It’s time to get your hands dirty and work wonders cleaning your grey horse.

Bathing provides you with the opportunity to examine your horse more closely for signs of injury and if using a mediated shampoo, this can help you eradicate skin irritations or conditions.

Bathing your horse is a great opportunity to not only transform your horse into a supermodel, but to take that time to bond with your horse or build on his basic manners.

It shouldn’t be a rushed affair, so allow plenty of time as it will ensure you not only do a proper job, but that your horse will have a more enjoyable experience.

Step 1 – To make bathing quicker brush off your horse to remove any loose mud or surface dandruff.

Use a clean or new headcollar when bathing, as you’ll find the grease and dirt from a well-used headcollar will rub off onto your horse’s face when wet.

Step 2 – If you don’t have a horse shower with warm water, boil a kettle and pour the water into a bucket adding cold water so it’s tepid.

Step 3 – Using a large sponge thoroughly wet your horse’s starting at his neck, mane and then across his whole body. It’s best wash his tail last, as you might find it requires several deep cleansing washes.

Step 4 – When washing your horse’s face, use a smaller sponge to get behind his ears, under the jaw and around his nostrils.

Ensure you don’t forget to scrub under your horse’s forelock so when rolling up his forelock plait the next day you don’t find any dandruff or old browband stains.

Step 5 – Pour a small amount of shampoo into your hand and then apply to your horse’s coat and mane rubbing deep into the roots till it lathers. Sometimes applying the shampoo directly onto the sponge can help increase the lather for a deep clean.

Step 6 – Ensure you rinse all the soap off with tepid water to avoid any embarrassment on a wet competition day when your horse turns into a cloud of bubbles and will be noticed for the wrong reason!

Step 7 – Scrap any excess water off your horse, this will make the drying time a lot quicker and will also show if there’s any soap left in the coat to rinse out.

Step 8 – Immediately, place a Thermatex or drying rug on your horse to avoid him getting a chill. If he’s still cold, apply a wool rug on top.

Remember if not using a Thermatex, you might need to change his rug regularly to avoid moisture sitting on his coat.