Just got a new horse and she is filthy,
I do not have a wash stall but I do have hot water
do you know how I could wash her in the cold weather we have?
Any tips to get her clean with out getting her all wet?
1 Like
Congratulations on your new horse!
How exciting!
When you say filthy what do you mean?
I would start with a good curry and then brushing and if there is still residue (there will be, dust is so stubborn) you can do the steam towel routine. There was a thread about that recently. Let me see if I can find it.
I have also had very good luck with a vacuum if your horse will let you.
Edit to add: Search is failing me and I have not found the most recent thread but this thread from a few years ago has lots of good information.
3 Likes
Congrats!!!
If there is no need to get your NEW horse wet. I would just use elbow grease and curry, curry, curry, get a vacuum if they will stand for it, and just brush.
I used to hot towel standardbred yearlings during sale prep. Its simply a bucket of hot water and a good terry cloth rung out real good and a cactus cloth chaser. ( squirt in a splash of baby oil, but that is old skool)
If you are really cool, you can do one hand hot towel and the other a cactus cloth. Really gets the blood pumping.
1 Like
Thanks.
She is dirty to the skin so when ever it snows when I brush it off it is brown good Ideas for the vacuum and hot towel I will try them.
I would just hose her with warm water, sweat scrape quickly and put on her polar feece or wool cooler and let her dry. Then wait for a warmer and sunny day and start the brushing regimen.
Has she been clipped for winter? If full winter coat, I’d be inclined to do the brush/curry/steam etc unless temps are on the mild side. If clipped, then I’d hose/cover with cooler.
No she is not clipped, next time it is warmer I will try to hose her, I do not no what she think about water yet.
The hot towel works best after a good curry/brush session. Its amazing how clean you can get a horse with just elbow grease, but it is a great bonding opportunity for you both. 
2 Likes
Yes I agree
I have been spending as much time as possible with her to no her ins and outs
1 Like
If a horse is showing endless dust it can be dandruff. Especially when they are starting to shed in late winter. I think brushing is good for this
You don’t know if she likes being washed and myself I’d prefer to experiment in warm weather so the horse is happier about it. If you don’t know the horse don’t go in expecting to wash the whole horse at once and don’t commit to sudsing and rinsing her whole body. Start by putting a gentle hose on her lower legs, and working up to shoulders and then torso. Read her face. If she’s shut down or worried back off.
If you really need to wash a horse in cold weather put a fleece sheet on them and roll it up to wash, then back down. Winter hair takes forever to dry and the horse loses all insulation so put multiple fleece coolers on and hand walk until dry and warm and leave them with plenty of hay.
Basically I would not wash an unclipped horse in winter unless there was some pressing need. Dusty coat isn’t a pressing need. You can hot towel her torso or spot clean poop stains. Once their barrel gets wet they can get shivering fast.
In summer you can do quite a bit with even one big bucket of hot water.
4 Likes
Epona makes a flexible curry that it amazing. It really does work - it gets the gunk out. You can put some muscle into doing the legs, for example, because it molds to the shape of the soft tissues, pasterns and fetlocks. I have short fingers and find it much easier to use because it molds to my hand. it’s good for kids’ too.
It is hard to find because it doesn’t show up as a “curry” on a lot of website searches. They call it a flexible groomer.
2 Likes
You may need to do a few batches but a big crockpot is pretty effective for keeping a number of moist hand towels toasty horse side providing your barn has a safe spot to near the grooming area. Wet towels with hot water, wring out and plop them directly in the crockpot. I use the low setting and give them 20 seconds or so to cool if they get too hot for bare hands. Put maresy in a fleece and work on an uncovered quarter section at a time to keep her from getting a chill. Repeat with fresh batch of towels until satisfied. Likely a spot clean of a few grimy areas will do the trick and you will avoid a shivery horse with a faltering opinion of grooming time.
6 Likes
The crock pot is an awesome idea!
1 Like
Well now I know what I’ll be hunting down next at our local Value Village!
2 Likes
THIS!
@Phaedra a little dirt won’t kill her.
My 3 breaded themselves with mud the other day.
With daytime temps in the 40s & nights colder the only grooming I did was curry off the mud once it dried.
I won’t get a horse wet unless it’s warmer than 60F. Getting wet to the skin is going to have them chilled as wet hair can’t insulate.
If there’s some emergent need to get her cleaner, at least keep her under a cooler - preferably wool as it wicks better than synthetics.
If you don’t have a cooler, a blanket could be used, but the wicking effect won’t work with a blanket.
You can stuff hay between horse & cooler, that gives some airspace so they dry quicker.
& then they can eat the hay
1 Like
I would have never thought to feed that warm moist hay. But it makes perfect sense❤️
I think a lot depends on how cold is cold, and how dirty is dirty?
Mine are caked with mud right now. But a) it’s way too cold to bathe; and b) they will just get caked with mud again.
I would use hot towels before giving a bath in winter unless you have a very warm day.
1 Like
Agree with others that unless you need them clean for a specific event, “Eh, horses gonna horse” is the sanity-saving approach to winter grooming.
I have a grey who lives out 24/7, unclipped and unblanketed, and works in clay the way others artists work in watercolors or pastels. I heart my Schimmel stiff brush from Haas with every fiber of my being, because it is a champ at knocking the first layer of crust off. I groom enough to make him comfortable and reasonably presentable, but I also know that he will roll immediately upon turnout, and so I temper my expectations and hopes accordingly. I think of this as the Universe teaching me patience and acceptance, because the Universe has a sick sense of humor.
6 Likes
I find that for ultra dusty/dirty - a blower works better than a vacuum. That’s JMO!
1 Like
I’m on the “Don’t do it” side, unless you live somewhere warm and sunny where they can dry off comfortably. I don’t have an authoritative number, but 60°F on a sunny day would be my minimum. Otherwise, just brush 'em off and call it good.
Horses seem to like being stinky/dirty nearly as much as dogs do. The only way you’re gonna keep your horse clean long enough to make any difference is if you lock them up in a clean stall. Trust me on this one.
My boys were “Adobe Horses” the other day, and yet another winter storm was forecast, so they needed their blankets. For the blankets sake, I knocked off as much of the mud as I has patience for, using a mane and tail brush.
The storm delivered another 6 or 8 inches of snow, and single-digit temperatures; solved the mud problem for a few days, anyway.
Just for fun, “Rosy”, getting rid of the stench after a bath last summer. “Aaah; I feel better now!” :-D.
8 Likes
