Keeping Your Horse's Coat White

Although gray horses and albinos are beautiful, keeping your horse's coat white can be a chore. Horses are naturally dirty creatures and horses with white in their coats are prone to manure stains, urine stains and mud, regardless of how often you groom them. To keep your horse's coat white, you can use some of the following tips and tricks I've picked up over the years.

Don't Bathe Too Often

When you're trying to keep your horse's coat white, you might be tempted to bathe in two or three times a week, just because you're tired of looking at the blotches on his coat. Bathing your horse too often is dangerous, however, as it depletes his skin of natural oils that keep his coat shiny and healthy. Frequent baths can also irritate the skin, causing patches of hair to fall out or creating rashes.

A good rule of thumb is to bathe your horse once every two weeks. You can groom him every day, however, and if you use products like Show Sheen and Cowboy Magic, it will be easier to curry or brush the stains away, keeping your horse's coat white as long as possible.

In Between Bathings

If your horse's coat is really difficult to keep white and you're frustrated by not being able to bathe him as often as you'd like, try rubbing baking soda into the spots. You can use a curry comb to make sure that it intermingles with the stain, then brush it out thoroughly after letting it sit for a few minutes. This is cheaper than using some of the more expensive products and will work for light to medium stains.

Look for the Colors

Colored shampoos are usually the best for keeping your horse's coat white. Products like Mrs. Stewart's Bluing Coat Whitener (a blue shampoo) and White Out (which is purple) work great as light-refracting solutions and whiteners. Just make sure that you dilute colored shampoos (usually at a ratio of 4:1) and wash it all away before you start to dry your horse off.

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