Conference noted::equitation

                Well, my wife uses Head and Shoulders. It works
    great and she has never had a problem. It has never bothered
    the horses. She even uses Perma Soft on the tail and it comes
    out nice and soft and shiny. The Head and Shoulders seems to
    really work well on his dandruff too. 
                I love giving him a bath because he's good about 
    it and he looks so good when he's all done!
    
    
                     Bob

    People shampoo tends to dry out the coat if you shampoo a lot.
    Plus, they have a lot of perfume in them that can attract flies
    and misc stinging insects. The milder ones won't hurt most horses,
    but I have seen a couple break out from Prell. Manes and tails are
    the only places I've used conditioners - with mediocre results.
    
    Animal shampoos work better on horses.  I use corona's concentrate
    for normal bathing, equestralux when I need an iodine shampoo, and
    one of those special purple products for the white parts (sorry,
    I can't remember the product name right now).  I put a dash of baby
    oil in the rinse water to replace some of the oil that gets washed
    out.  For manes and tails I use laser sheen instead of conditioners.
    
    FWIW- Suave Strawberry seems to kill fleas.
    
    -maureen
    
    

    	
    Ditto .2 ANY shampoo will tend to dry out the coat if you use it
    often.  I had a great learning experience last summer regarding
    shampoo-ing...  my trainers horses never see water (for washing)
    except in extreme conditions!  They all are rubbed/toweled/walked
    dry after work, and they are all vaccumed year round.  I was amazed
    (and made a beliver) when the first show came around and my mare
    was CLEAN as well as shiner than most of the competition!
    
    Now - the only drawback is that this works real well on horses who
    are staying in... most of the time.  If you have a horse who is
    spending most of their time outside its tougher for sure...
    
    Ivory is great for white socks, and I use it for manes and tails
    too!  
    
    just my .02 cents - happy washing - h
    
    

    We use Woollight (spelling??).  A little goes a long way and it
    doesn't seem to take the oil out of their coats.
    
    We use Snow-brite (horse product) on grey manes, tails and white
    soxs and then show sheen in the manes and tails.
    
    It works for us but the kids are all individuals as you know...
    

On the topic of shampoos... What do you folks use to get out pee/manure stains.
I'm not talking your average overnight  stain, I'm talking about the ones that 
have been worked on _all_winter_long_!!  My horse is a chestnut (how fortunate)
but I have some friends who have perma-yellow horses who would love to know!

    We use a product called "dung away".  That and a little bluing
    in the rinse water.
    
    Quik silver seems to help some, too.
    

    where can you get Dung Away?  My Palamino has some pretty bad spots
    
    
    Michele

    I'll check on the dung away.
    
    But in the meantime...
    
    Bon Ami cleanser works too.  You wet the hair, rub in the Bon ami,
    let it dry and brush it out.
    
    Don't use the other harsher cleansers.  They are too strong and
    will burn.
    
    -maureen
    

    Being on the cheap side (since I don't feel like spending $$$ on horse
    shampoos), I use a generic baby shampoo ( Bradlees, if they have a
    sale).
    Also, instead of hoof conditioner, I use generic vegetable oil or corn
    oil. It's alot cheaper than the conditioners you find in a tack shop
    and works just as well. I haven't had any problems with Jasper's hooves
    (except when I got lazy and decided he probably didn't need oil on his
    hooves - I learned my lesson after a month or so.)
    		Cindy
    

    After a winter standing in the rain and mud, our Southern horses
    have a tendency to sprout a fungus - little spots of scabby skin
    that peels off and leaves small specks of bare skin.  To combat
    this and get the summer coat starting out fresh and clean (to say
    nothing of getting rid of a winter's accumulation of dust), I
    start the season with a Betadine scrub shampoo, lathered well,
    left on for about 10 minutes, then rinsed.  Doesn't seem to dry
    the skin as much as lots of shampoos, can be repeated if fungus
    persists.
    
    

    What about the "hose"... My two think it's a monster from Mars!
    Even if I try to use it without a nozzle they freak out.         
    I'd like to start practicing now, as we have plans for a wash stall
    (outdoors type) when we move.  Not to mention the hassle of a 
    sponge bath for a 1200 pound baby!
    
    Maybe I'm just new at this...
    
    Any suggestions on how to acclimate them to the ~~hose monster~~?
    or tips for building a wash stall?
                                 
                                      
    Thanks

               I would suggest starting slowly, just hosing the legs.
    Work up the body, the neck etc... I've seen a few, a very few, that
    don't even mind their faces getting lightly hosed but I think most
    won't go for it at all. But anyway, I think the key is just going
    slowly and keep talking to 'em. Works for me. Hope this helps.
    
                 Bob

    For shampoo, we use a horse soap called Orvis.  It is low sudsing, so
    is easy to remove by rinsing.  Most human shampoos are high sudsing so
    you have to rinse a lot to make sure you get it all out.  We have also
    used Betadine and Weladol shampoos (both contain iodine) for fungus with
    good results.
    
    We bought a plastic curry that attaches to the hose and has holes in it
    for the water to come through.  To get our horses used to the hose, we
    attached the curry to it and groomed them with it with the water turned
    off.  After doing this a few times, they get used to the hose attached
    to the curry.  Then we turn the water on a little, so it trickles out
    (the curry we have has a valve on it to regulate the water flow).  Once
    they get used to that we turn the water on faster.  Also with the curry
    attachment, the water never comes out as fast or hard as it normally
    does from the hose, which doesn't frighten the horse as much.
    
    						Jan

    
    We have had very good luck by rinsing the babies using the hose
    BUT hook it up to the warm (not hot) water in the house (for the
    first couple of times)...  It's not nearly as shocking to them,
    and they like it.  The wash curry that Jan mentioned is also a 
    great help - and the horses like it - and it really helps get them
    cleaned.  The other thing that is important is when your horse is
    learning (whether they are young or old - afraid of the hose) is
    to have someone help you.  Its much easier on their perspective
    if they're not feeling totally confined by being tied, rather they
    can be consoled by the person holding them.....
    
    My horses love the hose - when we have lots of mud I'm able to rinse
    their legs off by myself... and my colt (whos 2 now) still thinks
    that drinking out of the end of the hose is a treat!
    
    Good luck...  holly
    

    There is also a garden attachment you can put on the end of the
    hose that gives a very nice spray.  Now how can I explain it...it
    is shpaed somewhat like a triangle at the bottom with probably 50
    to 75 spray holes in it.  The ones I have seen come in yellow. 
    With an on and off switch attachment as well you can control the
    force of the water....trickle to a powerful spray that acts like
    a massage on them.  Ours love it and it is great for getting the
    mud out.
    

    RE: .15
    
    	YUP!  You can get that type of attachment in the garden section
    	of your hardware store...  Funny, I never thought of using
    	it for the nags... I even got one!  I guess the flowers lose
    	this year... heh-heh-heh..  I think that is a great idea.. 

    I use one of those triangular sprayers for the flowers and the
     horses!
    to get warm water for the rinse cycle I lay 300 feet of hose in
    the sun about one hour before bath time. This amount of hose with
    careful adjustment of the sprayer gives me enough warm water to
    completely rinse 1 15 hand horse without it getting cold. My kids
    don't mind the hose at all as long as its warm. Besides my house
    for hot water is 4 miles away!
    Sandy
    

This is a topic near and dear to my heart.  Have you ever seen the beauty 
treatements a hairdresser does to their horse?

I am a hairdresser part-time to pay for my horse's up keep.  Therefore, I am 
always fiddling with my poor gelding's mane and tail.  My husband says I am 
humiliating him in front of his "friends".

Not only do I have a ball with braiding but I use a "Fantastic Sams" Spray on 
Conditioner before every brushing of his mane and tail and every Spring I put 
a clear Henna on his mane and tail.  The Henna is totally natural and it does 
NOT change the color. It makes it wicked shiny and full.  I leave it on for 
about 30 minutes than rinse it out.  You can buy it at any beauty supply 
store.  But make sure you buy *clear*, I would never suggest playing around 
with colors.

For a gift this Spring I received one of those "horse groomer" spray guns to 
attach to a hose.  There's a container attached to put the shampoo right in it.
I haven't used it yet.  But will be soon with this gorgeous weather.

I do use horse shampoo.  I feel it was made for a reason and that it is 
probably better for them than anything else.

I've used that mane & tail conditioner (as apposed to my spray on conditioner), 
but I haven't been really impressed with it.

I've also used the half & half combination of babyoil & listerine and that has 
worked real well.

I always use a pick on his mane & tail as apposed to a brush.  It's less 
damaging.

I know this all sounds crazy, but it works, and no matter what my husband 
says, I really think he likes the extra attention. :^)

Regards,

Susan
    

    I noticed when I visited the track recently that all the horses
    seemed to love a shower - they stretch their necks up and make
    faces you wouldn't believe - meantime washing the sweat off their
    ears and faces.  
    
    The way the grooms do is to turn the hose (without a nozzle) on
    about half way, point the working end at the sky, and control the
    flow with your thumb.  When gravity takes over, it's like standing
    in a nice rainstorm - takes a little practice so you don't get a
    shower, too!  And on hot days, that might not be so bad, either!

    Has anyone else used anything put out by Noah's Kingdom?  We gave
    the horse a bath today with their Shampoo/Conditioner and it really 
    did a great job.  I'm never really overly impressed with stuff like
    that but it's made with essential oils of lavender, lemon, geranium
    and rosemary.  We've also been using their flyspray which is also
    great (has pennyroyal/orange/eucalyptus and other oils in a base of 
    pyrethrin).  The tack shop I go to (happens to be at the barn I keep 
    my horse - dangerous!) also carries their hoofdressing which I'm anxious 
    to try out. 
    
    beth
    
    P.S. I am in no way affiliated with this company...It's just weird,
    after years and years of using the same old stuff, to find a new
    product that I really like.