Bathing is a ritual for some horse owners. As soon as the warmer temperatures arrive the water hose is pulled out as well as the apple scented shampoo. There’s nothing better than a squeaky clean equine and you want your horses to look good don’t you?
Many older horsemen are anti-bathing, as they believe it kills off the bacteria that naturally reside on the horse’s skin. This may have been true in the past when people would use their regular human shampoo on their horses and before the days of specially formulated shampoo. Your shampoo selection should be designed for how often you plan on bathing. If you are showing your horse will probably be seeing a lot of the water horse this year, so you need a shampoo that will replenish the oils in your horse’s skin.
It is also very important that use a shampoo that is specially formulated for horses. Absorbine is very popular in the grooming industry and Cowboy Magic offers a good product as well. The more baths your horse will be receiving, the gentler the shampoo should be. These shampoos are pH balanced for your horse and many could be used on a daily basis without harming your horse. Keep in mind when bathing that even a mild shampoo will cause some stripping of the natural oils. These can be replenished with a conditioner that balances oils and also balances the bacteria.
Water is not good for hooves. Painting the walls, soles and heels of your horse’s feet with ISP Ointment will seal the hooves and protect them from absorbing water and then drying out. This process of wet and dry will cause the horse to turn brittle, especially if you are located in a hot climate. Petroleum jelly also works well for protecting hooves as well.
If you have a horse that suffers from dry skin, a bath may cause them to feel a little itchy. Baby powder will help sensitive skin feel more comfortable. You can also use aloe-vera lotion or baby lotion to soothe dry skin. If you do use lotions, consider wrapping dry legs in bandages so that the shavings, dirt or sand won’t stick to them.