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White mare who LOVES dirt

I have a white jumper mare and when she gets turned out in the mud or she is wet when she gets turned out she LOVES to lay down or roll in mud or dirt. I need a shampoo that can make her really white for shows. If it could turn her very yellow tail white as well or there is another product that can transform that mess then I might actually cry. Please help. Thank you!!

I had a friend who used to use laundry detergent on her white horse. Very diluted, of course to prevent from skin irritation.

Have you tried purple shampoo for people who have silver or highlighted hair?

I’ve also heard of people using ketchup to get rid of yellow tails? I’m wondering if vinegar would work on the tail also?

I don’t think it’s just a white horse thing. My non-white horses also love to roll too. You just can’t see all that dirt so easily on all the coat other colors. :slight_smile: Last time I had a grey horse was 20 years ago. She rolled like every non-grey horse I’ve had since. They all seem to roll almost immediately once you turn them out. For grey, white, and pinto’s bodies and for white markings, I always use a blueing/purple shampoo. Quick Silver works really well and is what I’ve used for years on white markings. Back in the day before whitening horse shampoo, we can bought a bottle of laundry blueing and mix it with regular shampoo. You can still buy blueing in the laundry detergent section of your supermarket. Also, a green spot remover like Cowboy Magic or WOW is your friend.

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There have been several good threads on this topic. Haven’t tried the search feature on the new forum, but you should look.

Suggestions:
Orvus soap
Any one of the many many horse shampoos designed for gray and white horses
Old lady gray hair people shampoo
There’s a temporary rinse you can use on the tail to whiten it. https://www.amazon.com/Roux-Fanci-full-Rinse-Ultra-White/dp/B000BPT0TG/ref=sr_1_2_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1487793595&sr=1-2&keywords=gray+hair+rinse
You can buy it at WalMart and other stores.
Some folks use Goop? I think, on tails.

That’s what I can think of off the top of my head. Do a search! :slight_smile:

Hey! Thanks for posting the link to the brass-out rinse! I’ve been wondering if there’s a leave-in product like exactly like this for my hair. I am brunette and blonde-ish balayage, which turns a bit brassy with my well water. Some human solutions that might help grey horse owners: I just got a water softener shower head, which has helped lessen brassiness quite nicely. I also use purple conditioners, particularly Kevin Murphy Blonde Angel and AG Sterling Silver Conditioner. Purple shampoos can be drying. A purple conditioner might be nice on tails.

Keep in mind that with some gray horses, the yellow tinge to the tail is a factor of the gray genetics and not just because it’s dirty. Not always, probably not even mostly, but it does happen.

Any bluing shampoo will help with the dinge. You just have to be careful to not leave it on too long. “Blue-haired old lady” is a term for a good reason :wink:

Once you get the horse clean and “white” (and I agree that Orvus can be amazing, and will last practically forever), then ample use of hair shine products (ones that don’t contain silicon) will help the hair shafts repel dirt more easily.

One thing to try is to never turn her out while she’s still wet - it’s a nearly sure-fire way to get a horse to roll. I have one who will roll when wet OR if I don’t take the curry to him after he’s been wet (and then mostly dried). So if he got a bit wet in the rain and hasn’t yet rolled, if I can curry him to relieve the itchiness, he hardly ever rolls. If I don’t, he almost always rolls. So no turnout until dry.

White jumper mare? Be still my heart. Send her to me and I’ll see what I can do to clean her up. May take awhile.

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The best product I have used on my dirty white mare is Orvus. It worked on our red clay much better then the blue stuff. Tail bags will help keep them cleaner.

Get some “Goop” hand cleaner. Not “GoJo”. Wash tail with shampoo and Goop and leave in. Sprinkle in some baking soda. scrub. Add white vinegar. Scrub. Rinse well.

Back in the day all we had was Mrs Stewart’s blueing. You can still use laundry blueing but don’t let it set to long and rinse well. I know some people who turned their saddlebred purple until his coat grew out.

If you have clay soil, or well water, which can turn things yellow, it may take a few times. Use a tail bag.