PRO TIP
Secrets to Brighter Whites
Christine “Chris” Knox Knox Farm Chesterfield, Idaho Knox Farm specializes in Connemaras and ConnemaraThoroughbred sport horses. Chris Knox is the current chair of the USEF Connemara Committee and USEF Breeders Committee. She also grooms for husband Philip when he competes in Fédération Equestre Internationale combined driving events with a four-in-hand team of homebred Connemaras. Knox uses two laundry products found in many grocery stores: Mrs. Stewart’s® Liquid Laundry Bluing and OUT™ White Brite® Laundry Whitener. She begins her ponies’ baths with a warm-water rinse from a hose and a onceover with a soft curry comb. “I put four to five squirts of bluing in a bucket of warm water as my wash water bucket,” Knox said. “Don’t put full-strength bluing directly on the coat or tail, or your horse will turn blue! I dip my sponge in the bluing water then put Orvus® Paste Shampoo on the sponge. I lather the coat and mane, and scrub out any dirt.” She finishes the routine by rinsing with a hose. Washing tails on her ponies requires a separate tried-and-true method. “I start by wetting the tail, then dip the tail in a bucket of bluing water, sponging some up onto the top of the tail,” Knox explained. “I follow that by lathering the tail with soap. Be sure to scrub down to the tail bone; it looks terrible to have a white tail that is brown at the roots. After washing thoroughly, rinse with a hose. “I then make a new bucket of water with White Brite. I don’t measure, but I’d guess it’s one-quarter cup of White Brite 38 WINTER ISSUE 2017
per gallon of water. Soak the end of the tail in the bucket and sponge some of the solution onto the top hairs, letting it sit for a few minutes. I don’t use White Brite on the body, because I think it’s too drying. After a bit, rinse the tail, then apply a creme rinse; I like Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship. Let sit, then rinse, and you’re done.” “Between the bluing wash and the White Brite rinse, I liberally apply ketchup to the lower, stained end of the tail, letting it sit for about five minutes before rinsing,” Knox said. “The acid in the ketchup helps cut the urine stain. It may leave the tail a bit pink, but that will whiten right up with the White Brite rinse.” For quick stain removal any time of year, Knox uses Grime Boss heavy-duty hand wipes, available from home-improvement stores. “They are extra-large, extra-strong baby wipes, but smell better,” she said. “They are made for mechanics and work on the worst grease, grime, manure stains, etc. One side of the wipe is softer for hands, and the other side a bit more rough for tough jobs.” In the winter, Knox uses the wipes on stains but also relies on currying and vacuuming.
PHOTO: PICSOFYOU.COM
Bluing and ketchup are in Connemara owner Chris Knox’s whitening and stain-removal arsenal.
White markings and white horses present a challenge for horse owners and grooms: how to keep them bright and clean? We asked three experts for their top tips— from ketchup to bluing to commercial products—for making a horse’s white spots, stockings, blazes, tails, and bodies show-ring sparkly.
