# How to keep a grey horse clean without bathing?



## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

Some people vacuum their horses. Mine is out 24/7, and there is no way he will be white again until spring. No, I take that back. A good deep snow and he rolls in the snow makes him sparkle!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

The best thing I've found for keeping a horse clean with minimal grooming is to house them on dry sand. Our soil here is VERY sandy and my gray stays sparkling when it's not muddy. The more he rolls, the more ick it scours off his coat.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

sarahfromsc said:


> Some people vacuum their horses. Mine is out 24/7, and there is no way he will be white again until spring. No, I take that back. A good deep snow and he rolls in the snow makes him sparkle!


Well, sarahfromsc, I just checked the forecast and they're calling for 15-20 cm of snow here tomorrow! Unfortunately, the ground isn't frozen so it will just melt and create a bigger mess! But it will soon cover the ground permanently.


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

Blanket


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## gingerscout (Jan 18, 2012)

baby wipes?....LOL


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## SwissMiss (Aug 1, 2014)

If he's out and about - just claim he is a very uniquely spotted pinto 

Sorry not to be of more help, but even tons of elbow grease was never enough to get them clean in muddy weather...


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## EponaLynn (Jul 16, 2013)

Google it, there is lots of info out there including:

"Ketchup! Smear it on and 'wet-wipe' it off! Sounds horrid, but works for me when no water available...."


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

sarahfromsc said:


> Some people vacuum their horses. Mine is out 24/7, and there is no way he will be white again until spring. No, I take that back. A good deep snow and he rolls in the snow makes him sparkle!


Ditto with mine.
Unless I was showing that horse, I don't worry about the horse not being sparkling clean.
If I really had to wash a horse in winter, I would haul to my local indoor arena, with wash rack and heated barn
Charlie is grey-maximum expression, ie, white !
In summer , when showing her, besides lots of time in the wash rack, Cowboy Magic is my best buddy , for removing those yellow stains that are still there in the morning, even after wearing two blankets after the bath!


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

EponaLynn said:


> Google it, there is lots of info out there including:
> 
> "Ketchup! Smear it on and 'wet-wipe' it off! Sounds horrid, but works for me when no water available...."


I did stumble onto this EponaLynn... used on a horse's tail, however, and rinsed out. Do you mean to say that you actually put straight ketchup on your horse and then wipe it off with a wet cloth? And it doesn't just make a big mess? 

I also read that apple cider vinegar works well. I'll be trying that one out. Sounds less messy than ketchup!


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## gingerscout (Jan 18, 2012)

I have a feeling if I put straight ketchup on my boys coat he will turn into a black and pink paint..LOL


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## EponaLynn (Jul 16, 2013)

Acadianartist said:


> I did stumble onto this EponaLynn... used on a horse's tail, however, and rinsed out. Do you mean to say that you actually put straight ketchup on your horse and then wipe it off with a wet cloth? And it doesn't just make a big mess?
> 
> I also read that apple cider vinegar works well. I'll be trying that one out. Sounds less messy than ketchup!


 It's only what I found on Google and have never tried it - I've always had dark horses so mess didn't show much .


If you do try it, I'd start with a small patch.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Invest in good brushes, and clean them 1x a week or 1x two weeks


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## amberly (Dec 16, 2012)

*HAHAHA*!!! Keep a grey/white horse clean without a bath??? WHOOO-EEEE that is a funny one!

Honestly, since I don't show during the winter, I just brush my horse down good. Any dirt he has embedded in him will most likely stay there until summer when I bath him in prep for summer and 4-H shows/trail rides.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Acadianartist said:


> I did stumble onto this EponaLynn... used on a horse's tail, however, and rinsed out. Do you mean to say that you actually put straight ketchup on your horse and then wipe it off with a wet cloth? And it doesn't just make a big mess?
> 
> I also read that apple cider vinegar works well. I'll be trying that one out. Sounds less messy than ketchup!



Cowboy Magic works without water, to remove stains. No mess!


Cowboy Magic Grooming Products Â» Blog Archive Horse Grooming Quick Stain Remover


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Best way of keeping him clean...convince yourself that whatever color he is, is the correct one.

Seriously unless you are showing, then just chill, make sure that he is clean where the tack goes, and that does not mean the right colour, just nothing that is going to irritate him, and call it good...life it too short. 

I did have great success getting a light color cleaned up for an early show using cornstarch brushed well in, and the shop vac to clean it off! click pic for slide show








Not seeing the link, so try this http://www.horseforum.com/horse-grooming/what-do-when-its-too-cold-119839/#post1460029 then hit the link there







http://www.horseforum.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Smilie said:


> Cowboy Magic works without water, to remove stains. No mess!
> 
> 
> Cowboy Magic Grooming Products Â» Blog Archive Horse Grooming Quick Stain Remover


Used it with only very limited success. Maybe I needed a wetter cloth to rub it with, but that's using water! And the product itself is wet. So say it's -20 Celcius, it would freeze solid on him in a matter of minutes. It's a great product, don't get me wrong, and I've had success with it before, but not with the deep grime on a winter coat. Will keep trying...


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

the best way to keep a horse clean in the winter is to shave them and blanket lol! otherwise you just have to wait until spring.


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## paigekeim (Jul 21, 2015)

I, as well, use Cowboy Magic Greenspot remover. I find it helps gradually, so if you keep using it over the course of a couple days, eventually it'll work the stain out. As for the freezing, I just dry it off with a towel really well. I also have a flea-bitten grey Arab, he generally keeps himself clean but every once in a while he gets covered in mud!


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I think our biggest problem is the bedding. The urine mixes with the wood shavings and creates this sticky, orangy substance that really sticks to his coat. Cowboy Magic, some warm water and a sponge, followed by towel drying, is the best way I've found to get him cleaner, but he's far from being as clean as he was last summer! 

We're reluctant to blanket because the temperature has not gotten very cold yet and tends to warm up quite a bit during the day. I'm not there to take the blanket on and off throughout the day. That said, I'm thinking about getting him a thin, stable sheet that he could wear at night when he lays in the shavings, especially the night before we are trailering him out for lessons. Right now, he only has a winter blanket and a cooler.


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

Miracles. Only true miracles will keep a gray horse...well, gray. Otherwise, you're chasing stains.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

SEAmom said:


> Miracles. Only true miracles will keep a gray horse...well, gray. Otherwise, you're chasing stains.


HA! Can I hope for a Xmas miracle? Or short of that, an early discovery of the stable blanket I just ordered online to keep him clean?


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## elle1959 (Sep 7, 2015)

Diva's got a blanket on and the only part of her that's a hot mess right now, dirt-wise, is her legs. I'm not going to worry about them until springtime, but at least the majority of her coat is fairly clean. The blanket should help, a lot.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Acadianartist said:


> HA! Can I hope for a Xmas miracle? Or short of that, an early discovery of the stable blanket I just ordered online to keep him clean?


That's weird, I meant to say early delivery, not "early discovery". Auto-correct? Either that or my mind is a blur with holiday shopping! 

Thanks elle - I actually probably won't blanket outside unless it starts getting really cold, but the sheet in the stall will help reduce the manure and urine stains. He makes such a mess of his stall!!!


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

One of our horses is mostly white and lives in a paddock with a walk-in barn. Needles to say, he's mostly TAN right now. We scrub off the dirt the best we can, but we don't put a ton of energy into it because he rolls ASAP when he's set free!


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## elle1959 (Sep 7, 2015)

Acadianartist said:


> That's weird, I meant to say early delivery, not "early discovery". Auto-correct? Either that or my mind is a blur with holiday shopping!
> 
> Thanks elle - I actually probably won't blanket outside unless it starts getting really cold, but the sheet in the stall will help reduce the manure and urine stains. He makes such a mess of his stall!!!


Yep, I think any kind of covering will help. I totally didn't notice the auto-correct issue. Guess my mind is similarly blurry today!


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

I should get a pic of Sky. He's glowing with clean and he's living part time in a muddy run.

Maybe I can get my brother to screenshot


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

I don't show in the winter. So the horses just stay dirty. 

They don't seem to mind!

There are plenty of "no wash" horse cleaners out there, but those often don't work very well either in cold temperatures.
https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/cowboy-magic-green-spot-remover-199


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

beau159 said:


> I don't show in the winter. So the horses just stay dirty.
> 
> They don't seem to mind!
> 
> ...


Yeah, and it gets so cold here that the Cowboy Magic partly freezes to his coat. That's what happened last time we trailered him out and I tried to spot wash him. He was still damp when we got to the lesson so best I could do was give another quick brushing over those spots. Maybe a hair dryer next time? Obviously I'd have to get Harley used to it gradually and be really careful not to burn him, but it seems like the only option when product is just freezing to his coat.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Clip right out and blanket from nose to tail!!!


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Horses that spend a good deal of time out side don't seem to get stained like stalled horses. Let him roll in the snow if you have any. Access to a sandy area can put a nice shine on them as well.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Saddlebag said:


> Horses that spend a good deal of time out side don't seem to get stained like stalled horses. Let him roll in the snow if you have any. Access to a sandy area can put a nice shine on them as well.


Yes, the snow helps, but then he comes in at night and lays in filth all night and looks awful in the morning. I've gone in to clean his stall late in the evening, but he still makes a total mess of it. I do think the shavings they use are part of the problem, but since I'm boarding, not much I can do about it. Thinking about using wood pellets when I have my own barn to see if they're better.


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