Having problems every time you try to give your horse a bath? Want to know the reason why?
Horses hate being clean. Oils and dirt are part of the important skin surface protection horses need against insects and the elements. It’s actually not all that healthy for your horse to be squeaky clean all the time. This may not necessarily be the only?or even the primary? reason why your equine friend hates a horse bath, but it’s something to think about.
Think about what a jet of spraying water coming toward your horse might be like for him. Mother Nature didn’t prepare him for water coming out of a hose and pursuing him. If he hates having a bath, it may just be that he’s afraid of water being sprayed on him.
How To Wash A Horse With Ease
The solution to the problems you encounter when attempting to give your horse a bath requires a two-pronged approach:
First, if you can develop your horse’s trust in you, then, when it comes to horse bath time, his confidence in you (and your buckets, hoses, brushes, and other cleaning paraphernalia) will prevail in a sort of a ?trust me, trust my toys? dynamic.
The second approach is gradual desensitization.
It is up to you to prove that you and this thing you are approaching with are not going to kill the horse, so in the beginning a horse bath involves a lot of retreat. Horses are afraid of things that come towards them; the more you can back away while spraying the water, the better. Spray slowly towards, and quickly away, repeating and repeating until you can finally allow the water to touch him and he’s not concerned.
How to wash a horse without traumatizing him is all about recognizing ‘thresholds’ of how close he’ll allow the water, and about you not crossing his threshold until he’s unconcerned. Most people don’t take the time to do what it takes, so they end up fighting their horse every time they try to give him a bath. But if you take the time to show the horse that you care about him and his fears, and that you are willing to do what it takes to gain his confidence, it will pay off. Yes, it will take a little time to build his confidence, but once you’ve done it, your horse bath hassles will be over.
For more information, go to?www.Parelli.com.
