For bathing he only gets washed with plain water after every ride. I make sure to get all the sweat and dirt off him. I believe soap is not good for horses since it removes natural oils from the horses coat. A good plain hose down removes salt and makes them cooler but always use a sweat scraper and remove the the layer of water from the coat. Water left on a horse heats up from the horse's body temperature and can prevent or impede the natural cooling process of a horse, so make sure you get as much off as possible.
For his mane and tail about once a month I will wash the hair with a tiny about of shampoo. Then while still damp spray some detangler, let that sit for awhile to let it do it's magic. Then very carefully start at the ends with a very wide tooth comb and slowly brush out the hair. Never use a hair brush, that puts out to much hair and those long tail hairs take years to grow. This is the way I do his hair so it doesn't get all caught up or matted and I never have to cut anything out.
