Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
I posted a picture on Facebook the other day of my laundry pile. Not my laundry of course, but my horses' dirty clothes. Based on the comments and likes the photo received, it got me thinking about what a universal problem horse laundry can be. In the last year, we upgraded our old, top load washer for a much larger front load machine. Horse laundry has gotten much easier. In the top load machine, I could wash two pads at a time and maybe a girth and a pair of gloves. With our larger front load, I split the 5 dressage pads, half pad, 2 girths, and 3 pairs of DSB boots into two piles and washed it all with ease.
Since it is either HOT here in California, or only moderately cold, I always hang everything to dry, no dryer needed. But what do you cold climate folks do? It's hard to line dry when the temperatures are freezing (literally!). So, do you lug it all to the laundromat, do it at home like me, or are you one of those lucky souls with a washing machine at the barn? It's time to air our dirty laundry. Let me know how YOU do it!
I'm lucky enough to have a washer/dryer at the barn, and the barn staff does all the laundry for us (so their machine and septic system aren't ruined by careless launderers!). That's a crazy benefit I've never enjoyed before!
lytha
7/18/2016 06:51:53 am
Austen, I like your idea of vacuuming first. Similarly, I blast my girth or pad with the hose on full power before washing, to get most of the hair out. Sometimes that takes care of the stuff altogether. I use a slicker brush on the wool regularly. 7/18/2016 10:46:40 am
A funny story for you, Lytha. When we were in Italy (along the Amalfi Coast), we rented a very cute apartment/house with a washing machine, no dryer. Like every other house, the clothes line was along the balcony as there were no yards since all of the homes were built into the cliff or hillside. 7/18/2016 10:40:06 am
Fascinating! It never occurred to me that humidity would be the problem, although it should have since I have had that problem line drying clothes when I've been in central America. It is so dry here, that things come out of the washer almost dry. I hang more than half of my regular laundry on a drying rack that stands next to my dryer. Even in winter it dries quickly.
I'm lucky that my barn also has a washer/dryer. I try to wash Penn's fly sheet and mask on Saturdays after he comes in and while I'm riding. We have a big industrial fan that's near Penn's stall, so I just hang things on his blanket bar and they're ready to use again later. Sometimes I'll wash boots or saddle pads there, but the washer is small and I worry about things being damaged. 7/18/2016 10:49:21 am
Having a big space to let everything dry would be really nice. Most of the time my patio chairs do the trick. Lately though I've had to move stuff to the garage because of a certain 8 month old lab puppy. LOL I take my winter/fall blankets to the local wash/mend provider for a low cost wash, once a year. I don't have mud, and washing only once helps maintain the factory waterproof. I use a thin baby liner under my saddle pads, I wash the baby liner often but my nice saddle pads stay clean longer. I do wash pads and polo wraps in my washer . I don't have flies, so my fly sheet is just to keep my horse clean during show times. I wash it in a bucket of soapy water. 7/18/2016 10:51:49 am
I don't use a fly sheet anymore, but when I did, I used your technique: fly sheets and masks get dunked in a bucket. I don't use a baby liner, but I rotate pads so they last longer. Speedy's stuff hardly ever needs washing as he isn't a huge sweater. Izzy on the other hand sweats like a 17 year old boy so his stuff is always super gross! LOL 7/18/2016 09:28:16 am
I wash all horse items at home, including winter blankets. I specifically bought the biggest size non-commercial washer and dryer available so I could do my own. Love my LG front load washer and dryer! 7/18/2016 10:53:29 am
I love the socks tip. As I listened to my girths clanking around in the washer, I winced every time. What a racket. I am definitely going to try your tip next time!
jenj
7/18/2016 09:30:01 am
Since my house is my barn (or vice-versa), everything gets dumped in our giant front-loader. When the motor on our 4 year old washer needed maintenance, the repair guy did suggest that when I kill our current machine, I should look into an industrial model. I don't know how he knew, but he did... 7/18/2016 10:54:28 am
With TWO riders, your laundry needs REQUIRE a super-sized machine. LOL 7/18/2016 11:07:37 am
Ugh ... nothing would ever get washed. I don't even know where a laundromat is!
Val
7/18/2016 11:15:23 am
Horse laundry is a huge issue. I will only buy thin saddle pads that are easy to wash. I always hang them to dry in my basement or outside and I definitely pull off excess hair before washing. If they are realIy grimy, I hose them off first. I also try to wash something unimportant after horse laundry because I worry about leftover barn germs. 7/18/2016 12:25:25 pm
I do most everything at home. My big winter blankets (anything 300g or over) I get done at the local tack shop because my machine just isn't quite big enough. Anything that gets washed in the winter (and fall, and spring, oh the joys of Alberta) get hung over the laundry room door to dry. If I've got a ton to do it gets spread around the doors of the rest of the house. (thank goodness for supportive spouses) Comments are closed.
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About the Writer and RiderI am a lifelong rider.
I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010. Welcome to my dressage journey. About Speedy GSpeedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
About IzzyIzzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
National Rider AwardsState Rider Awards
State Horse Awards
Working Towards:
CDS Sapphire Rider Award Third Level: 63.514% Third Level: 62.105% Fourth Level: Fourth Level: 2023 Show Season
Show Rating (***) CDS/USDF/USEF (*) CDS (s) Schooling (c) Clinic (r) Ride-a-Test Clinic 2023 Show Schedule
TBD 2023 Completed … Pending 2023 Qualifying Scores
Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Training Level 3 Scores/2 Judges/60%: Score 1: Score 2: Score 3: Archives
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