SmartPak Monday Morning Feed: How to Keep Your Pinto Clean
As the owner of any light-colored horse knows, our equine pals are experts at dyeing the lighter parts of their body mud-brown. Fortunately, SmartPak understands and has these helpful tips on how to keep your Pinto (or any light colored horse, really) clean.
Originally published in the SmartPak blog. Written by SmartPaker Annina McMillan.
Photo courtesy of SmartPaker Annina McMillan
As the owner of a very adorable flashy dark bay tobiano with a particular love of dirt and mud, you can bet your bottom dollar I spend a lot of time just trying to get those white spots to look white again! Titan can go from impeccably clean to a mud ball faster than I can yell, “Please, don’t roll!”
Over the years, I have come to amass a variety of different tips and tricks to help keep my pig pen of a horse clean. Some are to help keep him clean, and others to help turn him from brown back to white! Here are the products that I love and help keep my horse looking his best:
Sleazy Sleepwear 3 Tube Tail Bag:
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For horses with quite a bit of white in their tails, it can be hard to keep those tails from becoming discolored. Keeping those tails nice and white is best, and I find a tail bag helps with that. Not only do these helps with keeping the tails from staining, it helps keep those fragile hairs from getting broken! The Sleazy Sleepwear 3 Tube Tail Bag is my personal favorite. Being able to separate into three groups and braid helps keep the hair smooth and tangle free. Plus, they hold up well and don’t slip!
SmartMesh Ultimate Fly Sheet:
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In the summer with a pinto or grey, not only do fly sheets keep flies off them, they also help keep them clean! The SmartMesh Ultimate Fly Sheet has been come my go to for this reason – I can turn my horse out in it, keeps flies off him while also allowing him to run and play and roll with his friends and keep him somewhat clean. The SmartMesh is perfect for summer as it’s breathable, plus it comes with a 3-year guarantee! With the 3-Year Durability Guarantee, if anything happens to this fly sheet within three years of your purchase, we’ll exchange it for a new one in the same size – no matter what! It’s that easy. Perfect for my horse that loves to play. I haven’t had any issues with durability, but it’s great to know if he does manage to rip it in the next 3 years, I can get a replacement.
SmartPak Ultimate Stable Sheet with COOLMAX® Technology:
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If it’s not too hot, throwing on stable sheet whenever Titan is inside is a great way to keep clean! This isn’t always possible during the summer due to the high temperatures but is a fantastic option on those cooler days or overnight. Since this SmartPak Ultimate Stable Sheet does come with COOLMAX technology that goes a great job of wicking away moisture, it keeps him dry for a wide range of temperatures. This is especially helpful overnight the day before a show to keep him as clean as possible to minimize any show day touch ups! Plus, like the fly sheet before, this comes with a 3-Year Durability Guarantee, so if my playful youngsters damage it, I can get a new one.
Cowboy Magic Super Body Shine:
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To help keep his coat clean, I love spraying this after baths or grooming. This actually helps repel dust, making it perfect to help keep Titan clean during dry dusty summer days. When Titan rolls or the wind kicks up dust, his coat will stay cleaner longer. This is perfect before shows as well, since it gives a little extra conditioning and shine. The Cowboy Magic Super Body Shine to really does bring out the richness in his coat. This conditioner leaves a wonderful sheen on the coat while drying fast (perfect if you’re busy and on a time crunch at the barn!). While I do not use this every day, I love to have it on hand for those days we need to look extra nice or stay a little cleaner.
Equiderma Neem Shampoo:
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For those days Titan is just too dirty to go another day without a bath, Equiderma Neem Shampoo is my go-to shampoo. It great at getting clean without being too drying and it rinses off so very easily! If Titan isn’t extremely dirty, I find the Equiderma Neem Shampoo is the only bottle I need to get my pinto nice and clean.
Vetrolin White ‘N Brite Shampoo:
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For the days we do need to be pristine, Vetrolin White ‘N Bright is perfect to get Titan’s white clean and as bright as possible! This I typically save for when I need to get Titan ready for a show or we have a particularly stubborn stain to remove. After washing with Equiderma Neem Shampoo, I use Vetrolin White ‘N Brite all over to get him squeaky clean, as I find it also brings out his dark bay patches as well. I find Vetrolin White ‘N Brite works best if after I lather it on, I let it sit for a few minutes. If needed, for spots that need a little extra help getting clean, I drizzle a bit on my sponge and put in a little elbow grease on those spots. For spot treatment, still let it sit for a few minutes, and then voilà! Titan now as bright, clean, white spots again!
Carr & Day & Martin Gallop® Stain Removing Shampoo:
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It doesn’t happen very often, but sometimes Titan has a stubborn stain. I always like to have a backup in this case, or have a little extra stain removing power before a show, and the Carr & Day & Martin Gallop® Stain Removing Shampoo is fantastic. This is perfect for stubborn stains on his white legs without too much scrubbing and fussing. For stains, I often let this sit for a minute or two, and then scrub it off nice and clean. Once the stain is removed, I come back with the Vetrolin White ‘N Bright to make sure those legs are really bright and glowing! The Carr & Day & Martin Gallop® Stain Removing Shampoo can also be used just by itself get bays, blacks, chestnuts, palominos, etc. clean in one go.
April Power Shower™ Sponge with Tiger’s Tongue:
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Besides elbow grease, a great sponge is necessary to get those grays, paints and pintos sparkling clean. The April Power Shower™ Sponge with Tiger’s Tongue is a dual sided sponge is a great all in one tool – the Tiger Tongue works great for those though stains and build up that need a little extra scrubbing, while the sponge side is soft and absorbent, perfect for getting Titan covered in shampoo head to toe! This sponge can also be used on dogs, so it’s also great to have on hand in case your pup gets into something a little extra fun while at the barn.
Haas Wash Stiff Brush:
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In addition to a great sponge, I really like having a great brush to use as well. The Haas Wash Stiff Brush I have found to be a personal favorite stiff brush. It works great at working off caked on mud around his pasterns and fetlocks. While this is designed to be a wash stiff brush, it works great for generally grooming as well. It’s designed to get wet. Perfect for some extra scrubbing that just needs the work of a brush, and you don’t have to worry about water damaging the brush!
Cowboy Magic Green Spot Remover:
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Since my pinto has a lot of white, I need something to help us keep clean in between baths. The Cowboy Magic Green Spot Remover is advertised as a bath in a bottle, and they are not kidding! I love how easy it is to use, just shake, spray on those spots that need some extra cleaning, curry those spots with my HandsOn Grooming Gloves, and wipe with a lightly damp cloth. Simple as that! Perfect for some little touch ups before lessons when I don’t have time to give him a good bath.
These are my favorite products for keeping my pinto clean. For those paint and pinto and gray owners, how do you keep your horse clean? Let us know in the Facebook comments!
Photo courtesy of SmartPaker Annina McMillan
You can find this and more on the SmartPak blog. Go SmartPak and go riding!
