Review: UltraCruz® Horse Foaming Shampoo

Many months ago (probably in the spring, I suck at keeping track of these things), we got a mysterious box at the farm in a set of our many deliveries.  This is a pretty normal thing for us as we never have time to shop and even if we did we hate it so a rando box showing up is normally something we ordered so we "wouldn't forget to order it" and it all works out fine.  Except this time... it wasn't even something I'd heard of nor seen.  Sarah had no idea (not that she does any of our actual ordering, just tells me to do it).  There was a note inside that basically said it was complimentary and to enjoy. 

So this was apparently my first unsolicited free item to try.  I'm going to blame all our hashtagging of Equifuse on Instagram for this one.  I didn't think that competing companies would be stalking hashtags of their competitors and then sending samples to the users but here we are.  And yes, my head is hurting thinking about that marketing and social media and all the things but it's really brilliant.  Especially when I'm getting samples woot.  Santa Cruz didn't ask for a review just to enjoy and so that meant that it sat in my garage for many months until August when we decided why not...

So we got the nozzle thing that attached directly to the hose.  Our water can have some pretty serious pressure and we replace hoses, hose connectors, trough floats, you name it pretty regularly when the pressure stays on.  I didn't have high hopes that the plastic applicator was going to last.  So first off, attaching it was pretty secure and we didn't have any leaking.  There is an off and on dial for the soap but then we were groaning about having to remove it AFTER the horse was soaped up to THEN rinse them.  Oh wait, the dial turns AGAIN and allows the water to bypass your foaming soap option.  Basically like a coin operated car wash that I assume some people still use instead of getting a car wash membership to the bigger washes.  You set the dial to "foam" or "rinse" or "off" essentially on this thing.

Since I'm in love with Equifuse as a Friesian owner, I was skeptical about how we'd (I'd) like this.  Honestly, it smells great (a nice herbally clean smell), is easy to use, and really does a good job of cleaning the horses without having to scrub.  It rinses easily as well and leaves the horses smelling fresh with a pretty clean coat.  I'm pretty loyal to Equifuse but seeing as we now have 5 working students and my opinion on washing the horses doesn't count really since I rarely bathe them anymore, I checked with the students.  They do like the UltraCruz shampoo but I normally have to remind them to use it when I want it used.  We also have some Cowboy Magic and Microtek shampoo/conditioner/grooming as well so sometimes it varies on what the students grab and I feel only Sarah and I really have a preference when it comes to the shampoos in the bottle (Sarah likes Cowboy Magic, I like Equifuse although for shows we use the Equifuse hands down and maybe some Quicksilver on the white parts to help even more #blindingwhite).

Overall, I feel the UltraCruz Foaming Shampoo works better on our "easier to groom" horses like the stock horse and thoroughbred type coats vs the thick double coats of the Friesian and KWPN horse.  It just seems to penetrate it better and therefore clean better/deeper.  It rinses equally well out of either coat though.  If you like to bathe your horse regularly, this is an excellent choice.  I like to use it weekly+ on the horses just to knock the dust down and keep their coats fresh.  The herbal smell doesn't last long like the Equifuse but then I'm not sure what does.  Equifuse just has the market cornered on that smell and the lasting-ness.  The container + applicator is a little awkward at first but not heavy enough to really cause hand soreness and the bathing goes pretty fast so that's not a real issue once you use it.  This is not a shampoo/device that will make your mudball horse perfectly clean just by spraying it though so keep that in mind.  It's not a magic cure people :)

Will I order more of it?  Yes, I will.  I do like the smell and the way it makes the coats on (especially) the stock horses feel.  I think it's a great "dummy proof" way to put some quality shampoo on the horses and get the coat nice and clean without overdoing it no matter who is doing the hosing as well as being efficient.  The applicator also helps reduce waste as we're still using it 3-5 times a week on average 2 months later.  The only thing I might do is add an easy remove/attach adapter to it and the hose to make the swapping easier (for hydroing and other things we need just the hose for) but it's really not a big deal.  As for how the adapter is holding up with our water pressure?  It's done a great job and looks as good as it was on day one.  +1 Santa Cruz!

Good after work bath on the Friesian but it won't be able to handle that tail for a deep clean/condition :)