As I talk with people across the country about working with horses, more specifically about horse care and grooming, quite often people will ask about what type of products they should be using for their horses. My response more often than not is a discussion about the goals of the horse grooming process itself.
First and foremost, grooming is an excellent way to get a feel for the horse. Over the years I have learned to take as much as necessary to prepare the horse whether it is a short trail ride or an extensive workout. This time includes going over the horse with my hands to look for skin problems or sore muscles. This is followed by a thorough curry and brushing. The grooming products must aide in this process of cleaning up the horse as well as helping both the horse and myself relax and begin focusing on each other. I also learned to select products that, when left on the horse for an extended period of time, contributed to the comfort of the horse.
Early in my riding career, I can remember cleaning up the horse for a show or after a trail ride. I would return my horse to her paddock area after cleaning her up and note that the first thing she would do is roll in the dirt. Why I would ask? When I noticed that the tails of our horses were dry, I would apply a popular hair moisturizer, only to see filth and grunge continue to collect. The treatments often encouraged rubbing after a period of time.
These and other discouraging experiences led me to question the use of some popular horse and human products. As a chemist I began to read ingredient labels very carefully, questioning the reasoning for the use of certain ingredients in these products. As a horse owner and trainer I began to compare the horse grooming process to that of the human grooming process. There were definite differences that came to mind. As a result, I concluded that the use of human products would not be effective for ongoing care of my horses. I began to formulate products that would meet the needs of horses.
What were some differences that I observed?
1. First of all, horses are not typically bathed every day. I often ask people how they feel after camping out for 2 or 3 days without taking a shower. Most people admit they feel itchy and filthy. Why I ask. “Were you out rolling in the dirt with your horse?” Not likely. However, many of the products that are developed for human use contain every effective moisturizers, usually different types of oils or emollients that serve as moisture barriers. These products tend to coat our skin, keeping it soft and shiny but at the same time slowly attract filth and dust. Human products are designed to go on in the morning after a shower or bath, come off the next day and then be replenished again. The same is true of the conditioners that are used for hair. They contain moisturizers that coat the hair, soften it, giving it a nice shine. However, they will attract filth.
In addition, we then apply spray polishes that also coat the hair giving it a beautiful shine but the ingredients then dry the hair causing static electricity that also attracts filth.
The alternative for horse grooming is to use ingredients that do not build up on the hair and skin. I suggest selecting products that do not leave waxy or oily residues that attract filth. Select a pH-balanced shampoo that will not dry out hair and skin. A pH in the range of 5.5 to 6.5 is desirable. The shampoo should be a type that does not scum up in hard water since hard water is found in most barns. These soapy-hardness residues leave an oily film on the hair and are hard to rinse out. Most human products are designed for softened water systems.
A wider range of ingredients can be used in detanglers and polishes for human products because they are washed out and applied on a daily basis. Horse detanglers and polishes should contain less waxes, oils and heavy silicones, especially if they are not washed out daily. An alternative is to select products that have humectant type moisturizers that attract and hold moisture but do not build up or make the hair brittle.
2. My second concern dealt with fragrances for they are equally important in the grooming process. I truly believe that poorly selected fragrances were another reason my horses would roll after being groomed. Fragrances serve one of two purposes in nature: To attract insects for pollination or to repel them, minimizing damage to the plant or fruit. Flowery fragrances, often found in human products, while quite pleasant, will attract insects. Leafy or woody fragrances will most likely repel insects. We put our most cherished items in a cedar chest for a reason. Nature has given the leaves of plants fragrances that hopefully will help protect its “food producing factory”. Citronella, lavender, and rosemary are such examples.
Fragrances that smell like horse treats can linger in the coat. This can lead to undesirable chewing of one horse on another.
Overall, the only type of grease I recommend for horses is “elbow grease”. Beyond that, I recommend using grooming products that are designed for horse care. That is, select products that do not build up on the coat and do not dry the hair or skin. Select products with fragrances that help the horse blend into nature rather than applying product fragrances that stand out for the insects to find. Unless you intend to bath your horse daily in the same fashion we humans do in Western culture, choose products that are designed to be left on the horse for an extended period of days without attracting filth or drying the coat. These products can easily and cost effectively be incorporated into a positive horse grooming program that works for both the horse and rider.
Thomas N. Tweeten, PhD
ATH Science, Inc., April 2005
Published in: Women & Horses, 1 (2):34 (2005).
PK Publishing Group, Inc.
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