Cleaning Teats
Frequency: Whenever you bathe your mare. Grime or dirt builds up between a mare's teats (or udder), especially when a mare is not nursing a foal. Since she can't reach this area herself, she needs help keeping this area clean. Make it a regular part of your bathing routine, or clean between the teats more often if your mare is particularly prone to collecting dirt around her udder.
Use a mild soap or sheath-cleaning product to help break up the grime. Be gentle-your mare's udder is sensitive, and she may not think the cleansing is a good idea. Watch to make sure she isn't going to kick or strike in protest. Check for chapping, too. Rinse thoroughly and apply bag balm if necessary.
Combating Fungus
Frequency: Fungal infections are most prevalent during wet months. Treat skin fungus whenever it rears its scaly head.
Fighting fungus is a perennial problem for horse owners, especially in wet climates. It's an itchy, smelly, and contagious issue that takes some tenacity to conquer. Fungus causes such skin conditions as rain rot or scald (over the back), girth itch (behind the elbows), and scratches (on the legs).
Keep an antifungal treatment cream or spray on hand so you can take care of infections as soon as they arise. There are also several medicated, antifungal shampoos on the market.
To avoid spreading infection, regularly disinfect brushes, tack, cinches, and leg wraps and boots. Also avoid sharing brushes between horses by getting each animal its own set of supplies.
Cleaning & Treating Crusty Ears
Frequency: Whenever you notice a buildup of grime in your horse's ears. More often in the summer, when biting bugs are active.
Horse ears collect all kinds of dirt and gunk, as they should. The hair-lined, funnel-shaped outer ear is designed to protect the delicate parts of the inner ear. During warm months, tiny midges (sometimes referred to as no-see-ums) can bite and irritate ears, making the inside of the ear crusty or bloody. To clean your horse's ears, use a soft cloth that is slightly damp and well rung out-you don't want water to drip into the ear. Cup the ear with one hand, and gently wipe out any dirt or grime, starting from the bottom and working toward the tip. Make sure you're wiping the gunk up and out, and not into the horse's inner ear.
Clearing Eyes
Frequency: Whenever eye boogers present themselves. Most prevalent during allergy season, fly season, or windy weather.
Eye glop and weepy eyes are gross, but it's your job to clean them out of your horse's eyes. Otherwise, excess gunk could turn into conjunctivitis or an eye infection. Use a soft, damp cloth to wipe away any weepiness and goop in the corner of your horse's eyes. To clean out the actual eye, you can flush the area with regular old saline solution.
Untangling Manes & Tails
Frequency: Get to tangles as soon as you notice them. Otherwise, they'll just get worse.
Use a comb, your fingers, and a good detangling solution to loosen hair knots. Start at the bottom, and work your way up. If you don't have a detangler on hand, try using a big glop of peanut butter on the knot. (FYI, peanut butter is also great for getting tree pitch out of your horse's mane, tail, or hair coat.)
Quality Time
The list might seem long, but don't feel intimidated. Just set aside some time several times a week to spend grooming and maintaining your horse, and take care of trouble when it arises so you can prevent issues from becoming problems. Your new horse will appreciate the extra attention, and you'll enjoy getting to know him even better.
