Horse Shampoo & Conditioners

A strict grooming and cleaning routine is important for horses because it keeps their coat in good condition and improves their overall health. When bathing your horse, you should always use mane and tail shampoo and conditioner, but many people don’t know how to choose the best one. There are a lot of products on the market and some are better than others, so how do you know which mane and tail shampoo to use?

Why Is Shampoo Important?

Horses have incredibly sensitive skin, so you must be careful about the shampoo that you use and make sure that you are only using a proper mane and tail shampoo. Just like humans, horses secrete oils from the skin that help to retain moisture and protect hair and skin. If you use a poor-quality shampoo or you wash your horse too often, you will remove too much of this oil and that can lead to problems with the hair and skin.

Cleaning your horse’s mane and tail is particularly important and if you don’t keep up with a regular grooming and bathing routine, you may find that their mane is very short and their tail is very dry and wispy. Excess dirt in the mane and tail can lead to dry, itchy skin, which is extremely uncomfortable for your horse. In some cases, a dirty mane and tail can also lead to infection, so it is important that you use a good quality mane and tail shampoo and conditioner.

Get the Horse Shampoo Out: it's Bathtime

Some horses enjoy bath time, others are not so keen but will generally calm down once you have started to wash them. If your horse is especially nervous then take someone with you to hold them and to keep them calm. A comprehensive wash is important for your horse, it keeps them in fabulous condition and provides a great opportunity for you to bond with them. Check the weather forecast before you decide get the horse shampoo out to make sure it isn't going to chilly for your horse after their wash.

How Do You Choose the Right Mane and Tail Shampoo?

When choosing a shampoo for your horse, there are a few important things to consider. If your horse has sensitive skin, you should investigate medicated mane and tail shampoo and conditioner. This will help to soothe the skin and prevent dryness and irritation.

You should also check the ingredients on mane and tail shampoo as well. Panthenol is a good thing to look out for because it lubricates the hair shaft and encourages healthy growth. Zinc is another important nutrient that your horse should be getting from their food, but a mane and tail shampoo with a healthy zinc content is a good way to improve their hair health. Many horse shampoos also contain a lot of nourishing natural ingredients like shea butter, chamomile, or tea tree oil. It is a good idea to try different products with these ingredients and take notice of how they improve the health of your horse’s mane and tail.

Before using any new shampoo, you should always conduct a small patch test. Your horse may have a reaction to some of the ingredients and if you apply it to the mane and tail right away without doing a test, you may cause some serious skin issues. So, whenever you use a new product, apply a small amount to the skin and leave it for a while to make sure that your horse does not have a negative reaction.

Choosing the right mane and tail shampoo and conditioner is vital if you want your horse to stay healthy and prevent matting and thinning, as well as any skin irritation problems. As long as you follow the advice in this article, you will be able to choose the right products for your horse.

Preparation

It is best not to start bathing your horse until you are organised and have gathered together everything you need. Grab your hose or a big tub of water, a couple of buckets, several sponges, horse shampoo and a rubber mitt. You will also need a scraper, two towels, a step ladder and any lotions that you want to use after your horse is clean. Hoof ointment is also a useful inclusion. This can be used to seal the hooves before you start washing to prevent them from absorbing water. Then finally, a wicking / cooler rug for afterwards if needed.

Getting Wet

Using warm water, wet your horse all over except for his head. Work upwards from the lower legs and keep the spray from the hose away from your horse’s eyes. If you don’t have a hose then use a tub of water and a sponge. Work your way up to the neck and mane and then down your horse’s back. Finish by wetting your horse’s rump, genital area and tail.

Horse Shampoo

Add some warm water to one of the buckets. Take your chosen horse shampoo and add this to the water and then agitate the mixture using a sponge to build up the suds. Remove the soapy sponge from the bucket and use it to shampoo your horse. Work in a circular motion to soap all of your horse except his head. It can help to use a second sponge for working around the bottom area and between the hind legs. Make sure that the soap has penetrated down to the skin and throughout the mane and tail. Keep dipping the sponge in the soapy water and top up the bucket if you run out of the soapy solution.

When the mane and tail are nice and wet, poor a little Horse Shampoo into your hand and work it into the hair using your fingers. You can use your mitt here if you need to. Then go over your horse’s body a second time.

Rinsing

Your horse now requires a thorough rinse with either the hose or a fresh tub of water and using another clean sponge. Work your way over your horse’s body until the water runs clear. Use your rubber mit to ensure that no soap is trapped under thick hair and pay particular attention to the stomach area as soapy water tends to collect there.

Drying

To dry your horse, start by using the scraper to remove excess water from his body. The scraper is too harsh to use on the legs so wipe them down with a dry sponge instead. Then towel dry your horse and comb his mane and tail. He can then finish drying naturally in the air.

Washing the Head

Finish by washing your horse’s head and face. You might need to stand on your step ladder to do this. Dunk a smaller sponge in fresh water and then wring it out so it isn’t too wet. Work the sponge all over the head until the horse is damp. Then mix water and shampoo in a bucket as before. Dip your sponge into this soapy solution and wash your horse’s head, taking care not to get horse shampoo in his eyes or ears. Rinse off your horse with clean water and using a clean sponge. Keep working around the head until all the soap is gone. Dry off the head with a towel. Et voilà! A clean horse (for now....)

Caring for colour

The Carr & Day & Martin collection features shampoos for specific coat colours. The shampoos for bay, black, chestnut and grey horses ensure that their coats are the best that they can be, every time. Equie AmericaWhitening Shampoo brings out the brilliance in lighter coats while Supreme Products Glistening Oil provides the perfect finish for all coat colours.

Insecticidal horse shampoo

Sometimes horses experience unwelcome visitors including lice. There are two types of lice that can affect horses; the sucking louse called Haematopinus Asini and the biting louse, Damalimia. Both should be banished as soon as possible by using an insecticide. Insecticidal horse shampoos such as Dermoline have been formulated for the treatment of lice and also act as fly repellents. Equine America Super Groom Citronella Shampoo will help to keep flies at bay and leaves your horse smelling incredibly fresh.

Horse shampoo for humans? Could your hair be improved by horse shampoos?

Horse shampoos perform so well that many people are now using them to address their own hair issues. Horse shampoo is particularly beneficial if you have brittle hair that breaks easily, fine hair or frizzy hair. You will benefit from added volume and your hair will be left feeling wonderfully silky-smooth. Don’t believe us? Why not give horse shampoo a try?

Here is an interesting artice, asking the question; Can I Use Horse Shampoo on My Hair?

Buy Horse Shampoos online today

We have searched high and low for the superior horse shampoos which deliver incredible results. The shampoos are the best choice for bathing your horse as they are formulated to complement the PH of the equine coat. These exceptional shampoos add volume and gloss to your horse’s coat and colour enhancing products are included in our range.

You should have no doubts about the performance of horse shampoos. They work so well that people are now looking to them to solve their own hair issues. Horse Shampoo has taken the world by storm as more and more people have experienced incredible results with it. If you have unruly or coarse hair then you might want to give these shampoos a try!