What Shampoos and conditions to use?

[Lori]

What shampoos and conditioners does everyone like/dislike? There are so many to choose from. I've bought some in the past that I didn't like so I thought maybe I could get some ideas. I have a cremello so I'm not sure about the whitening/blue shampoo for him?? Thanks in advance. Lori

 

[disneyhorse]

Oh well color of the horse makes a huge difference!

Washing your horse regularly and keeping him/her out of urine-soaked areas will keep your horse most stain-free.

I like QuicSilver the best, it is pretty concentrated and is good for the stained areas. Most horse shampoos are okay for the body for routine shampooings. Remember that the bluing shampoos will dry out the coat.

My favorite conditioner is Pantene (the human kind!) and the specific kind to look for is the "smooth and sleek" kind to yield a very soft coat. AFTER you are done, and your horse is still damp, apply ShowSheen or LaserSheen to the coat to repel future stains.

For really tough stains you can try dish soap, liquid bluing, OxyClean, Betadine Scrub, and even bleach. But remember to use this products SPARINGLY as they are not meant for hair and will dry it out and damage it quickly.

Keeping on TOP of keeping the horse clean will give you the healthiest, shiniest coat. Those trainers with sparkling white soft show horses don't get it just by giving them one really good bath...

Everyone has their favorite product; lots of stuff works.

Andrea

 

[Jill]

I like quick silver for whitening, but actually, it wouldn't surprise me if all the blue whitening shampoos are about the same.

For conditioning the mane and tail, I ran out of Straight Arrow Mane & Tail Conditioner once so used what I had on hand, which was ThermaSilk conditioner. I actually liked the job it did A LOT better than the horse conditioners I had used before. It made the hair so silky but it was not weighted down at all. It works great!

 

[chandab]

I bought a fairly new shampoo recently, that is just great for ease of use; although, I don't know that it cleans any better than the other varieties. It's "Grand Champion spray-on" shampoo; it's NOT a dry shampoo, but a regular bath shampoo that you spray on the coat, instead of mixing with water in a bucket. It was so easy and convient to use.

My favorite detangler/conditioner is Hair Moisturizer by Healthy HairCare Products. It has lanolin in it and has worked wonders for conditioning and detangling my horses manes and tails. It's a concentrate that you mix with water and spray on. www.healthyhaircare.com

 

[horsesmakeubroke]

Grinz, I'll probably get shot for this but we use the cheapest washing up detergent we can get, usually from a superstore called Lidl (Ireland and rest of Europe i think) at 36c for a litre. It washes out easily, unlike the more expensive brands and leaves the coat clean and silky. We've never had a reaction from it either. We then leave the mane and tail to dry naturally and spray furniture polish on the hair before brushing out. It's the best and cheapest detangler we've ever come across!

Kate

 

[Lauralee]

I like the Cowboy Magic products the best.

Also I sometimes use the blue/purple whitening shampoos on light colored horses to brighten them up.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

I love the shampoos and conditioner from Oster. The best I have ever used. It makes there coats and mane/tails so shiny and soft. The conditioner really makes there mane and tail tangle free. For a show sheen I love Jeffers show sheen.

The worst shampoo I've used to be quite honest is QuickSilver. Made my horse's hair really dry and no matter how much I rinsed her off she was still blue. Never again did I use that.

Another good shampoo is from Tomyln, but I got it from Jeffers. They had shampoo for whites, blacks, and reddish horses. It's good too. Still like the Oster best.

 

[Loess Hills]

Before a big show, love the Cowbow Magic Shampoo, and Conditioner. Works great on the dog, too, really gets our little West Highland Terrier white!

For other needs and for white tails there is a cheaper shampoo called Wonder Blue, which works well.

 

[shane]

well having to wash a white horse all the time, i have tried EVERY kind of whitening shampoo out there and so has my purse :bgrin ive even had a purple rinsed horse at a show once because i tried to wash him with the purle stufff grannys use, BAD IDEA ............the best shampoo ive used yet has to be coat white for DOGS it unbelievable

: i love it and wont use anything else,it makes life easier let me tell you because my pig of a horse lol seems to find dirt in a clean trainer hes unbelievable

: but i love him to bits lol

 

[Jess P]

I use Cowboy Magic shampoo for my solids and Quic Silver for my grey/white pinto. I always use Vetrolin conditioner. It keeps them nice and soft.

 

[MyLilShowGirl]

My fav. shampoo is Orval Paste. I get it at my local tack store...works great...dont need to use a lot...lasts FOREVER. Its great stuff. And for conditioner....I just use any ppl shampoo..works just the same.

For white...id use dishsoap or the whitening shampoo :aktion033:

-Kris

 

[Rachel]

A shampoo I really like and have used for years is Wonder Blue. It's not a "bluing" shampoo as it won't stain the horse a weird color if you leave it on too long. It's great on any color and rinses out quick. I just recently tried the Vetrolin conditioning shampoo and loved it! I hear it works great on dogs too. As far as conditioner goes, I use whatever is around usually Thermasilk or Suave. Thermasilk especially seems to work nice on a horse. One shampoo I really don't like is the Straight Arrow Mane & Tail!!!

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

Isn't it funny - everyone likes something different!

We have a variety of different things we use, depending on horse and the time of year.

First shampoo of the year (after winter/before clipping) it usually a mild solution of Dawn liquid to get through the dirt with any shampoo, followed by a thick coat of human conditioner (dollar store stuff), rinsed out well.

Show season we use Quik Color, followed by Vetrolin Conditioner or one of the human leave in conditioners. We have one horse that breaks his mane hair - I swear by looking at it, so we're especially carefully with his mane. I've wanted to try the hot oil treatments on him.

My good friend swears by Rio Vista Shampoo and Mane&Tail conditioner. Her horses do look amazing, but I've never tried Rio Vista Shampoo yet.

 

[dawnsminis]

I've always used the same one; Superpoo by Absorbine. It smells good and makes them really soft & shiny. I like Cowboy Magic Detangler for mane & tail.

 

[CritrSitr]

I really like Cowboy Magic conditioners. They work great on my poor neglected little monsters.

I recently purchased color enhancing shampoos (one for white and one for bay) from Jeffers and am very pleased with them.

Marlene