Winter grooming tips?

HI! I was just wondering if anyone has any great winter grooming tips. I am at a barn which does not have hot water (though, it has a beautiful open arena, big stalls, wide aisle ways, ample turn out, super hay, and good people, so I am not complaining:) I can only bathe the horses in summer months. Does anyone have advice on how to "virtually" bathe your horse? I have heard of hot toweling before - does anyone do this? Do share

Well, how cold is it there currently? This only works if its not freezing out. If you have a black bucket, (or three or four) fill them up with as lukewarm of water as you can possibly get and then set them out in the sun. Go to work with your horse....when you come back you'll have warm water to work with!

If thats not an option, first curry your horse to get the best part of the muck off, then use this:



just follow the directions on the bottle....it works pretty well!

For winter grooming we just curry and keep bridle paths clipped and occassionally brush out manes and tails. I am a huge believer in not overbrushing and braiding tails. The best thing you can do is leave them a lone. Show horses get the top of their tails sprayed with olive oil spray a couple times per week to keep them from rubbing

What i do when its to cold to bathe my horse in the winter time but he his coat has lots and lots of dust is....I spray him down with Showsheen and then i take a clean rag and rub him down aginst the grain of the hair....works everytime :)

There is a technique called hot toweling: I have never used it, but if you are interested here is the method: Winter Bathing

Honestly, I don't think I even own that many towels

aynelson, i am in the same exact position as you!

for the most part, im not "too" worried. I plan on currying and brushing with a really stiff brush from most of the winter, and not worrying about Sonny before perfectly clean. Since his face is white and gets dirty easily, i have baby whipes that i am going to use on his face, and in fact can be used anywhere on the body. And they don't require hot water :). I might end up buying a cleaning product to spray on him, but thats only if he gets really bad.

This is probably a stupid question. But how do everyone's horses get so dirty in the winter? That's when mine are the cleanest. They roll in the snow instead of mud... Just curious.

Sorry I don't have any good suggestions... unless you just take him out to a snowy field and let him go to town.

No matter the season corn-starch is a great natural way to loosen dirt. It works best if it has time to set in though, so it won't work very well if you're grooming in a rush.

Also a good tip (not bating, but grooming) is to rub a bit baby powder into the horses back or onto the saddle pad and under the girth area, it really helps to keep them dry. It also works afterward to help absorb sweat, but remember, a little goes a long way so be sure to brush through with a dandy to get rid of any excess.

corn-starch? i have never heard of doing that before! how do you use it?

i use a sponge and some warm water, and a rubber curry comb and a lot of elbow grease, but usually i would like to keep them dirty