Tip #1: Weekly Bathes · Keeping your horse as clean as possible through-out the summers is key! · Do the basics; shampoo, condition (tip; you can leave conditioner in your horses tail, as long your rinse it off the tail bone. In fact I would recommend it. After the tail has dried. I will braid it, lather it from the end of the tail bone down in conditioner and put it in a tail bag.) · Do the "not basics"; sheath cleaning, oil hoofs, braid manes. Yes braid even your male horse’s manes. It surprises me how many people and horse owners think it is a fashion statement. Braiding manes will keep the mane off the neck and cause less sweating. If the horse sweets less, less dirt sticks to them, which is less of an irritant, thus less itching.
Tip#2: Lysol bathes · This something I do once a month during the summer · You do this after a regular bathe · Directions; Fill up the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket about half an inch with Lysol, or pin sol or whatever you want to use. Fill the rest of the bucket up with water. You want to m · Make sure it is very diluted. Then taking a large sponge, you are going to sponge the solution onto the horse, against the grain of their hair. Let dry. · The reason for doing this is its going to kill any warm, bug, or larva burring itself into your horses coat. If it helps, think of it like this. We de-worm from the inside of our horses, this is kind of like de-worming from the outside of your horse.
Tip #3: Fly control · The obvious, keep a clean stall, put up fly traps · Add some skin-so-soft to your fly sprays. This is going to not only help with the fly/bug repellent of the fly spray. It’s going to add some oil and moisture to your horse’s skin. So they are less dry and flaky (Lysol bathes tend to dry out the skin, this will compensate for that), so they are less itchy. BUT if they do decide they need to get a good itch in. The skin is more able to take the abrasion without scabbing.
Tip#4: Spray your horses off after your rides. · Goes back to the sweat idea. After you ride, the horse is sweaty. Just like you when your sweet dries and has dirt stuck to it. It’s itchy and all you can think about is rinsing it off. Rinsing them off after a ride is going to wash the sticky sweat off, and add some moisture to their skin while your add it. Make sure you have a shady place for them to dry off. · I will also spray them down with a leave in conditioner, or skin so soft, or a mixture of whatever concoction I have in the trailer. I try to do this every day, even when I don’t ride. You don’t want to spray them before you ride, but after your ride and spray them down, I found has been the easiest for me. I will also leave them tied up while I feed or do other chores for a few minutes, allowing them to dry before putting them up.
Tip#5: Benadryl. · Bugs are going to happen. Bumps and itches are just inevitable. So when they get bit and the lumps form. Benadryl is a cheap, quick and easy solution to kick the hives. BUT be careful. You can easily overdo it. You won’t want to give it to them more than 2 days in a row. Make sure you’re giving it to them at night after you’re done for the day. And make sure you are dosing them correctly. They should get one 25mg tablet per 100 pounds. I have found that you usually don’t need to give it to the more than one time.
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