Most horses probably don't think such a wash is necessary at all. Mud on their coat protects them from insects and the natural, greasy layer protects the skin from cold and rain. So don't wash your horse too often.
Safety first
Make sure that the environment where you are going to wash your horse is safe; lots of space and no sharp obstacles nearby. Not all horses are equally fond of washing. So if your horse wants to run away, it's important that he can't get hurt. Also, if there is enough space around your horse, you can walk around and possibly jump to the side if your horse gets restless.
Also pay attention to the surface on which you are going to wash your horse. Some floors can become very slippery when they are wet. A concrete surface that doesn’t have a profile can become very slippery.
Is it the first time you are going to wash your horse? Then it may be wise to ask someone to help you, for example to hold your horse, and of course it's great fun!
Let’s get the party started!
Have you found the right place to wash your horse? Then you can start washing. First wet your horse's legs and then work through the shoulders to the neck and neck and from there to the back, flanks and butt of your horse. You can do this with a
sponge or the water hose. When you have arrived at the head, make it carefully wet and make sure that no water gets into the eyes and ears.
After wetting your horse, it is time to soap him with a
shampoo. It is useful to use a sponge or
shampoo brush. After the shampoo has been able to absorb for a while, you rinse it.
The afterparty
It is important to rinse out the shampoo thoroughly. If there are leftovers of shampoo, this can start to itch and cause irritation. After you have rinsed the shampoo well, your horse is of course still very wet. To make him dry, first use a
shedding blade to remove most of the water. After that you can still dry your horse by hand. This depends on the weather. In warm weather this will not always be necessary. After using the shedding blade, you can also put your horse in draught-proof stable, possibly with a cooler.
The right shampoo?
There are really many different shampoos available to wash your horse with, so which one should you choose? Does your horse have red and sensitive skin and / or suffer from dandruff? Then you can choose Derma Shampoo. This shampoo has a cleansing and soothing effect and is also very suitable for horses that suffer from dry and irritated skin in the summer. Tea Tree Shampoo is a powerful shampoo with tea tree oil and also suitable for horses with restless or sensitive skin and dandruff.
Horses with dry or sensitive skin will like the
Blue Shampoo. This is a mild shampoo with a moisturizing effect and does not affect the natural protective layer of the coat and skin of your horse.
There are also special shampoos for the black beauty's and white pearls to get them nice and black or white again. The names say it all,
Black Horse Shampoo is ideal for black horses.