Removing grease #’s from your endurance horse after a ride

Here I am taking Bo for a walk on the trail the day after we got home from Tevis. You can clearly see the #49 on his butt. It's about to come off!

I really dislike having those awful grease #’s on my horses.  Fortunately, most rides that I go to do not use them.  It reminds me of a horse that came from an auction.  I’m sure for some it’s like having a badge of honor.  But at some point, it’s just nice to have it off of your horse!

Here is a step by step guide on how to remove grease numbers for your endurance horse’s behind.  Photos at the bottom refer to each item in the instructions.  Click on the photos to enlarge them.

1)  Get everything together that you will need – a medium stiff brush, a wash mitt, a curry comb, horse shampoo, a degreaser (dishwashing detergent works too), bucket and water hose.  I’m using “Gojo” for a degreaser, and Eqyss medicated horse shampoo.

2)  Start by getting the horse wet.  This is a good time to do an entire bath, if your horse needs it.

3)  Apply some degreaser to the brush and then scrub gently over the area with the number.

4)  Rinse and repeat, this time with the wash mitt.

5)  Rinse again and then reapply more of the degreaser with either the brush or the wash mitt.  It is easier on the horse if you do this in stages rather than a huge amount of “scrubbing” all at once.

6)  Use the metal curry comb to GENTLY to remove any last little bits of the grease.  Take your time and be extra careful.  If you are too aggressive your horse will not like this part!

7)  Rinse again then shampoo with the regular horse shampoo.  This will ensure that all of the degreaser has been removed.  Some horses may be sensitive skinned so you want to do this entire process as quickly as possible while making sure to remove ALL of the degreaser and shampoo.

Now you should at least have removed the majority, if not all, of the grease marker.  Remember to be gentle as some horses will be more sensitive about all of the “scrubbing” on their behinds.  I can tell you that of Bo’s entire Tevis experience, this was probably the one thing he disliked the most!  I made it up to him by giving him a small mash and then walking him around the neighborhood while he dried off and then letting him graze.  He was okay with that .

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Finished!