Bathing your horse

I'm going to be showing BIG this year in western and English, and I LOVE bathing my horse. And I think he likes it to! :) But how do I make sure that he is COMPLETELY clean and that there are no bubbles. So basically how do I properly bath him? ( I didn't know where else to put this post)

Thanks

Warm water from a hose rinses way better than cold water. I use a rubber sweat scraper as I am rinsing off the shampoo, I don`t stop til the water coming off him is clear.

Like waresbear said, make sure the water is clear of suds.
Also, when you rinse off one side of a horse, make sure you go back and re-rinse the other side because the suds from the first side will spray over to the other side. I read in a book one time that when you firmly pet the coat, you should hear it squeak a little bit.

Just be warned, and you probably know this. Don't bathe your horse too often, even if you show a lot. It really dulls the coat. Usually if I have a show two weekends in a row, I only bathe once, and keep him covered with a fly sheet when he's in the pasture. Hosing him off with water won't dull his coat, but putting any soap in his coat will. Unless the horse is muddy or stained, don't wash him again if the shows are close. A quick hosing is usually enough.

I don't show but I LOVE to bathe my guys however I try to resist and not do it too often. Instead what I do is just rinse them from head to with a water hose just like I would if I was bathing them. You can use white vinegar if their are any spots that are really bugging you that you want to clean but not use shampoo. If any of the vinegar is left on them it will not hurt their skin or coat.

What is a bath, lol.............

I use ACV, Heinz, a good splash in clean bucket of warm water and use that to sponge over body after rinsing. That cuts any residue/bubbles of soap.

And makes coat shiny.

My horse is a mostly white palomino paint, and I have found that just hosing him off with a good sprayer will get most of the dirt off. I do shampoo his mane and tail (especially the tail bone) to be able to scrub the skin at the hair base. Legs always seem to have to be scrubbed too because he has almost all white legs, but be careful using too much pressure when washing legs. Delicate things, those legs, lol.

If you're horse is a bay/chestnut or any darker colour you might think about using a shop vac and vacuum him before a show. If I am showing back to back weeks I will do one really good bath, hose her off after each ride and then I will vacuum her the day before the show to pick up and dust, scrub her socks and just before I head into the show ring I will put baby powder on them to make them whiter.

Oddly enough a lot of horses actually enjoy being vacuumed. I think its almost like a massage to their fascia as it goes. My old gelding used to lean into it and fall asleep lol.