Tips to Help You Give Your Horse a Bath

Horses require a big investment of time, effort and money but for the horse lover, there is no bottom line more important than the warm feeling inside your heart when your own horse calls to you and rubs her head on your shoulder as you stand next to her. I have owned several horses in my lifetime and each one was special in his or her own way. I spent a lot of time with each of the horses I once owned and giving them a bath was just one of many tasks I was more than happy to do. I was fortunate that I never had a problem giving any of my horses a bath. But I did read what information I could find about the proper bathing techniques for giving a horse a bath and then I used what I wanted and used my own common sense and used the knowledge I had of my own horses' temperaments to get the job done.

I have searched the Internet for information and tips on giving a horse a bath. Most of the information is basically the same; tie your horse, brush your horse first before giving him a bath, hose the horses' legs to get him used to the water, remove the excess water with a sweat scraper, put on a lightweight fly sheet and walk him until he is dry. These are all good tips for bathing a horse so let's just start with this information and expand a little in explanation.

Tie your horse before you give him a bath. I'm not sure this is always a good idea. Most of the horses I once owned would ground tie, meaning they would stand still when I dropped the lead rope and not move from the spot I put them. One horse I had, my first in fact, a mare that I got when I was thirteen, could not be tied to anything. She would panic and break her halter or whatever she was tied to trying to get away. So I didn't tie her, I didn't need to. She stayed in one place and that included for bath time too. The other horses I owned could be tied to a fence and they didn't cause any problems at bath time. So you need to know what your horse is capable of before it's time for a bath. Ask yourself a few questions; can you tie your horse and how will he act when water touches him? That's why it is so important to get to know your horse very well. Not only will this enhance your relationship with your horse but you will almost be able to predict how your horse will act in certain situations.

Brush your horse first before giving him a bath. I never followed this particular horse bathing tip. You are going to give your horse a bath and the dirt will come off then. In all the years I had a horse, and at one time or another in my lifetime I've had nine horses, I never brushed them before giving them a bath. 'The job of giving your horse a bath will be much cleaner if you brush him first." I wonder if the person who said those words has ever given a horse a bath because there is NOTHING clean about it! Not only is it a lot of work but you are going to get wet and dirty, no matter how careful you are. Giving your horse a bath can be a lot of fun but if you are doing it right, you will not be clean or dry when you are finished. I brushed my horses before I rode them, not before I bathed them. Before saddling your horse for a ride, you will need to brush (or groom) your horse to make sure there is no dirt or debris under your saddle blanket that will cause your horse pain or sores. I seriously question the idea of brushing your horse before a bath so I leave it to you to make the decision that is right for you.

Hose your horses' legs down to get him used to the water before putting water on the rest of his body. I believe this is the most important tip to remember. Horses get startled easily so you don't want to just grab a hose and start spraying water on him. Either you or your horse could get hurt if you do. Always remember to move slowly and talk to your horse as you move around. If you step behind your horse, make sure to keep your hand on his body as you go so he will know where you are and not get startled and kick you. Horses are big and the potential to get hurt is always there. Be aware of your surroundings but pay close attention to your horse. This is where knowing your horse, from spending so much time with him is so important, you'll be able to tell what your horse is feeling and hopefully you will be able to calm him before there is a major problem. Plus, if your horse is hot from being ridden, keep the hose on his legs for quite a while before rinsing his body because you can make your horse sick if you aren't careful.

Remove the excess bath water with a sweat scraper. A sweat scraper is an important grooming tool to have in your horse care kit. It's exactly what it sounds like too; either a plastic or metal strip that scrapes the sweat (or bath water) off your horse. They are one of the few inexpensive items you will find you need for your horse. Dover Saddlery has a selection of sweat scrapers ranging in price from $1.69 to $7.90 here. When using a sweat scraper you will need to be careful not to hurt your horse and avoid using it on your horses' bony body parts such as his legs for example.

Put a lightweight fly sheet on your horse and walk him until he is dry. This is another one of the horse bathing tips that I never followed. The only time I ever gave my horses a bath was in the summer when it was at least ninety degrees. Once I gave my horse a bath, he or she was dry in no time at all. I believe that an important tip to remember is not to give your horse a bath unless the weather is warm (or hot). If you absolutely must dry your horse because you don't want to wait for him to dry, use old bath towels to dry him. You don't need to invest in an expensive fly sheet to take good care of your horse.

You will need some type of soap to wash your horse. You don't have to buy specially-made horse soap if you don't want, a mild people shampoo will work. I used to use Mane 'N Tail shampoo and conditioner or Orvus Paste Shampoo when I gave my horses' a bath and they worked well. You can check them out here. You will need to rinse the soap out of your horses' coat carefully or it can irritate his skin. Be careful when bathing your horses' head because some horses will object to having water on their faces. You can use sponges or mitts made for horses such as the selection at Dover Saddlery for bathing your horse or you can use old washcloths, towels, and even pieces of old t-shirts. There is no rule that says you must buy official horse supplies to take care of your horse.

When you are bathing your horse, check him carefully for any wounds. Since you will be washing your horses' body, you are in the perfect position to look for any cuts or scrapes that your horse may have. This is a tip that I find important so you can catch any injuries to your horse before they become infected. Once I borrowed a friends' horse and gave him a bath afterwards and found that my cinch had rubbed a spot raw in a fold of his skin. I took care of it but it did raise my awareness of how important it is to check your horse for wounds on a regular basis.

When I had horses, they lived in our backyard where we set up corrals for them to live and this is where I learned how to give my horse a bath. Your situation may be completely different. But the basic tips for giving your horse a bath will still work in almost any situation. If you have a horse that gives you trouble at bath time, then you will need to handle things differently. There is an article "KBR Horse Training Information" that gives some tips for horses who have problems when it's time for a bath.

Once you've given your horse a bath, you will find yourself tired but happy and your horse will be beautiful and shiny clean. Now it's time for YOU to go take a bath and rinse off all that dirt and mud from your horses' bath.