Title really says it all… found the perfect boarding situation for my gelding, but have to make one concession… there’s no wash rack.
Might be a silly question, but it’s a situation I’ve been fortunate to avoid!
So, what do I have to add to my toolkit to make this work? Lol, thanks in advance 
Is there not a hose?
There is but nowhere to really rinse off in an already muddy winter. The driveway around the barn is angled slightly downhill and is gravel, so yes I could make a spot, but I worry about washing it out worse than it already will be. I’m thinking our best chance may be some kind of bucket method, lol
ETA: I feel context for our winters is important, haha. I’m in KY where we deal with more wet than snow in winter and end up with horrific clay-mud everywhere. We have also had more and more flooding during winter as our weather patterns get more erratic. So just trying to prepare for dealing with muddy legs on what will be a muddy farm with no great spot to rinse off. 
I live in the Midwest and have an indoor wash stall with hot/cold water. I haven’t washed my horse since November. When his legs get muddy I let them dry and curry with a rubber mitt, then brush out any remaining dust/dirt. Yes, I could wash them, but it’s just going to repeat in 24 hrs. I don’t like to wash frequently. If my horse’s legs are muddy and I want to ride, I’ll pick out the mud and use a scraper to clean the lower legs as best I can. By the time I’m done riding, mud is dry and I’ll curry, etc.
If this is really important to you, you might ask if you can buy a couple few mats & set up a spot.
Why does it matter if your horse has muddy legs?
I have NEVER had a wash rack. Grew up on a farm/ranch. Boarded two different places (basically someone else’s house) and now have my own place - still no “wash rack”.
I have a garden hose. And my whole life always been from the plain hydrant which means it’s ice cold. At least at my own place now, I can run the hose up to the garage where their is hot water, so that’s nice.
I just have a few of those Rubbermaid mats with the holes in them so that if I do need to actually WASH a horse for a show (mane, tail, the works) they don’t make quite a huge mud mess of the lawn.
Otherwise, I spray the sweat off after a ride and that’s about it.
I too have clay type mud that dries to concrete. It’s never a problem unless they get it in their mane. And I have to soak, soak, soak with soap to get that out. Fortunately, it doesn’t happen often. When it’s on their legs, that doesn’t affect me going for a ride.
Warm, wet towels will give a decent scrub if it’s wet mud you’re working with… The warm part is easier if there’s a microwave available. Follow up with a dry towel, of course, and knock off any big mud clumps with a brush first.
Days of my youth, we pulled a muddy horse out of the field, left it to dry out a bit, picked out the feet, brushed off the dried mud in the saddle area and bridle area and climbed on board. Yes, we frequently rode muddy, shaggy horses. The horses never cared.
My personal theory is that many skin problems on horse legs are caused, or made worse by excessive cleaning that is removing the natural protective grease on the skin and hair.
I’d never heard of these mats before, thanks for the recommendation! Maybe she’d be amenable to me making a spot somewhere out of the way where it won’t wash out the driveway.
It’s not really about the mud itself, I’m not bothered if he’s just dirty. We aren’t showing This is just about periodically checking for sneaky cuts/fungus/what have you hiding under the mud. Ideally I’ll always get there when it’s dried like concrete so I can just brush it off, but I know this won’t always be the case.
This is an interesting theory to consider. When I was younger I also never used to wash legs or anything like it. But a cut on a muddy leg blowing up into cellulitis on a lease horse converted me to the other side.
My guy now is semi-retiring and will be out 24/7 with the exception of severe weather. He’ll be getting less general bathing overall, so maybe his skin will end up being more formidable. Now I have to see what happens
I do the same. My horse hasn’t seen a bath or keg hosing since end of October.
I use a hard stiff brush to knock off the clumps, them a piece of burlap to get the rest off at the end of a grooming session. Rinse out burlap, dry and repeat.
Doesn’t have to be the rubbermaid brand - just whatever your local farm store has.
Doesn’t even have to have the holes in them but that is just what I have used.
I’ve got something similar to this - small mats so they are very easy/light to move around.
I have a horse that is very, very prone to scratches so I keep his fetlock trimmed year-round. Keeps them drier and cleaner and easier to me to watch.
If you are concerned, you could do the same - keep him legs trimmed.
I don’t have hot water in my barn. You have a couple options.
Take a bucket of water (it doesn’t have to be warm) and a scrub brush with a handle and scrub away the mud. The handle will keep your hand out of the cold water.
Another option would be to get a short length, lightweight hose and wash his legs. Given that he’s an outside horse he walks through cold mud so again, the water doesn’t have to be warm.
The easiest way to clean when the mud is already dried. Knock it off with curry comb, metal or rubber being careful since it’s pretty much brush on bone down there.
I agree with others that hosing is not necessary. I would let it dry and clean it off with brushes. Jelly scrubbers are great for legs + a stiff brush should do the trick pretty quickly. For any fungus or nicks/ cuts, I use a chlorahexidine (sp?) spray and let it dry. We are in MO/ IL so very familiar with the cold mud! The above works perfect for everything short of a show.
Get an exfoliating washcloth, and just wipe the mud (dried or wet) off the man. If you’re using the washcloth dry, just shake it out afterwards. If you’re using it wet, just rinse and repeat. This works on New England mud/poop.
We clip lower (below the knees, around coronary band) legs for winter wet season. This lets legs dry quickly in their stalls, so any stuck-on mud or dirt falls off with a brushing. We never hose except for full baths because leg skin NEEDS to get dry to prevent all those skin issues of scratches, splitting skin from being overly wet for long times. Using warm or hot wash water can make things worse, removing skin oils as it does when you hand-wash dishes or take long showers/baths.
I may be clipping legs every 4-6 weeks to keep hair short, but no one has skin issues on their legs. Been doing this for years, no leg issues. I use the big Oster clippers wth the size 83-84 blades that leave hair short but not clipped to the skin. Horses are stalled half a day at night in winter, which also helps hooves dry out too. No soft hoof issues keeping shoes on, despite wet turnout on clay ground with snow the other half of the day…
I’ve never worried about muddy legs unless there’s some kind of injury that needs to be clean. I mean occasionally they get ridden through snow or creeks and get cleaned off then lol but other than that they just stay muddy.
Heat water in an electric kettle. Mix 50-50 with hose water in a bucket, then split that 70-30 between two buckets. Go to the best drained spot on the property. Your smaller bucket is wash water, the other is for rinsing. Works best if your horse ground-ties or you have someone else to hold him so you’re not juggling a lead rope under his belly while he tries to go eat a speck of green.
Yes, this is what I was thinking. I have seen an area of washed gravel, maybe 2" with an indoor outdoor type carpet over it. the carpet allows the water to drain through to the gravel, once in a while they sweep/brush the debris off the carpet.
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