This seems to be a hot topic right now. Here’s a PM that I sent to LadyB and others in the past week or so about how I (try) to keep my grey clean in winter…
Random Order:
Something that took me way too long to figure out, but is quite amazing is that body clipping REALLY helps–even with manure stains.
You also have to stay on top of the stains, or they will set (especially if yours, like mine, enjoys sleeping in her poop). I rotate between a few different “dry shampoos” that are actually in spray bottles: Miracle Groom is kind of amazing for stains that show up overnight before shows or other public appearances (https://www.statelinetack.com/item/a...oom/SLT052894/), Miracle Coat is also pretty good, but on the expensive side (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/…?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I find that Shapely’s Easy Out is cheaper and works well on smaller, less ground in spots (https://smile.amazon.com/Shapleys-Ea...eleys+easy+out), but, truly, the best product I have found for spot removal is Bio Groom Quick Clean–also expensive and you have to scrub it in and let it sit for a few minutes, but it’s kind of incredible (https://smile.amazon.com/Bio-Groom-Q...io+groom+horse) I have used the Cowboy Magic Green Spot remover and find it to be very sudsy and not any better than anything else.
I’ve also had decent luck with plain old white vinegar in a spray bottle, but you have to not care about your horse smelling like a salad. I have wondered about vinegar in a hot toweling situation, but have not actually tried it.
For her tail (which is all white now), I use Healthy HairCare (https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/he...oisturizer-233) sprayed in just about every time I ride. It’s a conditioner and a good detangler and it also coats the hair shaft so I find that dirt sticks to it and washes out easier. When bathing, I do her tail in three steps: first with just regular shampoo to get the gunk out, then with Cowboy Magic Yellow Out, which I let sit while I wash and rinse her body, then with Quicksliver or another bluing shampoo while I scrub and rinse her socks. None of the three alone seem to do the job, but together it’s good enough for the show ring.
For REALLY stubborn stains, I sometimes mix a small amount of peroxide with baking soda and Quicksliver to make a paste and then let it sit for a while. This works well on things like leather dye that has bled from a rainy day, for example (she had a pink face after one particularly rainy fox hunt last season!).
Baby wipes are great, too. I’m not sure what is in those things, but they really can pull a grass stain!
I also just discovered that Dawn dish soap is pretty amazing–though I don’t know that I would use it on her whole body. She gets oil in her feed and consequently gets gunky under her chin–the only thing that will touch it is Dawn and I used some the other night in a dim barn aisle and came back the next day to find that part of her head sparkling white!
The best medicine I have, though, is regular elbow grease. I am struggling right now with a huge pee stain on her hind leg because I was away for a few days at the holidays and it set–pretty sure it’s going to be green until spring.
I did buy a Centaur brand sheet that is REALLY great for keeping her clean in the stall before a show, etc. It’s nylon and about the weight of a human windbreaker, but I can’t seem to find a link to it online right now. The nylon repels liquid, though, so the manure and pee do not seep through like the would in a cotton sheet. It’s much lighter weight than a t/o sheet, so I do not feel bad about putting her in it in warm weather. If i can find a link, I will share it.
