A lot of preparation can go into getting your horse ready for a show and making sure their coat is clean, free of stains, and has an eye-catching shine. Using the best horse shampoos, conditioners, and polishes for the job can help you achieve that show-ring look no matter how dirty or stained your horse may be! Regular bathing not only helps keep your horse cleaner, but can also help their coat look and feel healthier. Whether you need to remove manure stains with a color enhancing whitening shampoo, or treat fungus, cuts, wounds, or itchy skin with antifungal medicated shampoos for horses, we will go over our top 10 best horse shampoo picks so you can be well prepared for your horse’s next bath!
Picking The Best Horse Shampoo
Which is the best horse shampoo?
Finding the best regular horse shampoo can depend on what you are looking to achieve. If you want a general shampoo to use on any color horse, finding one that loosens dirt and dry skin from the hair while adding moisture back into the coat is especially important if you bath often.
How often should you bathe your horse?
You shouldn’t bathe your horse too often as it can strip the coat from natural oils needed for healthy skin. Limiting baths to every other week or once a month can be better for their coat unless you use quality conditioning shampoo products to add oils back into the coat and skin.
Best horse shampoo for shine?
Some of the best horse shampoos for shine not only make a coat look nicer but repel dirt and dust, keeping them looking healthy and clean while even making grooming faster as dirt is easily brushed off. Shampoos like Ultra® Conditioning Shampoo or Ultra® Enhanced Intense Brightening Shampoo are both great affordable options that work exceptionally well at adding a gorgeous shine to their coat.
Best horse shampoo for itchy skin?
If your horse has itchy skin, using a medicated horse shampoo for itchy skin conditions and fungus is an effective way at both treating and preventing those pesky skin issues or cleaning cuts and wounds.
Best horse shampoo for stain removing?
If you are looking for the best stain removing shampoos and color enhancing whitening shampoos, there are many products available that can get the job done. We picked our favorites when it comes to the best horse shampoos for stain removing with these tried and true options!
The Top 10 Best Horse Shampoos
- Ultra® Conditioning Shampoo is a great multi-purpose, and plant based, shampoo that can be used for everyday baths as it conditions hair while it cleans, without leaving residue or build-up while nourishing the coat. This is the best type of horse shampoo to use as you can use it as often as needed without worrying about drying out the coat and still having your horse look beautifully clean.
- E’3® Argan Oil Shampoo is a great option for frequent bathing or as a dry-shampoo. This shampoo is fortified with added vitamins and natural Argan oil to help replenish moisture into the coat. This product can even be used as a waterless shampoo by rubbing some into the coat and then toweling dry, without needing to rinse the hair, making it a great choice if you are trying to cut down on the number of full baths you give your horse or during cold weather.
- Knotty Horse™ Apricot Oil Brightening & Conditioning Shampoo is a popular horse shampoo that brightens hair and removes stains without stripping those important oils from the coat. It is a great option for horses with sensitive skin while it also calms and nourishes the skin.
- EquiFUSE® CitraFoam™ Shampoo not only smells great with a natural fragrance that neutralizes odors, but it also has a unique foaming action that lifts dirt, dander, and dust from deep in the hair while giving the hair a brilliant shine without stripping natural oils.
- Ultra® Medicated Tea Tree Shampoo effectively fights both bacterial and fungal infections like rain rot, scratches, mange, ringworm, and girth itch. This affordable medicated shampoo with tea tree oil is perfect for keeping on hand to use on everything from cuts, scrapes, sores, or skin crud and funk!
- Shapley’s™ Medi-Care™ Medicated Shampoo uses a combination of ingredients with antibacterial and antifungal properties to treat itchy skin, fungus, bacterial infections, and other skin issues for fast relief. You can also use this when competing at USEF and FEI competitions, making it a great option during horse shows.
- Equiderma™ Sulfate Free Neem & Arnica Shampoo fights numerous skin ailments while nourishing the coat, adding shine, and protecting the skin. This shampoo is calming for everything from hives, sweet itch, insect bites, or itchy tails with the ability to inhibit bacteria or fungus from growing.
- Ultra® Enhanced Intense Brightening Shampoo intensifies all coat colors, including white or light colored hairs, as it penetrates deep into the coat while it loosens and eliminates tough stains. This is a great shampoo choice for any color horse, especially grays, paints, and palominos, to really brighten up their coat and any socks or markings. Unlike other whitening shampoos, this shampoo is clear without any purple or blue dyes so it won’t stain hair or your hands when using it!
- Exhibitors™ Quic Silver shampoo is a well recognized choice if you’ve ever had a gray horse or one with white socks. This intense whitening shampoo optically alters the way light interacts with the hair, without using any bleach, bluing, or harsh chemicals to make light colored or white hair stand out. The iconic rich purple color of the shampoo safely turns dull, stained white hairs platinum white and ready for the show ring!
- Vetrolin® White N’ Brite shampoo deep cleans the hair while adding brilliance to coats, manes, and tails, leaving them soft and shiny. This shampoo brightens coats while it removes tough stains while also enhancing highlights on darker hair. If you are looking for lots of bubbles, this high sudsing shampoo is gentle enough for everyday use for a squeaky clean shine.
Whether you are getting ready for a horse show, photo shoot, or you just want your horse looking their best, using the best horse shampoos, conditioners, and polishes for the job can make sure you get the results you want at removing yellow stains and dirt, while achieving a soft, healthy, and shiny coat.
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