When I give STAR a bath I use a halter and a lead rope.
I bring her to a grassy area in our yard so her feet will not get muddy.
I have a bucket with water and some soft cloths and a saft brush. I wet these to get her good and wet and then use the hose, first on mist then on center spray.
Now that true spring is here I hose her down about every other day.
I only use soap and conditioner seldom because I do not want to irratate her skin.
I use soft clothes to take the excess water off and let her air dry.
She gets brushed often during the day because no matter where she is she will find a place to roll and get dirty again.
She loves to be groomed, it seems to calm her.
I have not been able to wash her tail yet but we are getting there. She loves it brushed but when the water is on it the water drops cause her to dance. She will eventually get use to that as well.
I try to clean her tools at least once a week, using a mild soap and disenfectent.
STAR is getting use to her baths again and looks so pretty after, for about 15 minuets and then she rolls !!!!
Have a great day everyone,
Ronda

You seem to have all the answers here for us Ronda. Thanks.

I know how you feel about the rolling Ronda!! Our mini is a leopard appaloosa, so he is white with brown spots. I bathed him a while back and let him off his lead while he was still a bit damp....he rolled, and rolled, and rolled! Almost to the point where i was thinking 'does he have colic!' But no he was just making himself look all nice and muddy again!
Janelle

Janell,
How do you bath Buster?
Ronda

Janelle,
My daughter does it very differently than me.
Her horses are so funny. They stand right there and she sprays them right in the face, they love it.
One, a paint, puts his face right in her "tub" and splashes his head around and then blows.
I must get this on film.
Oh yes, as soon as she is done they all roll!!!!
Horses are so funny, don't you just love them?
Ronda

I am assuming this is a conversational thread.....?

How do I wash?
I use a hose and start at their feet, work up to the withers and then the rest. If they are being washed for competition I dilute a chemical-free shampoo in a bucket of water and sponge it on (a bit like washing car really:)) And of course rinse off! I only use conditioner in the mane and tail. I find that saddles pads are more likely to slip on a conditioned coat! I only ever use shampoo for comps or when they are coming back into work after a spell and even then only if really dirty, never in my daily routine.

If my horses are in work they get a hose down everyday after a training session or a trail. Unless it gets very cold and then they get a warm spong bath in the areas where the tack sits (ie: saddle, bridle, boots etc).

I always scrape off excess water and then towel dry. If the weather is coolish, I rug with dry towels under them to soak up excess water. The horse then gets walked and then I tie it up with a little hay. When the horse is dry, I remove the towels and turn it loose.
If I washed them for a comp, they stay rugged otherwise I love watching them roll!

My grooming kit gets hosed and I sun dry. I avoid soaps and disenfectants as residue can irriate horses' skin and in my opinion, unless there is a medical reason, it's not necessary. The sun does a wonderful job :)

I gave oscar his first bath a few months back when we were having over 42d days he relly enjoyed it i started at his feet and just worked around him with the water not coming out two hard. i used a natural shampoo and just used my hands gave him a massage then rinse, scrape the water of ,rub then groom .he looked lovely then fed him and left him so shinny when I came back he was coverd in leaves and dust! and happy with himself. lol

Ah love it when they roll! :D

I do too especially when they moan and groan like a big old bear.
Oh yes they think they look lovely.
The reason I used disinfectant was I saw that on The Horse.com on cleaning tools.
Thank you for the sun information, I appreciate this. I won't use the disinfectant again.
Do you use a rubber blade for scraping? Someone once told me we can use a short peice of garden hose held between both hands????
LOL is right :)

I use a rubber bladed scraper. I havent used a garden hose, it'd probably work I have used bailing twine and it works well!

Re: rolling, star and unicorn your comments made me laugh, i can so picture it all :)

Thanks Rahni !!!! I'll try this next time she has her bath.

Star, Just a thought re: cleaning you grooming gear.....
If you wanted your tools to be extra germ free for any reason, depending on what they are made from of course, you could boil or steam them from time to time perhaps? I havent done it myself and dont know how well brushes and things would stand up to the heat, but just thought id put it out there.....

Hi Ronda , Rhani and Unicorn :-) I haven't bathed Buster yet and it is too cold here now to do it but i;ll let you know how he goes when i do :-)

When i have done my other horses i start at the feet on a soft spray and get them wet then i put some natural shampoo or pet soap (no nasties) on a soft bristed brush and soap them up. I do one side at a time and rinse before i move on to the other side. I use the rubber bladed sweat scraper to get off the excess water and towel dry too :-) I use a spray conditioner in the mane and tail so leave it in.

I love reading the rolling comments too! These ponies are funny things and when they look so happy that they have destroyed all our best efforts to get them clean...ahhhh!

Ronda if you want to disinfect which isn't a bad idea you can spray diluted tea tree oil or apple cider vinegar on your gear. This will kill of any fungal nasties which might be there but if it is only used on STAR and no other horses then i don't think you would have any worries.

Happy horsing!!

Janelle

Question do you think its normal for horses to scratch and rub against posts and trees? or do you think that his itchy and being botherd? Also i was feeling like I just dont have all the know how to train Oscar by myself I want to give him the best start and Im feeling my lack at the moment his started tossing his head again today . he throws it into me and away from me I feel like his suddenly shot up in height and strength concernd ?

Maybe he is rubbing off the winter hair? It gets itchy. Mine do that.

Unicorn,
If you don't feel comfortable training your horse I would seek a professional, your anxiety in trying to train by yourself may transfer to Oscar and I know you don't want that. I would consider finding one of Monty's instructors, better safe than sorry.

Hi unicorn,
Kleinne could be correct, perhaps you need a little confidence. No harm in asking someone for help.
Might I suggest you watch every "one" of the videos, answer all the questions and watch them again.
You will be amazed at what you will learn.
Perhaps something else you could try, is join-up and follow-up with another horse a little less forward.
Do you have horsey friends?
Perhaps they will let you try with one of theirs?
We don't want you hurt and safety is very important, keep that first in mind.
I know this can be very frustrating and discouraging but hang in there.
Ask as many questions as it takes to get the answers you need.
Ronda
PS: horses love to rub, sometimes you will see them scratch their head against one of their legs, it feels good. As long as there is no rash, don't worry.

Unicorn i agree with Kleinne and Ronda. Ask for some help if you need it, there is nothing wrong with admitting something is beyong your skill level :-) You could email one of the Monty instructors. I did that with Buster and had a fast response with answers that really helped. Definately re watch the videos :-) I wouldn't be worried about the scrathching unless it is his behind as that can signify worms. It sounds like Oscar is growing and trying to be the dominant one in the realtionship. I can't remember if he has a paddock mate? If not i would look into getting him one as this might help to quiet him down too.
Please do stay safe! If you are frightened or anxious then get some help. Don't give up and keep believing in yourself! You have got this far so you definately can do it, you may just need some advice into where you need to change some things.
Janelle

Thankyou lovely advice everyone I have scinet contacted a trainer in naturalhorsemanship and yep I do need to keep building my confidance in myself so oscar can feel it through me. I did notice today when watching oscar that he even tosses his head when he is being playful and galloping around the paddock it seems that it is one of his playful things. interesting? We had a good day today he stiil tossed his head but not so bad some times it feels there aint enough hours in the day will keep you all posted thanks jules