From tips to bottoms, and every hidden or exposed part of your horse’s body. There is deep-seated dirt because the fact is our horse is a dust and dirt magnet whether we like it or not. Branded shampoos are made available for purchase anywhere but the price is not necessary. We can have great alternatives that may be ready in our kitchen. We may not know, but most of the alternatives for keeping our horse’s mane, tail and coat clean and presentable are found in our kitchen. And here are some tips for you to follow and maintain their grooming without costing you too much compared to maintaining a regular supply of branded horse shampoo.
Get rid of manure or grass stains on any part of your horse’s coat.
To get rid of manure or grass stains on any part of your horse’s coat especially if your horse color is white, all you need is a bit of bran or soybean meal and some water. Wet the area that has stains with warm water then form a paste from water and bran. Apply this on the stained area and gently scrub it with a fingernail brush. Leave it on for at least two to three minutes to soften the stains and rinse it off with water and towel it dry.
Another agent that is great in removing a stain is with the use of sulfur and sawdust. This formed compound, when mixed together and applied on a horse body particularly on the legs with white coating, gives a bright white socks effect beneath it. Just wet the stained area and brush on the sulfur-sawdust compound then let it dry before taking it off.
The same is with the use of glycerine soap bar. Just lather on the glycerine soap bar onto the horse’s body with water and wash off the stains especially on white parts of your horse’s manes, tails, and coat. This also helps in detangling the tail.
The most commonly known stain remover on household cleaning is white vinegar. This is also great in removing stains with horse’s body parts. Simply rub the vinegar directly on the stained part of your horse’s mane, tail, and coat. Vinegar can also be used to detangle manes and tails. A combination of vinegar and olive oil gives a rejuvenating effect and sun-faded or patchy, shedding hair. Just sponge it on the horse from stem to stern and leave it for three days. Then give the horse a warm, soapy bath and admire the results.
Another kind of vinegar used for cleaning is the apple cider vinegar that is a mild acidic type of vinegar, working well to counteract the baking soda, and thus acts as a great replacement for conditioner. It detangles the hair follicles, seals the cuticle, and balances the hair’s pH balance. The recommended mixture ratio is one tablespoon apple cider vinegar to a cup of water.
The use of baking soda as a cleansing agent and food additives is widely known, and yes! It can also be used in cleaning your horse’s body. Just dilute a tablespoon of baking soda with a cup of water and mix well. The amount of baking soda also increases with the amount of water that you need to use to complete a horse bath. It will not hurt if you experiment and see what works for your horse’s cleaning session.
Baby or Mineral oils can also help remove the traces of a winter coat. They act as polish when applied to them; they lubricate after a shave when rubbed onto the muzzle; and when poured onto a brush, they detangle and smooth manes and tails. Baby oils or mineral oils are less expensive, that have a wide variety of use. This also helps in restoring the gloss and condition of a dry and flaking skin. It also soothes fly bites and itchy skin when applied to the affected area. This product is very handy that it also helps you extend the life of expensive grooming kits you have for your horses.
Why is there a need to consider horse shampoo alternatives?
Little do we know, bathing a horse using a horse shampoo is not recommended on a daily basis, rather, only advisable on seasonal terms such as when your horse is having a horse show event or as your vet prescribe it if your horse is under treatment for skin disease. Generally the use of a horse shampoo given more often than once a week shreds off the vital skin oils of your horse’s mane, tail, and coat which may open them to the susceptibility of attracting more dust and dirt that further irritates their skin in the long run.
Always make sure to follow the dilution instructions of your horse shampoo to avoid overexposure of your horse’s skin to chemical compounds that may cause irritation to their skin. And as much as we wanted to keep them clean and tidy every day, we cannot make use of horse shampoo as often as we want to. Hence, we make use of natural alternatives.
Link for more info: http://www.horsyland.com/horse-shampoo/