horse rugs on hotblooded horses

Cleaning your horse rugs.

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horse rugs

You don’t wear dirty clothes, and neither should your precious horse. Cleaning your horse rugs is vital if you want to prolong the life of your rug and get a good moneys worth of time out of it. In saying that, cleaning your horse rugs is not as easy as cleaning your t-shirt. And specific rugs can require different ways of cleaning. In this article we will talk about 3 different ways of cleaning and what rugs require which method.

Professional Service

Professional rug cleaners can be quite expensive, but they are well worth it as they also will do repairs on your rugs if need be. Also, your horse can gather up a lot of dirt which could be an overwhelming job for just yourself. These guys do know what they are doing so you could get them to come out just so you can watch and learn for yourself in future. Another reason to hire professionals is if you just simply do not have the time on your hands.

Washing Machine

For starters, only smaller and lighter horse rugs can be machine washable and even then some are still not. But, even if it is machine washable make sure there isn’t a large accumulation of dirt as it could strain and clog your machine. If you are going to be using this method, please follow the instructions as there are a few different requirements depending on your type of rug.

By Hand

Now, this can be a bit of a workout, but a very rewarding one for you and your horse. Remove all straps from the rugs and place in a washable bag like a pillow case or washing bag. Add detergent or something similar to get rid of any odours. Lay your rugs over something like a fence to make it easy access for cleaning. Get your hard-bristled brush and scrub off any dirt or debris on the rug. Now, flip it over and do the same on the inside removing any sweat and hair left behind. There is always some.

Get some non-bio soap it reduces risk or irritating sensitive skin. Put some in a tub or big bucket with some hot water and mix together. Then simply dunk your rug under using a broom or mop, something stick-like. Push it around making sure you have covered the whole horse rugs in soapy water, then let it soak.

Take the rug out and lay it on a clean floor spread out. using your brush again, scrub out any stubborn stains still left on. You will then rinse your nice clean rug off with some cold water and hang it out to dry. Never store or use your rug before it is completely dry.

Now you it’s time to get those horse rugs clean and keep your beautiful animal happy. Also, if you have any tips or tricks on how to make any of these processes any easier, please let us know by commenting on our Facebook page. Bang for your buck has a wide variety of horse rugs available for purchase. See for yourself on our online store.

tick free horse in field not wearing horse rug

Finding and removing ticks on your horse.

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Horse ticks and parasites that you should watch out for include ticks, lice, worms and bots. The main ticks are the Australian cattle ticks, New Zealand cattle ticks and paralysis ticks. Cattle ticks are most commonly found in Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, Northern Territory and the warmer parts of New Zealand.

Paralysis ticks are mainly found in the East coast of Australia. These ticks of course cause paralysis but can sometimes be enough to kill a young foal. Fully developed horses are more resistant to the fatal side, but can still be paralysed by this horse tick.

So, how to tell if your horse has ticks?

Horses will rub and lick around the area that is attached. If your horse is laying or resting for long periods or laboured breathing and rubbing against fences, they could be irritated with a horse tick. And those are just some of the many symptoms your horse will show if they have a tick. To find out more you can see here at www.wagwalking.com.

Now, how to remove a tick if your horse does have one?

There are of course tick removal kits, but you could also use needle point tweasers. Use the tweasers to grab the tick by the head which will be mostly dug into the horses skin. Then twist the head out counter clockwise, make sure you have it by the head or it could detach and get left under the horses skin. Also make sure not to squeeze to hard when pulling the tick out as it can regurgitate into the horses skin.

Ticks can be found anywhere, but tend to be where there is long hair. Like the tail, the mane or the ears and can even be found on their fetlock. Which is at the back of the heel of some specific horses. They can also be found in places like the armpit, girth and the flanks, where the horse is warm and fleshy.

Brushing your horse regularly will help locate a horse tick and pull it out before it does any damage. Washing your horse and keeping a rug on it also helps. Which you can purchase from our store here.

tick free horse