Bath time ????

When is the best time of day to bath a horse, or does it matter ? How often should it be done?

It depends. ;) I usually bathe the horse once a month. When showing then you should bathe more often.

As for time of day, it depends on the weather. I usually wait until the sun's pretty close overhead, because that way I know it's not too cold for him to get bathed.
Just remember, if you plan on using a bucket of water, to let it sit in the sun for awhile, so it won't be as much of a shock to your horse.

I would only bathe if it's fairly warm and sunny, that said...I've only bathed and shampooed Arrow once in the year and a half that I've owned him. I do use a water and sponge to get rid of the sweat marks after rides in the summer, though.

I usually bathe my horse once a week bcuz he's a dirt ball and likes to roll in the mud but more than once a week unless you show is a bit too much
I usually do it about mid afternoon when its hot so he dries faster lol and so I know the water feels good instead of him getting to cold

Yeah, if it's hot I usually sponge off/rinse off with the cold hose. ;)

The time of day really doesnt matter as long as its warm enough. In summertime where I live its sweltering hot 2 minutes after the sun starts to rise. Well its hot before that too but once the sun starts coming up it gets real hot real quick. During this kind of weather I wash them whenever I feel like it during the day as long as its warm. The water usually comes out of the hose warm anyways when its that hot.

In winter time, especially american winters, I wouldnt wash them at all unless you are set up inside with warm water etc which I suppose most show people would.

During summer my guys get a hose down regularly to cool them off and then a proper bath every 2-3 weeks

I don't think it really matters as long as it's warm outside and the water's not too cold. I rinse my horse after every ride and shampoo around once a week or every other unless there's a show.

Batheing too often gets rid of all of the natural oils in the coat and can make it uncomfortable/dry out the hair/skin. Remember horses arent bathed in the wild. I only bathe once every three or four months if that basically when she's just incredibly filthy. Grooming is normally enough, or a bucket a sponge for wet mud

I usually always rise her off inthe summer to get marks off from the saddle. If it is for a show I will use soap and scrub. If it is a litttle on the cool side out I will through a cooler on her to absorb all of the water and I will throw a little heavier blanket on. But that doesnt happen too much since I usually stop showing for the year in september-early october. The winter is WAY too cold for washing and I don't have good indoor facilities to do so. But she is always rolling around in clean snow