragged to/tried to ensnare a barn mate here on the temporarily frigid West Coast to join me in a hot toweling session for our dirty horses.

Of course, only then did it occur to me that it’s been a long time since I lived in NY and had someone show me how to steam-clean a horse when it’s too cold to bathe.

So will you guys kindly save my reputation and give me a brush-up on the Best Practices of Hot Toweling?

What I remember is:

Heat the water to as hot as your hands can stand it, dip in a towel and wring out as much of the water as possible. You then lay it over the section of horse you wish to clean. That loosen/melts out all the scruf ‘n’ dirt.

How long do you leave the towel on?

Do you scrub and wipe the dirt off with the towel? Or use a stiff brush?

Does the Venerable Old Cactus Cloth have a place in the ritual?

Thank you!

[LadyB]

Bought a grey this past weekend.

This video shows you what you need to do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-jIrr0iJlg

My grey isn’t clean, she needs to be hot toweled many more times, but it definitely made her a little bit better.

[theresak]

I actually wrote a published article on it a number of years ago.

You are partially correct in your steps - hot water with a bunch of towels…

I found it most effective to use small hand towels and rather than drape them on the horse and wait, to rub vigorously with both hands, moving my hands on the towel and rotating the towel to use clean areas. Switch towels as soon as the first one cools.

You have to use the hot towel to lift the scruff - the very slight dampness will make the dirt stick to it better than it sticks to brushes.

If you have a gray horse with stains, the draping a towel and waiting can help lift the stain - you can also use some green spot remover after the first toweling and then hot towel again to finish removing the stain.

A wool cooler over just washed spots helps, and you’ll also be able to see areas you need to go over again as the horse dries.

If it’s really cold, I think you can put a bit of rubbing alcohol in the water and the horse will dry a bit faster.

[lmlacross]

How does one keep all these towels hot in a barn without hot water? Or is that just a pipe dream? Crock pot?

[mfglickman]

I like the crock pot idea! I bought an electric kettle for our barn; heat up a kettle, pour into bath bucket, add white washcloths ($10 for 25 at Costco) and you’re ready to go!

[lintesia]

You’re missing a critical step! According to Susan Harris in “Grooming to Win” you need to add a tiny bit of shampoo or soap. She writes, “The small amount of soap (less than a capful in a large bucket) changes the pH of the water so that the dirt and dust are attracted to the towel.”

[mvp]

[QUOTE=lmlacross;9012983]
How does one keep all these towels hot in a barn without hot water? Or is that just a pipe dream? Crock pot?[/QUOTE]

I have an old skool copper water heater. You stick it in a bucket of water and plug it in. It gets hot fast. Also, it will melt the side of your bucket if exposed. Gotta supervise it.

AND ANOTHER THING!

I was given a ration of crap about being a Hunter Princess for owning that water heater. Then BO goes to Florida while we have a 50 year snow storm. My water heater in a 300 gallon stock tank (and a dose of “do whatever it takes”) were the things that kept her herd of cattle watered.

[mvp]

@LadyB;9012911

Bought a grey this past weekend.

This video shows you what you need to do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-jIrr0iJlg

I like the mare’s expression in the video.

Congrats on your purchase, LadyB, and your clue to hot toweling for your new horse. IIRC, they kinda dig it.

[DressageChic2]

i add a splash of apple cider vinegar to my water, or dettol. to lift the grease.

[SonnysMom]

I used to add Healthy Hair Care to the hot water. If you use those yellow kitchen gloves then you can get the water a bit hotter. Lots of small towels and lots of rubbing.

[mvp]

[QUOTE=lmlacross;9012983]
How does one keep all these towels hot in a barn without hot water? Or is that just a pipe dream? Crock pot?[/QUOTE]

Also, those plug-in tea kettles get water very hot, very fast. Since you don’t need a lot of water and you can pour boiling water into some cold in order to create a temperature your hands can stand, remember that you don’t need to heat lots of water… which takes longer.

[chillydc]

I put my towels in a cooler (like lunch box sized) with my towels and then fill it with the hottest water I can from the tap in my house. I then drive to the barn and do it. I just take towels out as needed and then put the top back on the cooler, the water stays hot. My horse is bay, so I am not lifting stains, just dust, it’s a pretty quick procedure for me.

[LadyB]

Thank you, I’m excited for my purchase, but worried about how much blue shampoo I’m going to go through LOL!

The hot towelling is going to take me a bit… she’s extremely dirty!

[skyy]

https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/037835-allied-precision-bucket-heater.html?feedsource=3&gclid=CjwKEAiAwfzDBRCRmJe7z_7h8yQSJAC4corO5xQO2f0blWKyFU_0oAlTU90Jei_TSi4zuFM4bXlhjhoCslPw_wcB

These submersible heaters work great and heat up a 5 gallon bucket of very cold water quickly.

[LadyB]

As for my hot water, I filled up the bucket with the hottest water I could get out of the tap in the house.

My barn does not have hot water, so I put the bucket in the small heated tack room with a towel over top as a lid, while I brought my mare into the cross ties, and groomed her. Once I was done, brought the bucket out, and started to hot towel. Water was perfectly hot and good. Although she was disgusting and it didn’t stay clear for very long. Many hot towels in her future.

[ecileh]

Bought a grey this past weekend.

LadyB, I have owned a grey for a decade now and have developed a system for keeping her (reasonably) clean. Happy to share thoughts and products that I think work if you are interested.

[LadyB]

Sending you a PM ecileh!

[Mukluk]

My horse is encrusted in mud and intends to remain that way as long as she can. If I clean her, she would just go out and roll in the mud again. I know a losing battle when I see one.

[Railbird]

Ye olde cactus cloths are the best for hot toweling. I am the only person I know who uses them but there is nothing better for really getting down to the skin. Brush them thoroughly first, though!

[MyssMyst]

I also use a portable tea kettle. For my gray, a tiny bit of very mild soap works in the bucket. But I also like following the hot towel bath with a hot towelling that has Skin So Soft in the hot water. Keeps him super soft and shiny. Granted, my guy is also bodyclipped except his little legs right now, lol.