One of the questions that's asked of me most often in the frame of reference of horses is: how frequently do I wash my horses? My opinion is that horses could do with a lot less washes. I see a bias in pony owners to go overboard. They virtually seem to wash their horses because they are bored, with nothing else to do.
Think about a wild pony in his natural setting. How frequently do you actually think he gets washed?
In their natural habitat, horses most frequently get washed when it rains. Obviously, then, the frequency of their getting washed would rely on the frequency of the rain. Wild horses also get washed when they are compelled to swim across a body of water. Neither a rain wash nor a river or lake wash is taken by a wild pony out of preference and they appear to get along quite well whatever their frequency of washes is. I really don't see any way wild horses suffer for shortage of washes. The same theory carries over for tamed horses, too. People use cold water to hose down horses that are hot and sweaty after a hard work out. They don't notice that they could be causing harm to the horse's health due to the sudden change in temperature. Think of yourself when you are truly hot and flustered, and the sweat is pouring down your body and limbs. What sort of water would you ideally like for a bath? You would prefer to begin with luke warm water and move to cold water in progressive steps. That is the healthy way to do it, and that healthy way applies for horses, too. Rather frequently, when my horse is sweating hard and radiating heat after a gruelling work out, I content myself with hosing his legs down. When he cools off, I may occasionally hose water all over him, if he showed that he liked it when I did that with his legs.
It's also absolutely unnecessary to use soap or shampoo on a pony each time he's washed. Soap and shampoo can rob hair and skin of their natural oils.
The best practice is to stroll your horse slowly around after a laborious ride. Wait for him to dry off, then groom him a bit. Quite often, I simply unsaddle my horse after a ride and let him loose to roll around in the pasture. I go off to wash his stall instead. My pony will have cooled off considerably when I return to halter him. He gets a good brushing from me then; I make sure I remove all sweat marks on him.
I think the sole exception is at times when you're showing with your pony. If your season is busy, you want to keep your pony looking his best at all times, and that's when you can give him a lot of baths. When you have done with washing him, be absolutely certain to scrape off all excess water and take him out to dry where it is not cold. If there is a chill in the air, cover him with a blanket.
Use a lot of elbow grease and go at it hard with a brush and a curry comb to give your pony the absolute best grooming. This type of grooming also enables you to bond closely with your pony, because he is going to be relishing the grooming and will be in a very receptive mood. Let him have a tiny amount of additional petting and attention.
Brushing isn't usually a time consuming procedure. Make sure your pony is brushed before you saddle him. Things like hay or stickers will have to be brushed off, especially if he's been rolling around. If they are not taken off, you risk getting thrown off when you get on. Be certain to give your horse some brushing after a ride, too , so that sweat marks are removed. Test to determine if your pony is feeling any soreness by running your fingers down his backbone.
Think about a wild pony in his natural setting. How frequently do you actually think he gets washed?
In their natural habitat, horses most frequently get washed when it rains. Obviously, then, the frequency of their getting washed would rely on the frequency of the rain. Wild horses also get washed when they are compelled to swim across a body of water. Neither a rain wash nor a river or lake wash is taken by a wild pony out of preference and they appear to get along quite well whatever their frequency of washes is. I really don't see any way wild horses suffer for shortage of washes. The same theory carries over for tamed horses, too. People use cold water to hose down horses that are hot and sweaty after a hard work out. They don't notice that they could be causing harm to the horse's health due to the sudden change in temperature. Think of yourself when you are truly hot and flustered, and the sweat is pouring down your body and limbs. What sort of water would you ideally like for a bath? You would prefer to begin with luke warm water and move to cold water in progressive steps. That is the healthy way to do it, and that healthy way applies for horses, too. Rather frequently, when my horse is sweating hard and radiating heat after a gruelling work out, I content myself with hosing his legs down. When he cools off, I may occasionally hose water all over him, if he showed that he liked it when I did that with his legs.
It's also absolutely unnecessary to use soap or shampoo on a pony each time he's washed. Soap and shampoo can rob hair and skin of their natural oils.
The best practice is to stroll your horse slowly around after a laborious ride. Wait for him to dry off, then groom him a bit. Quite often, I simply unsaddle my horse after a ride and let him loose to roll around in the pasture. I go off to wash his stall instead. My pony will have cooled off considerably when I return to halter him. He gets a good brushing from me then; I make sure I remove all sweat marks on him.
I think the sole exception is at times when you're showing with your pony. If your season is busy, you want to keep your pony looking his best at all times, and that's when you can give him a lot of baths. When you have done with washing him, be absolutely certain to scrape off all excess water and take him out to dry where it is not cold. If there is a chill in the air, cover him with a blanket.
Use a lot of elbow grease and go at it hard with a brush and a curry comb to give your pony the absolute best grooming. This type of grooming also enables you to bond closely with your pony, because he is going to be relishing the grooming and will be in a very receptive mood. Let him have a tiny amount of additional petting and attention.
Brushing isn't usually a time consuming procedure. Make sure your pony is brushed before you saddle him. Things like hay or stickers will have to be brushed off, especially if he's been rolling around. If they are not taken off, you risk getting thrown off when you get on. Be certain to give your horse some brushing after a ride, too , so that sweat marks are removed. Test to determine if your pony is feeling any soreness by running your fingers down his backbone.
About the Author:
Horses are
Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her
100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about country supply
Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her
100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about country supply
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