# To those who have snow-white hunters...



## madiz123 (6 January 2013)

HOW do you get them to be sparkling clean for hunting? Do you clip them completely? What products do you use? Do you put them in plastic onesies overnight?

I have very messy grey boy who looksmall snowy white when he is dry, but them when he sweats he looks a right old mess! Any tips would be greatly appreciated! 

Bear in mind... We don't have a hose (only a water bowser) at the horse field!


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## Stark Dismay (6 January 2013)

I sold my grey and bought a slightly more mud-coloured horse!

I used to show my grey and had very high standards, but he was near impossible to keep clean for hunting. As you say, even when they look clean, the minute they sweat the muck pours out by the bucket load. You CAN buy onesies - the Snuggyhoods ones are brilliant and can be worn in the field. Keep you horse clipped to the point of almost being scalped - they are much quicker to dry and less likely to hold the dirt this way. I had 2 greys at one point (sucker for punishment!) and one was easy to clip, the other wasn't and went longer between clips. The one who had the shorter coat was a much easier horse to present well! Cowboy Magic Green Spot Stain Remover sprayed on the worst bits the night before and then rugged up seems to work well, too - it draws the dirt out. Other than that, it's elbow grease, I'm afraid. 

I said I'd never buy another grey, and then my daughter wanted one. I've found the best way to keep him clean is to get an enthusiastic child involved! He was immaculate at the weekend! As for my mud-coloured thing - I just scraped the crunchy bits off, plaited him up, and he looked lovely. I can't believe I spent so many years scrubbing greys!


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## madeleine1 (6 January 2013)

chalk. that how me and the house hold calvelry do it


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## Springy (6 January 2013)

those who have snow-white hunters... ............

are worse than mad


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## CrazyMare (7 January 2013)

Wash box with hot water is my god send, snuggy jams at night and clip often, every hair I can!!!


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## Starzaan (7 January 2013)

Reckitt's Blue. Wash him with Wahl Diamond White shampoo, then in the last rinse dissolve a cube of Reckitt's Blue in a bucket of water. It makes them gleam! If he's got any stable stains in the morning, a cube dissolved in hot water will get rid of them really easily.


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## Bills (7 January 2013)

Ours is fully clipped out and we scrub top to tail with fairy liquid, works a treat. He also wears a onesie


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## VOM (7 January 2013)

Don't clip the legs, unfortunately you just have to wash them, try to just wash the bad bits and use chalk. I have to wash legs every time and it's a pain. You could try bandaging but I dont bother. My hunting white is not the same as my showing white.


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## tootsietoo (7 January 2013)

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

(manic laugh from a woman with 3 greys).

I get them as clean as I can.  Cold hose, couple of buckets of hot, shampoo, elbow grease, thermatexes - and me freezing cold and soaking every Friday night.  And anyone who might dare to suggest they are not clean enough will get an earful from me!  No one has tried it yet.


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## DosyMare (7 January 2013)

I use the Lynn Russell stuff for showing. Quick Brite Whitening Shampoo has also been good for me.


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## Kallibear (7 January 2013)

Are we talking actual hunting rather than poncing around a show ring?

Because in the current weather and ground they're plastered in mud within minutes so only need to look presentable briefly. 

I always said Id never buy a grey so instead bought a coloured who's 70% white with pink skin.


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## Bedtime (7 January 2013)

Cowboy magic green spot remover-it's a lifesaver!!!


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## jess_asterix (8 January 2013)

Keep them clipped all the time and lots of scrubbing. 

I use diamond white shampoo and then cowboy magic green spot remover, or the Lexvet stain remover.


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## PortwayPaddy (8 January 2013)

Mine is clipped and I clean stable stains every day and keep his tail clean so that I am not faced with a mega cleaning job.

I hunt every week and our country is mainly in the Peak District. 

Once tacked up and his boots are on, eveywhere from the belly down, including his sheath is sprayed with baby oil.  I run a handfull of baby oil through his tail.

We have a hot box at home but we bought a Waterboy powerwash to put in the trailer and it is a god send.  Combined with a sponge and the baby oil, the mud just slides off. the waterboy is as powerful as any mains horsewash.

If you haven't got many facilities, it is well worth buying the Portable version to wash your
horse prior to hunting.

My boy is the middle one in my avatar and I have found that keeping on top of the cleaning easier than one big scrub up.

Paddy


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## tootsietoo (8 January 2013)

The oil idea sounds great.  I will try that.


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## Littlelegs (9 January 2013)

When you bath, especially non clipped areas, use a plastic curry to work all the way to the base of the coat, otherwise you are just washing the surface of the coat & they look dirty again soon as they sweat. When dry, cover with coat shine (or furniture polish) to stop stains sticking as easily. I usually bath with a combination of washing powder, fairy liquid, & cheap human shampoo. And I put conditioner on end of tail too. (if not for something requiring plaits next day I put conditioner right through mane & tail). Then normal clean rug & stable bandages. Next morning just sponge off any stains.


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## 3Beasties (9 January 2013)

Starzaan said:



			Reckitt's Blue. Wash him with Wahl Diamond White shampoo, then in the last rinse dissolve a cube of Reckitt's Blue in a bucket of water. It makes them gleam! If he's got any stable stains in the morning, a cube dissolved in hot water will get rid of them really easily.
		
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What is reckitts blue and where can I get it from?


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## arizonahoney (9 January 2013)

http://www.starchsupplies.co.uk/reckitts-crown-blue-whitening.html

Very old school product for laundry


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## Polotash (10 January 2013)

Silver Highlights shampoo by Champion Horse is fab, I like the purple crystals you disolve in hot water (take a thermos to the yard!).

I used to use laundry blue bags but haven't been able to find them recently so thanks for the link!


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## JJones (12 January 2013)

Does the onsie come down the legs? do they even sell them that come down the legs!?


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## HardySoul1 (12 January 2013)

I swear by the Champion Tails silver highlight shampoo for showing too. Clip when you can. Try not to worry about legs too much, they will be filthy in minutes. Think of them as car tyres - rinse them but you only need to polish the body! 
I also like NAF wash and show shampoo for large grubby areas, makes coat soft and clean! 
Do keep tail washed often between times, plus use a detangler on it and can plait overnight to minimise poo and when travelling. 
Wear cream not white kit yourself to blend with your 'grey'!


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## Highlands (12 January 2013)

Polotash said:



			Silver Highlights shampoo by Champion Horse is fab, I like the purple crystals you disolve in hot water (take a thermos to the yard!).

I used to use laundry blue bags but haven't been able to find them recently so thanks for the link!
		
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Totally agree but so hard to get silver highlights shampoo now


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## Highlands (12 January 2013)

Know a lot of people who tailgator heir tails ..... Not sure I like the idea but it gives them fab tails!


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## NinjaPony (13 January 2013)

I don't hunt but I have a nearly pure white Connie who I show at county level. Tail gets washed once a week with silver highlights shampoo so it is never very dirty or stained. 
Show days I dissolve silver highlights stain remover in a mug, add it to water, soak tail then rinse. Works like magic. Then coat tail in show shine, and pop in a bag, take out of bag at show. Voila, clean tail.
Pony is fully clipped in winter bar legs and half a head, wash legs with warm water and silver shampoo then put on thermatex leg wraps to dry them off and keep them clean.Spray hocks and knees with showshine. Hot cloth body, remove stains with warm water then put on snuggy hood and snuggy jams rug which covers the tummy so no poo stains underneath. Put appropriate weight rug on and done. It's hard work getting them clean so I do all I can to prevent him undoing it! Normally just have a couple of small stains in the morning that can be sponged off quickly.
Good job he's so lovely or I would think I was mad!


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## Darkly_Dreaming_Dex (14 January 2013)

Fairy non bio disolved in warm water is the only thing that gets OH's minging grey clean for hunting- it lifts all the yellow out- but always rinse well and use conditioner as its rather drying.


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## newalclover (15 January 2013)

Darkly_Dreaming_Dex said:



			Fairy non bio disolved in warm water is the only thing that gets OH's minging grey clean for hunting- it lifts all the yellow out- but always rinse well and use conditioner as its rather drying.
		
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that spotty cruising cob got hosed down after we hunted he shivered like a big baby  looked alot better after Roger hosed him tho


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## Darkly_Dreaming_Dex (15 January 2013)

Its a hot horse wash on our truck so the poor darling doesn't get cold and he loves his full neck thermatex and travel boots to snuggle in on the way home  its lovely to have a dry clean horse off the box to put to bed


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## tootsietoo (15 January 2013)

LOVE the idea of a hot wash in the box and having a clean dry horse when you get home.  Is that integral to the lorry, or one that you bought separately?

Some people do reckon that a cold wash is better because warm water opens the pores and lets the bugs in, causing mud rash/fever.  Not sure if that is just an excuse for not getting hot water!


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## Darkly_Dreaming_Dex (15 January 2013)

tootsietoo said:



			LOVE the idea of a hot wash in the box and having a clean dry horse when you get home.  Is that integral to the lorry, or one that you bought separately?

Some people do reckon that a cold wash is better because warm water opens the pores and lets the bugs in, causing mud rash/fever.  Not sure if that is just an excuse for not getting hot water!
		
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its a horse friendly pressure washer and we have two tanks that are filled at the yard- the insulated one is hot for the body and the other is cold for legs to avoid letting bugs in  mobywash (£150 ish) or claas ohlsen (  identical but half the price) do a portable rechargeable one very reasonably priced  OH made ours- he's clever like that


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## Highlands (15 January 2013)

NinjaPony said:



			I don't hunt but I have a nearly pure white Connie who I show at county level. Tail gets washed once a week with silver highlights shampoo so it is never very dirty or stained. 
Show days I dissolve silver highlights stain remover in a mug, add it to water, soak tail then rinse. Works like magic. Then coat tail in show shine, and pop in a bag, take out of bag at show. Voila, clean tail.
Pony is fully clipped in winter bar legs and half a head, wash legs with warm water and silver shampoo then put on thermatex leg wraps to dry them off and keep them clean.Spray hocks and knees with showshine. Hot cloth body, remove stains with warm water then put on snuggy hood and snuggy jams rug which covers the tummy so no poo stains underneath. Put appropriate weight rug on and done. It's hard work getting them clean so I do all I can to prevent him undoing it! Normally just have a couple of small stains in the morning that can be sponged off quickly.
Good job he's so lovely or I would think I was mad!
		
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I did have a slightly blue tinge to my tail once.... Using champion stain remover, very funny!


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## Charem (15 January 2013)

Highlands said:



			I did have a slightly blue tinge to my tail once.... Using champion stain remover, very funny!
		
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I took a pony out last year who had a slight purple tinge all over! 

Pony's owner, a very sweet young girl offered to bath said pony for me and left the magic stain removing shampoo on just a little too long. It was however a great conversation starter.


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