With spring’s arrival and the start of show season upon us, it’s the perfect time to bathe your horse. Regular bathing can actually strip your horse’s coat of its natural oils, so it’s important to make each bath count. These tips will help you get a better, more thorough clean when you bathe your horse.

Use Color Enhancing Shampoos

Color enhancing shampoos can help you to bring out a brilliant shine in your horse’s coat. Color enhancing shampoos serve to intensify the natural color of your horse’s coat while also cleaning and bringing out a beautiful shine. Opt for a shampoo that is created for the color of your horse’s coat to get the best results.

Choose Soft Sponges

Did you know that the type of sponge you use can affect how thoroughly you bathe your horse? When selecting a sponge, choose a soft sponge, since soft sponges hold more water, making your scrubbing more effective. You may want to choose a large sponge to maximize the area that you can cover. Car wash sponges can work, though you will want to choose the softest sponge that you can find. Natural sponges are superior in their ability to absorb and hold water, making them a bath time favorite.

Use a Soft Jelly Curry

While using a soft sponge will allow you to thoroughly spread soapy water through your horse’s coat, a sponge isn’t the greatest tool for scrubbing your horse. Instead, follow up with a soft jelly curry. A jelly curry is soft enough to be safe to use on your horse’s legs, an area which always can use a good scrub. Opt for a curry with small, flexible teeth to really dig in and scrub your horse’s coat.

Change Water Frequently

As you bathe your horse, keep an eye on how clean your shampoo water is. Every time that you dip your sponge or curry back into the water, you are adding dirt from your horse’s coat to the shampoo water. If the water starts to turn brown, toss it out and add shampoo to a bucket of new water before continuing with the bath.

Bathe in a Wash Stall

Most important of all, when you bathe your stall, bathe him in a wash stall. It is next to impossible to thoroughly clean your horse when you are bathing him on a surface like grass or dirt. Instead, use a wash stall so that you don’t have to worry about holding your horse as you bathe him, or about keeping him off of dirty surfaces until he dries. If you don’t yet have one, then considerbuilding a wash stall.

When you want to get a great clean while bathing your horse, these tips plus a little elbow grease will allow you to do just that.

Original source: How To Get a Better Clean When Bathing Your Horse