WENT TO PICK UP NEW PONY......CAME HOME WITH "BONUS" PONY!!

[Mini Horses]

Not dumb -- If really a warm day, hose is fine. I then used a scraper to get most off, the some towel & brush them If not windy & tied in sun, they dry pretty quick. NOTE: do not let them loose wet, they WILL ROLL. Then all the hard work is for nil. Also, I have used warm water while washing and the colder to rinse. A lot depends on the weather that day.

If you haven't bathed on in a while...reminder, start water with light pressure, at the shoulder area and work slowly. They normally are ok with that not just hard hosing and not at head first. I start shoulders up neck most of way, and work back slow over rest of body. Wet, lather, rinse.

Scraper -- if you don't have one, is cheap at any feed store that has some horse supplies. AND many curry comps are toothed on one side, smooth on other, that can be used to scrape the water off. Life squeegee on windows. Start at top of sides, down hips, legs and belly last.

These guys will probably be fine. Now, that younger one may be a PIA...he looks a little antsy. I'd do the two new boys and get him later.

 

[Mini Horses]

Not dumb -- If really a warm day, hose is fine. I then used a scraper to get most off, the some towel & brush them If not windy & tied in sun, they dry pretty quick. NOTE: do not let them loose wet, they WILL ROLL. Then all the hard work is for nil. Also, I have used warm water while washing and the colder to rinse. A lot depends on the weather that day.

If you haven't bathed on in a while...reminder, start water with light pressure, at the shoulder area and work slowly. They normally are ok with that not just hard hosing and not at head first. I start shoulders up neck most of way, and work back slow over rest of body. Wet, lather, rinse. Wet cloth to do face if they get upset with hose/water on face. that's normally the most problematic.

Scraper -- if you don't have one, is cheap at any feed store that has some horse supplies. AND many curry combs are toothed on one side, smooth on other, that can be used to scrape the water off. Life squeegee on windows. Start at top of sides, down hips, legs and belly last. Do one, tie him up short, so he can lay down, give him a hay bag, so he can eat and dry while #2 gets his treatment.

These guys will probably be fine. Now, that younger one may be a PIA...he looks a little antsy. I'd do the two new boys and get him later.

OK -- TMI....but, if you haven't done it in a while, may be nice to get a refresher. Of course, a helper be nice.

 

[Bunnylady]

Horses that live in the lap of luxury (like the Arabians around the corner from me) have access to a wash stall with hot and cold taps, plus radiant heaters to help them dry off comfortably. My crew are not so blessed. At this time of year, my girls are well on their way with their winter woolies; since I don't clip them, bathing at this time gets to be quite a production. Just getting them wet is a challenge, because that winter coat sheds water like a sheep. Once I get them all soaped up I have to rinse, rinse, rinse to make sure I get out any soap that made it all the way down to the skin. Then I probably will have to wash and rinse manes again - I don't know how they can stay grimy right at the roots, but they do (Blondie's a palomino, so her mane is cream-colored, Syd's mane is mostly white). I have used a shedding blade as a scraper to get most of the water off. If the outside temperature is below 70°, Blondie may wind up shivering; I have used armfuls of old towels to rub her dry (well, dry-er) and even a hair dryer to speed up the process. Last time I used it, "wig-out-first-ask-questions-later-Syd" had issues with the hair dryer (she frequently spooks at things coming over her back), so I wound up turning her bath into a de-spooking session. I'm so glad nobody saw that - me waving the hairdryer this way and that way and over my head, tapping on it with the brush; I looked like I was doing a routine from Hairspray.

But yeah, when you compare the new boys to tubby Toby, they do suffer a bit, don't they? I'm sure with a bit of good grub and routine care, they'll be lovely in no time. Just remember, though people hate to see a thin horse, horses (like people) aren't meant to be fat. There are a lot of animals (especially ponies) with chronically bad feet because well-meaning but overly-generous owners maintain them in a chronically overweight state. This is Syd, at what I consider good weight:

You can probably see her backbone and tail head to some degree. If she did any real work, she might put on enough muscle to fill her back out a bit, but (being mostly a yard ornament), additional weight usually just thickens her "waistline."

 

[drdoolittle]

Horses that live in the lap of luxury (like the Arabians around the corner from me) have access to a wash stall with hot and cold taps, plus radiant heaters to help them dry off comfortably. My crew are not so blessed. At this time of year, my girls are well on their way with their winter woolies; since I don't clip them, bathing at this time gets to be quite a production. Just getting them wet is a challenge, because that winter coat sheds water like a sheep. Once I get them all soaped up I have to rinse, rinse, rinse to make sure I get out any soap that made it all the way down to the skin. Then I probably will have to wash and rinse manes again - I don't know how they can stay grimy right at the roots, but they do (Blondie's a palomino, so her mane is cream-colored, Syd's mane is mostly white). I have used a shedding blade as a scraper to get most of the water off. If the outside temperature is below 70°, Blondie may wind up shivering; I have used armfuls of old towels to rub her dry (well, dry-er) and even a hair dryer to speed up the process. Last time I used it, "wig-out-first-ask-questions-later-Syd" had issues with the hair dryer (she frequently spooks at things coming over her back), so I wound up turning her bath into a de-spooking session. I'm so glad nobody saw that - me waving the hairdryer this way and that way and over my head, tapping on it with the brush; I looked like I was doing a routine from Hairspray.

But yeah, when you compare the new boys to tubby Toby, they do suffer a bit, don't they? I'm sure with a bit of good grub and routine care, they'll be lovely in no time. Just remember, though people hate to see a thin horse, horses (like people) aren't meant to be fat. There are a lot of animals (especially ponies) with chronically bad feet because well-meaning but overly-generous owners maintain them in a chronically overweight state. This is Syd, at what I consider good weight:
View attachment 66432 You can probably see her backbone and tail head to some degree. If she did any real work, she might put on enough muscle to fill her back out a bit, but (being mostly a yard ornament), additional weight usually just thickens her "waistline."

I agree, horses/ponies should not be fat. I'm hoping to get some weight off Toby...I don't think Wilbur and Sam's true condition really comes across in the photos.....