Stable Skills: Horse Bathing
Get your pony squeaky clean in 10 easy steps.
Giving your horse a bath might seem like a simple task, but there is definitely an art and a science to doing a good job. Read on to find out the tips and tricks that pro grooms use. When I was a professional groom, I learned a ton by readying four horses for shows every weekend. (Hint: the gray horse took at least twice as much effort as the bays and chestnuts!)
STEP 1: Gather all of your bathing materials together. You will need: a bucket, sponge, rag, grooming gloves or bath mitt, shampoo, conditioner, sweat scraper, comb and a towel. If your horse is gray or has lots of white markings, invest in a separate whitening shampoo.
STEP 2: Heated water will make all the difference in your horse’s cleanliness and comfort, if available. Spray him from neck to hooves with warm water to thoroughly wet him down. Dunk your sponge into a large bucket
of warm water, lightly wring it out, put about a tablespoon of shampoo on it, and get the suds going. Rub the sponge all over your horse, adding more shampoo and water as necessary.
STEP 3: Use your grooming glove or bath mitt to scrub the shampoo down to the skin; switch to whitening shampoo on the white markings and areas (and let those sit a little longer).
STEP 4: Rub some shampoo between your hands and work it into the crest of the mane and the tailbone.
STEP 5: The rinse is the most important step. Using warm water on the highest pressure stream your horse will comfortably tolerate, start at the top of his neck and go with the hair direction down his back and legs. Make sure to use your fingers on his mane and tailbone to get all the residue out. Repeat your rinse to get all the way down to the skin until no suds remain.
STEP 6: Run your sweat scraper from head to toe to squeeze the water out of the hair.
STEP 7: Massage conditioner into the mane and tail; re-suds the white areas and markings and let the soap sit for a few minutes if they still look yellowor green-stained.
STEP 8: Use a sponge or rag to wet down your horse’s face. Don’t spray it with the hose! Suds up your sponge and gently massage his face, paying extra attention to white markings. Avoid the eye area.
STEP 9: Dunk a clean sponge or rag into water, wring a little water out, and wipe down the face a few times until no soap remains.
STEP 10: Rinse conditioner and remaining whitening shampoo off; follow up with the sweat scraper. Rub with a dry towel to get more water off if it’s cold or your horse has long winter hair. Carefully comb out his mane and tail.
That’s it! Now graze your horse in the sun until he’s dry so he doesn’t immediately roll and undo all of your work. Put a sheet on him if he lives in a stall, especially if you want him to stay extra-clean for an upcoming show.
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et ready for summer at the stables with these watermelon and horsey soaps. Clean hands are definitely on trend right now, so what better way to suds up than by making your own soap at home?
Watermelon Soap:
Step 1: Cut up the clear soap into small squares and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir with a wooden stick, and continue to heat in 10-second increments until fully melted. Be careful since the soap can bubble over and is very hot when melted!
Step 2: Quickly stir in red soap coloring. If you want your soap to be more pink, add less coloring. If you want it more red, add more. Add in black sesame seeds and watermelon fragrance (optional) and stir. Then pour into cylinder molds, filling about 3/4 full.
Step 3: Spray with rubbing alcohol to prevent bubbles from forming. Let sit for about 10-15 minutes or until hardened.
Step 4: Repeat step 1 with white soap, then pour a thin layer on top of the watermelon layer (red) and spray with rubbing alcohol. Let sit for 10-15 minutes or until hardened.
Step 5: Repeat step 1, this time adding in green soap coloring (or you can mix blue and yellow) until you get the desired color. Pour a thin layer on top of the white layer. Spray with rubbing alcohol and let sit for 10-15 minutes or until hardened.
Step 6: Once hardened, remove the soap from the mold, carefully pushing from the bottom.
Step 7:
Now you’re all set to wash your hands in style!
Horsey Soap:
Melt white or clear soap and then add in brown coloring. Carefully pour into your horse mold and spray with rubbing alcohol. Let sit a few minutes, or until hard, and then carefully remove from the mold by applying gentle pressure from the back.
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