I have a gray mare. We live in Canada. She is has a pale farmers tan, and the rest of her would be brownish as well if she wasn’t blanketed. Her legs are stained from manure and pee stains- she loves to lie down in her poo despite a nice clean well bedded stall. Her tail would be disgusting except it stays in a tail bag for the winter. She looks so NEGLECTED, even though she gets a thorough grooming at least 4 times per week! Our barn has no running water or electricity, so bathing or even hot toweling is not an option. All the ‘no wash /green stain’ sprays that I have found say to rinse off, which obviously isn’t possible even if the temperature wasn’t -10 C. I really envy the owners of all the plain bays in the barn!
How do others with pigmentally challenged horses manage at this time of the year? It’s at least 3 months from bathing season up here!
Sorry, I’ve got a chestnut! 
However, I thought most of the waterless shampoos were rinse-free? These ones all say that in the description:
Absorbine: http://greenhawk.com/wdItemDesc.asp?strilhID=Web&strmdNumber=DOG5081&stricSKU=DOG5081
Cowboy Magic: http://greenhawk.com/wdItemDesc.asp?strilhID=Web&strmdNumber=STS9620&stricSKU=STS9620
Vetrolin: http://greenhawk.com/wdItemDesc.asp?strilhID=Web&strmdNumber=STS9665&stricSKU=STS9665
Miracle Coat: http://greenhawk.com/wdItemDesc.asp?strilhID=Web&strmdNumber=STS9664&stricSKU=STS9664
Hopefully one of these can help you. Greys seem to be born with a desire to be another colour!
Groomer Goop. It’s works wonders on stained horses.
I also do a hot towel bath on winter. Boil a kettle of water and soak towels. Wring out and rub hot towel all over the horse.
Years ago, when I had a grey, I used alcohol to remover stains. It worked very well. I imagine it could be a bit drying used frequently but as a “spot remover” it was pretty good. I do admit I am wondering how you manage though without running water in your barn?
BO has LARGE insulated water barrel in the barn, filled from a tank brought down from the house by the tractor. Barn stays warm enough overnight with the horses in that water doesn’t freeze. In the summer the tank is filled from the stream. Hard to get a well in the area, and anyway, off the grid a pump takes a lot of fuel. Wouldn’t work for a large place, obviously, but small barn is OK.
BO has LARGE insulated water barrel in the barn, filled from a tank brought down from the house by the tractor. Barn stays warm enough overnight with the horses in that water doesn’t freeze. In the summer the tank is filled from the stream. Hard to get a well in the area, and anyway, off the grid a pump takes a lot of fuel. Wouldn’t work for a large place, obviously, but small barn is OK.
i have 2 appies with white blankets. every winter those white blankets turn into tan blankets. They roll in the mud, they get totally filthy, and of course it is too cold to do anything other than brush them. So i hate the winter coats.
My colorful guy is a buckskin pinto. So he just gets more buckskin over the winter;)
Breeders need to strive for coat colorings that match the native earth tones.
When I had a grey in Montana, I just tolerated having a pale buckskin from October through April or May.
Close your eyes and wait 'til spring.
Electrogroom vacuums are your friend.
[QUOTE=Trakehner;9027823]
Electrogroom vacuums are your friend.[/QUOTE]
Sounds like there is no electric at the barn. Which makes even hot toweling difficult.
Sounds like a new innovation in grooming is needed!
I feel your pain. My grey wants to be a paint when he grows up. I groom him before every ride but it looks much better when I groom him again afterwards. I guess the exercise opens up his pores or something as he warms up. But I just can’t get the brown tinge off his cheeks. Sigh.
I have a mostly white Paint who loves to be dirty and has a long winter coat. I never had much luck with the stain removers either. The only hope for him in winter is lots and lots of ShowSheen, LaserSheen, or “Sheen” spray of your choice. Obviously you’ll want to avoid the saddle/girth area! But I spray him liberally every chance I get and really saturate the stained areas and scrub on them. Usually after the spray dries in the stubborn areas, I can scrub on the dry hair a bit more and most of the stain will come out. Once they get a good “Showsheen Forcefield” going, as I like to call it, you’ll find that the stains don’t stick as well so their efforts to stay dirty aren’t as successful… I know some people don’t like those kinds of sprays and say they dry out the hair but I’ve never had that problem. Double bonus is that static electricity is much less of a problem.
How about this stuff?
(joking!)
Haul her out to a barn that has hot water, and pay a minimal fee? I could not keep my horse clean without warm water.
I had a grey for over 26 years and learned to lower my standards. We didn’t show, but I made sure to get out any crunchy manure/urine stains. Other than that, he got groomed and occasionally I used Cowboy Magic Green Spot remover.
I have a buckskin, so luckily his legs are naturally dark but I keep the rest of him clean by keeping him covered as much as I can - blanket with a hood. His face and legs are pretty much a write-off until spring. We have electricity and hot water at my barn but it just seems so pointless to try to keep those areas clean. I just curry off what I can before I ride.
My mare is white with spots, my daughters horse is more gray with spots. They are both sporting dried mud patches and the brown tinge on 99% of their bodies.
Once shedding starts it is wonderful and they look great.
