Argh... it's that time of year again, when it's too cold to bathe, but sure enough, Harley has laid in his poop/urine all night and has a bunch of yellow stains on his grey coat. Are there any "dry" shampoos that can help? Any other tricks you can think of? I don't normally blanket until we hit the REALLY cold weather because I like them to toughen up and grow a good coat. If I blanket them when the temperatures aren't even below freezing, what am I going to put on them when it's -20? That said, I may have to resort to a stable sheet at night if I can't keep him clean. We don't show in the winter, but I just hate how dirty he looks all the time.
A stable sheet really does keep them a lot cleaner, and it doesn't add much warmth at all. We have the one from Schneider's and it's sooo lightweight and only like $50. I have another sheet from Smartpak but it's a lot heavier even though it's still called a stable sheet.
When we leased the mostly white paint, I found that I could get a lot of stains off by vigorous brushing, but it took SO long.
Yup, I'm thinking this is the only way to avoid most stains in the first place. Just posted a question about the best stable blankets in the "Horse tack" forum.
Still, a dry shampoo would be useful for the belly and legs so if anyone knows of one that actually works (ie, that you've used personally), please comment!
We have a stable sheet for Harley, but I hate it. It's made of nylon and has no give. If he's going to lay down with it, it should have a little give. Maybe I need something with gussets?
I had pretty good luck with Absorbine's Miracle Groom Bath in a Bottle. But believe it or not- I went to baby wipes most of the time. They are cheap and their main purpose is to get rid of you-know-what.
I have a loud patterned paint horse and he invariably gets grass, pee, and poo stains. A very inexpensive solution is green rubbing alcohol. I don't know why it works or why it has to be the green... but it does! It is one of those handy little horse tricks I have picked up a long the way.
Just went out to check on the horses. Harley must have been reading my mind and rolled in the mud just to spite me. Mud from head to tail - both sides! all the way up his neck and on his cheeks!
Honestly though, mud comes off with enough grooming. Manure and urine, on the other hand, do not.
Just went out to check on the horses. Harley must have been reading my mind and rolled in the mud just to spite me. Mud from head to tail - both sides! all the way up his neck and on his cheeks!
Honestly though, mud comes off with enough grooming. Manure and urine, on the other hand, do not.
I'm liking this because my mare is the only one of 12 in the herd that will roll completely in the mud and look like she went swimming in it. In her mane, on her halter, all over her face. All the horses will be clean but her. She can find the one and only mudhole in the pasture.
They do indeed ship to Canada. But it's going to cost me about 50$. Going to check local tack shops first. They probably won't have the product cheaper, but at least I can bring some home right away. Otherwise, will have to order on line and bite the bullet on the price.
Good to know. If I have to, I'll pay the 40$ for it. Harley is absolutely filthy today. Will try to get a pic. You won't recognize him. My daughter and I agree we should just start calling him a sooty dun.
LOL! Since I have a barn full of the light colored horses with a Cremello, Palomino, 4 Pinto/Paints, and a couple of chestnuts with LOTS of chrome on them, I know all about how filthy they can get. I call the Cremello either Stinky Pinky or Pig Pen depending on what he's rolled in.
It's slightly off topic, but I just wanted to chime in on the baby wipes. I started using them on the horses a couple years ago and now I couldn't do without them.
In the summer I use them for applying fly spray around their eyes. In the winter I use them for sheath, udder and under-the-tail touch ups. Plus, sometimes your hands get gunky when doing those types of things and I use them for my hands too.
They are super handy around horses and now are an essential part of my grooming box. :grin:
It's slightly off topic, but I just wanted to chime in on the baby wipes. I started using them on the horses a couple years ago and now I couldn't do without them.
. :grin:
I tried cornstarch and was brushing it out of his coat for days after. The stuff is just too fine and Harley's coat is so thick. Might work on a summer coat, but it was a mess when I tried it on him. Too bad, that would have been a cheaper solution!
Oh no Whinnie, definitely not alone. Isabel will make sure to rub her face all in the mud so it's caked in her eyelids.
She's bay, so I don't have to deal with coat stains. I think if she was a lighter color I'd just curry them out as best I could, and otherwise they'd be with her until the summer. No baths here in New Hampshire over the winter. We had our first inch of snow here last night!
Hahaha... that reminds me I need to brush Kodak! Harley looks worse but Kodak's beautiful bay coat is starting to look pretty dusty!
Last winter our BO let the horses use the indoor as a turnout shelter. Sounds like a good idea in theory, but far too dusty for Harley, full of pigeons, and man, that sand could make a mess on his coat! I always knew where he rolled during shedding season because there'd be a mess of white hairs left behind!
Well it's not as bad as it looks...just sand/lime(whatever the indoor footing is) and it brushed right off. Pee stains are way worse! I just thought it was funny that he rolled while all sweaty and then didn't shake when he stood up!
Yes, that dust usually comes right off... Unless of course you just gave them a bath and made the newbie mistake of turning them out wet. THAT will lead to immediate and semi-permanent stains, guaranteed! I once bathed Harley before a show and after a few minutes in turnout, I actually had to hose him down again. Harley: 1, me: 0. Lesson learned.
White horses might show spots here and there, but OMG! Just got my first BLACK horse this year and he's IMPOSSIBLE to keep clean. Of course, he also has to wallow in any mud he can find. I wash him, let him dry, rub my hand across his coat and.... dust. GAH!
I have decided my favorite color on a horse, at least here in red-clay-Alabama, is buckskin/grulla. My mare is the same color, clean or dirty! LOL.
LOL, well, if they're anything like cars, that totally makes sense. I used to have a black car and it was IMPOSSIBLE to keep clean. Mind you, I live in a cold climate where salt is sprayed on the roads all winter long, so my black car was almost never black. I now drive a white car, and while I hesitated to buy it, it's WAY easier to keep clean than my black car was!
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