Washing A Horse
your horse, this is just as necessary. Some horses enjoy being bathed, but others find it a bit stressful. Horse washing can be quite hard work, especially
if you have a horse that hates being bathed. However, on a hot day with a horse that enjoys water, there are few things more fun!
You will need:
a) A bucket of warm (not hot) water
b) A sweat scraper
c) A sponge
d) Horse shampoo
1. Firstly, as with grooming, you need to assess how dirty your horse is. If it is muddy, dusty and grass stained, you will need to spray your horse down with
the hosepipe first. When using a hosepipe to wash your horse, make sure the water is on a gentle flow and avoid the horses head.
2. Once you have sprayed down your horse, take up the bucket full of the warm water and horse shampoo. Dunk the sponge
into the bucket until it has soaked up as much water as possible. Then, start rubbing the sponge all over the horses
coat, including the mane, legs and head (watch out for the horses eyes!).
3. After you have finished soaping your horse, use the sweat scraper to pull off all the excess shampoo. You must follow
the lines of the horses hairs when you do this, just like when youre grooming. If you do not have a sweat scraper handy, you
can use the side of your hand. Do not use the sweat scraper on the horses head.
4. Then, once youve scraped your horse, take the hosepipe and begin gently rinsing your horses coat. Do not rinse out your
horses mane just yet.
5. After rinsing your horse, take the mane comb and brush through its mane. Once you are done this, you can also take the bucket
full of the water and shampoo and put your horses tail in it. Hold the bucket up there for a few seconds for the water to clean
its tail before you remove it.
6. Now for one final rinse. Wash out your horses mane and tail with the hosepipe. After you have done this, your horse is
washed! But one last thing, if it is a warm day, your horse will dry naturally. However, if it is a cold day, you should put
the anti-sweat sheet on your horse and walk it around for several minutes to help it dry.