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Squeaky Clean
The dope on soap and homemade grooming aids

    There’s no getting around it…A horse is a four-legged dirt magnet. To
    keep him looking well groomed and not carrying around more than his
    fair share of his surroundings, an occasional bath is a necessity.

    Some horse owners find themselves spending more on horse grooming
    aids than they do on their personal hair-care products. Others, trying to
    save money, use detergents meant for dishes, cars, or the laundry.
    Neither is a good idea.

    Equine skin is more sensitive than human skin, and that has to be kept in
    mind when selecting a shampoo. A low-sudsing product such as baby
    shampoo ca be safely used, but in most cases it’s best to stick to
    formulas created especially for horses.

     Manufacturers, observing trends in the market in human shampoos, have
    moved toward creating shampoos for horses that contain essential oils
    and other “natural” ingredients. The rise in interest in antibacterial soap
    for humans has led to antibacterial ingredients in products for horses.
    Spray soap for humans led to spray soap for horses.

     With all the options, it’s easy to become confused when trying to decide
    which product to purchase. And it’s easy to get caught up in the latest
    marketing strategies touting the wonders of green tea or giving the same
    old ingredients an exotic new brand name, like Sparkling Equine
    Aromatherapy Shampoo with Essence of Watermelon and Avocado.

    Ignoring the hype, the principle feature to look for in an equine shampoo is
    that it is pH-balanced for horses and mild enough so you can shampoo
    your horse every day if you want without causing any problems. Horses
    have a delicate balance of bacteria on their skin, which needs to be
    maintained. You want to keep the horse’s skin and coat clean, yet it’s
    important not to kill the bacteria.

    Be sure to read the manufacturer’s directions carefully—some shampoos
    are far more concentrated than others. Use too much and it may cause
    major skin irritation.

    Some shampoos come with whitening agents, almost a must for light
    colored horses. If your tap water has high iron content, use filtered water,
    or follow up with a conditioner formulated for hard water systems.

    There are also color enhancing shampoos, formulated for all horse colors,
    that won’t dye or stain the hair, can be used all over the horse, and are
    great stain removers if you need your equine partner to be in show
    condition after a summer in the sun.

    One last bathing tip: it’s a good idea to apply a silicone sheen spray after
    you give your horse a bath—that way less dirt will stick when he takes his
    customary after-bath roll.

And some homemade grooming aids:

    *Stains on white parts, including manes and tails, can be removed by
    lathering them with water and a bar of glycerine soap—the kind used for
    cleaning tack.

*To remove a stain, apply the white vinegar directly to the stain. It can
also be used to detangle manes and tails.

    *White vinegar is a wonderful cleaner, but it’s also a useful fly repellant.
    To save money on fly sprays during the summer, dilute three parts of your
    favorite fly spray with one part distilled white vinegar. Be sure to shake
    the bottle to remix the solution each time you use it.