Silly question: horse coat embedded with stone dust?

[quietann]

Hey – is there any way to get stone dust out of a horse’s coat?

Dear mare is choosing to sleep outside in the stone dust by her shed, and it’s embedded in her coat. If I brush her, it comes to the surface but is still thoroughly stuck on.

We have overly warm weather coming, so I could give her a bath… but I guarantee you that the first thing she will do when turned out is roll in the stone dust.

Or should I be realistic and understand that she’s old and retired and it really doesn’t matter if she’s very, very stone-dusty?

(BO BTW tries to brush off the worst of it before blanketing her.)

[JB]

Shop Vac on the blow setting is amazing for blowing out dust

Mostly it doesn’t matter, but it IS gross when they then get sweaty with all that in there.

[CHT]

Hot/warm towel to wipe the dust off once you curry it to the surface.

[fivestrideline]

Vacuum. ShopVac works fine, horse one even better from a noise perspective. Otherwise, hot toweling!

[Renn_aissance]

Once you get it out, this is one of the very few situations where I would say to ShowSheen her hair coat to help keep it from getting back in.

[quietann]

All good ideas, though she may object to a vacuum. With a lot of positive reinforcement (cookies! ) I was able to get her to accept being vacuumed back in 2015 or so, but then we moved barns and I haven’t tried it since.

It could be a good project though. Now that I’m not riding her, I’m always looking for interesting things to do with her. We visited a friend in the neighboring subdivision, and her 91 year old mother who is in poor health but loves to get out of the house to see my horse.

[endlessclimb]

Blower instead of vacuum all day long. I have a high velocity dog dryer at the barn for this exact purpose, horses get blown out every other week or so, else I get that same “perma dust” you’re talking about. She will be fine with it, just keep her off of a tie while she figures out she’s not dying and then you’re golden. Don’t do her face unless she’s exceptionally chill, and do it on low being careful around eyes/nose/ears.

FLYING PIG GROOMING High Velocity Dog & Cat Grooming Dryer, Purple -...

[quietann]

OMG it comes in pink! I am tempted!

[endlessclimb]

It’s worth it, and if you have a dog at home it can double duty. Nothing smells nicer than a dog bathed and velocity dried - no chance for that wet dog smell to soak in!

[FjordBCRF]

Oooo this might be a pony Christmas present.