Bathing in Winter [Archive] - Baywind Farm Horse Forum

Maggiepie121493

11-25-2009, 05:48 AM

It's getting colder and colder here in Vermont and my horse cannot due without his after ride baths. He literally whinny and nickers for it in the cross ties. But, there are some nights where it's below zero up here. He has a barn to go in at night and a fleece, but I'm worried about batheing him after his rides now because I don't want him to be too cold, but I don't want him to sit in his own sweat. He also gets extremely upset when he doesn't get at least a hot sponge-down to get his sweat off, which is what I had to do last night. And I mean upset like, romping around all puffed up in the cross ties...(Bad behavior I know, I try to correct him but it's just his grumpy wannabe-stud personality).

Is it still going to be okay for me to give him warm to medium-hot baths? (Can't be any other temperature *Rolls eyes*) Would clipping him make it easier to dry him off so he's not wet most of the night? Would I be able to put a stable blanket over his fleece?

Maggiepie121493

11-25-2009, 05:53 AM

Here's some pictures of the fat sass. :P

WashingtonBay

11-25-2009, 06:39 AM

Clipping him, and then blanketing appropriately, would definitely help. At least clipping the major sweat areas like a hunter clip. It would keep him from getting quite as sweaty and hot working, and it would help him dry quicker when he is wet.

Sometimes you have to go easy on the work when it's cold and getting colder so they don't get chilled.

natisha

11-25-2009, 07:41 AM

or buy a good cooler

Buckpoco

11-25-2009, 07:49 AM

For years I boarded at show barns. We always clipped and blanketed. I went from a hunter clip to a trace clip. That's better for them, I think. I had always been told you can't ride in winter unless you clip.
I haven't had a blanket on my horses since 2001. I boarded at a stable where blankets were discouraged. Everyone rode all winter and no horse ever got sick and nobody clipped.
Now I've had them home for three years. We ride in the winter and if they get sweaty I put them in a cooler in their stalls until they are dry, which happens pretty quickly, and they have thick coats.
The only blankets I use now are rain sheets if it's cold and rainy.
I really like Radiance Dry Shampoo...that works well.
Good luck with what you decide. But I certainly wouldn't give a bath in cold temperatures. A trace clip might be your answer.

Palogal

11-25-2009, 08:25 AM

I would not bathe in the winter. I wouldn't want to stand around outside in wet sweats so I figure it's the same concept. A good cooler will help with the chills. I will wash legs in the winter if they're just nasty muddy but I don't even do that unless i have to. Mind you our "winter" is about 40 degrees most of the time, rarely 30's and maybe two days a year below freezing.

JennyandJosey

11-25-2009, 08:44 AM

I would not bathe in winter either unless your barn is warm enough and he can stay in it until he's dry and cool. I use a cooler and also blow dry the sweat off before I put Josey back outside.

Palogal

11-25-2009, 08:49 AM

I had a student years ago that used a hair dryer to dry her horse. It was interesting and the horse loved it.

Maggiepie121493

11-25-2009, 09:03 AM

Hairdryer? Hmmm... :P

The most I do now is sponge his sweaty spots off and then put his jammies on, which is working but it's not as cold as it could be yet. I have thought about clipping but I'm a bit worried about blanketing since it's a co-op barn and people do things differently. Right now he has a rain/wind sheet to go out for the winter, since he's born and raised in Vermont and grows a nice winter coat, but would putting a fleece on under his sheet keep him warmer outside? If it's really too cold they won't go out at all, but for normal 10 degree winter days, would that be alright?

Maggiepie121493

11-25-2009, 09:04 AM

And after he's bathed he stays inside where it's a normal 25-30 degrees depending.

Palogal

11-25-2009, 09:10 AM

Oh my gosh...25-30 and he's WET?! Fahrenheit? <head explodes>

offgridgirl

11-25-2009, 09:50 AM

Yes, When I worked at the track(in Massachusetts), all the horses got a full bath everyday. They used wool sheets(from the Army surplus store). Several layers. As the horse dries the top blanket is pulled( it has the moisture) and another one is put on. They used the large clips and a we walked back and forth.(ice, snow and rain) It was a messy job(I got big $$) and you brought an extra change of clothes. A clip will help.

Now I just rub down with a towel,give hay,inside and put on sheet but it's not as cold here in the Northwest.:cool:

shewasmyshadow

11-25-2009, 10:10 AM

Yeah, I used to work at a big time dressage barn here in Minnesota. They clipped their horses and they all got full vetrelin (sp?) baths after their work outs. After the bath we used sweat scrapers to get all the excess water off, then threw on a cooler and hand walked them until dry. Of course, the inside of the barn and arena were heated. The horses were being hand walked in 60 degrees. Sometimes they went out with damp bellies, but that's about it. They were all fully blanketed too. Using a rain/wind sheet is a bad way to go IMO. Washingtonbay was the one to alert me to that. She said it crushes down the winter fur and makes it less affective against the cold. So either go all the way with a thick winter blanket or go with nothing.

JennyandJosey

11-25-2009, 10:42 AM

Below freezing is too cold to leave them wet.

Yep, I have a hair dryer at the barn all the time and use it almost every time I ride in the winter. She's quite used to it and it's a lot faster than waiting for her to dry.

Buckpoco

11-25-2009, 10:44 AM

WashingtonBay

11-25-2009, 11:29 AM

Washingtonbay was the one to alert me to that. She said it crushes down the winter fur and makes it less affective against the cold. So either go all the way with a thick winter blanket or go with nothing. by Shewasmyshadow...

I had heard that but decided to try myself. I only put the rain sheets on for a day or night and that fluffy, warm coat bounces right back up. Maybe for long times though it would crush the hair. My guys are out in sometimes below zero and do fine. They do have some warm coats!

The problem shes refers to is not that the hair won't bounce back up when the sheet is removed, it will. :)

The problem that happens with just a sheet is that it can crush the hair down while it's ON, removing the insulation the winter coat provides, without providing any insulation to replace it with. Particularly when it's cold and the sheet is very heavy with rain.

That's why if it's cold, they'd do better to have a medium weight blanket that is both warm and dry.

Buckpoco

11-25-2009, 12:13 PM

Oh, I see what you mean WB...my winter rainsheets do have a cozy lining. But what's interesting is that my friends old, old horse was boarded with a girl who insisted on keeping a rainsheet on the horses all winter and they lived out most of the time. Upstate NY gets pretty cold too. My friend's horse did very well for ten years and was just put down at 35. I thought that was rather cruel to keep him in a thin rainsheet, but he was never cold. ??? I guess there are exceptions to every rule, huh?:doh:

lisakaye

11-25-2009, 05:03 PM

I keep at leasst a sheet on Easter during the winter. She never gets much of a winter coat though. I have never had a problem yet and she is out 24. I think it depends on the horse and how the blanket/sheet is done. You can put a sheet on for the days under freezing or in the rain and then take it off when it is warmer.

Painted Horse

11-25-2009, 05:56 PM

I occassionaly hose down in the warmer months. But when it's below freezing, I leave it up to the horse.
My horses will almost ALWAYS roll in the snow to rub off any sweat.
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p259/Painted-Horse/Snow-Angels.jpg

I don't blanket and I don't clip. Mother Nature has provided them a great coat and it works well.
We are watching wild mustangs run in the distance. You can see the 2nd rider pointing at the mustangs over near the cliffs. There is nobody to bath them or clean the sweat off them after a good winter run. They just roll in the snow.
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p259/Painted-Horse/Copper%20Globe/Snow5.jpg

Equine_Woman

11-25-2009, 06:37 PM

I'm having issues with sweat this year too. Sterling is blanketed so I'm seriously considering doing a clip on her. We are gaming and are considering (very crazily) conditioning for an endurance race in the spring. .. but it's hard to get her cooled off with the long hair. Plus she smells like a wet dog all the time. lol. I just don't have the clippers to do the cut, or the heart. . . I will bathe on the days it hits 60. Then I put a cooler on them and walk. I'm seriously considering putting a hot water connection outside my house so I can bathe more in the winter.

WashingtonBay

11-25-2009, 06:50 PM

I don't blanket and I don't clip. Mother Nature has provided them a great coat and it works well.
We are watching wild mustangs run in the distance. You can see the 2nd rider pointing at the mustangs over near the cliffs. There is nobody to bath them or clean the sweat off them after a good winter run. They just roll in the snow.

Point taken on the way nature works... but nature is also a cruel horsekeeper if they overdo, and even if they don't overdo, I don't think horses running of their own volition for as long as they wish and no further, is the same as heavy-coated horses who are doing someone else's bidding.

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p259/Painted-Horse/Copper%20Globe/Snow5.jpg

I'm guessing if you started out a job of shoveling poo or bucking hay bales wearing the heavy coat the first rider is wearing, before long you'd be wanting to take that coat off or you'd be hot, uncomfortable, sweaty, and you'd fatigue quickly.

Clipping the major sweat areas allows the horse to work harder in winter more comfortably, without overheating, and it allows them to dry off quicker if they do sweat. It makes them a lot more versatile.

I don't clip mine any more in winter, I don't ride much in winter any more. But when I did, I found it a lot easier to keep them comfortable clipped... more options.

Tiz

11-26-2009, 06:27 PM

Mostly, it's about drying time, and the fungus fight. The longer they stay wet, the more chilly, and the fungus loves that damp, long hair.
Yes, wild horses deal with all kinds of discomforts that domestic horses usually don't have to. I imagine you don't see many 28 year old wild horses as a result.

offgridgirl

11-26-2009, 07:01 PM

I just gave my guys a hot-water rinse tonight after our sweaty ride. I squeegee with a sweat scrapper and then put the winter insulated blankets on. I gave hay and I will check in a few hours. It is suppose to 0C tonight.

Maggiepie121493

11-27-2009, 06:19 AM

I bathe my horse after his ride in the late afternoon/night time. So, he in his stall cozy at night. I want to clip him but I'm just wondering how I should blanket him during the day when he's not wet and not working. He gets plenty of hay and before he came to this barn, he'd be outside with no blanket and be fine. The barn isn't heated but I find it comfortable, so I imagine he would. I'm just wondering if after a quick sponge down and squeege if my fleece will be alright for the night and if a rain sheet over a fleece or something warm would be alright for a trace clip.