Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's cleaning a horse after rides

Ironbender would you enlighten us on your technique?

Mine are self cleaning, they roll in the dirt.

. Mules are even worse. The surest way to get horse or mule to roll is to give it a bath.

I try to spray off after every ride. Spray when still sweaty and they clean up real well. I also leave them tied a good while then then out for the night. Letting them dry cuts down on the rolling. Cuts down not eliminate.

If there wasn't something normal about rolling in the dirt, the horse wouldn't do that. Best thing is to never run them back to the stable, walk them and they can cool down. It also helps keep them from thinking they should ran back to the barn.

Oat them with a few rolled oats while you unsaddle them and curry and comb them before you turn them loose. They will roll, there is no stopping that, but walking them in, oats and combing them is a must...

Depends how sweaty they are. Quick spray down, scrape and brush. Slick coat so they dry fast. Check their feet. Today paid extra attention to ticks. Pulled 5 off of me.

Dan is trolling!

My wife sent a short video of me power washing my horse after a ride.

I like to think that not much bothers him except for reindeer.

Clinic coming up that may highlight other worries he may have.

I need to figure how to get it from an iPhone to Photobucket to post.

My llamas are even worse than the mules because of their fleece. What a mess!

You don't want to be hosing a horse down all over it's body, with cold water if it is over heated.

With my phone, I need to email it from the phone to myself. Once it's on my computer, I can save it then move it to photobucket. It works with both photos and videos.

Always after they have cooled down.

After light riding I just turn them out and they head to their favorite wallow right off and roll. My wife on the other hand uses the scraper and brush on them for about 20 min. then turns them out. They head for their favorite wallow and roll. After long hard rides or when packing I dump a bucket of water over their backs, this was drilled into me as a kid by my Gramps. I have never had a sore backed horse so I guess it works.

The horses non reaction was what was impressive about the whole thing.

Wow you guys go through all kinds of rituals turning your horses out.

Mine get unsaddled and turned out. We just branded 250 calves that were roped and it took us several hours of gathering and sorting before that. Not one of the horses there got any of the treatments you guys are describing.

I think a lot of the thing about cleaning came from the horse show people who don't want people to think their horses sweat. A good roll will usually take off all the sweat that needs to come off.

I don't consider spraying a horse off a ritiual. I like them clean as possible for more than one reason but I don't like putting my good wool pads on dirty horses. They brush off easier when they're cleaner.

The thing about horse show people and acting like they don't sweat is stupid. I don't and haven't shown but bet it has to do with a pretty coat of hair on the uh....show horse?

My personal horses run out and get treated like livestock. I pull my customers horses out of the sun during the day spray them off and keep their hair coat nice. When asking a premium for a animal or training I try to make things look nice. I wash my truck and trailer from time to time too though so to each his own I guess.

The horses had worked up a good sweat and cooled by the time we got home. We usually wash about once per year to get them clean to the skin.

Power washing also helped to get loose hair as they are still shedding.

You can, but the excess water needs to be scraped off so it doesn't trap the heat in the body.

First thing you do for an overheated horse is unsaddle it.



The only time I ever might brush off a horse is before saddling. If they've rolled in mud or have dried 'sweat lines' from the previous day.



Rub their back with your hand before saddling up. Quick look at the underside of the pad.


No rubs equal a happy horse.