Comments | equestrian: Mane and tail growth; mane styles

ladyiceblink in equestrian

Mane and tail growth; mane styles

Jul 13, 2009 23:59

Hello everyone,
I'm not new by any means, but I don't believe I've ever posted anything besides comments yet, so here goes!
I have a 13-year-old QH/Arabian named Tuffy who seems to dislike having a mane and does what he can to destroy it.

Here is pony in question:

( Read more... )

tails, manes, grooming

Comments 55

siberian_angel July 14 2009, 08:19:25 UTC

Unfortunately I have no idea what to do since I've never encountered anything like that. But I have to comment - that boy is beyond GORGEOUS!!

ladyiceblink July 15 2009, 05:28:10 UTC

Thank you so much :)

miladyelizabeth July 14 2009, 09:38:15 UTC

First off, he's gorgeous, and your haircut in that first photo is fabulous.

As for manes, at our barn we have what we jokingly call the BBB: Bottom Board Baldness. So many of the horses rub their manes out trying to get to the proverbial grass on the other side of the fence! I owned a mare a few years ago that did that, and nothing worked, short of keeping her in away from the turnout fences, which would be mean. She's also a half-Arab, crossed with a Friesian, and she inherited the thin Arabian mane with a bit of Friesian wave. At least I knew what caused it. lol

What is he rubbing it on? Any random tree? Have you tried Listerine? The fact that it's seasonal implies to me that it's allergy-related.

ladyiceblink July 15 2009, 05:33:03 UTC

thank you :) I miss that haircut! I'm trying to grow it so I can cut it like that again.

Haha, I like that! We have "new zealand fencing" - just electrified wires, so he wouldn't really be rubbing on the fence, but there are loads of pine trees that are perfect for itching on. I've never really seen him do it since the pasture is 7 acres, and by the time he comes up to the gate, he's only interested in food, not itching.
He's also really shy and won't do anything weird while i'm looking - he even runs behind the shed to pee :p

I had totally forgotten about Listerine! I've heard it used on horses who rub tails off so I'm sure it would work on manes too. Allergies sounds right even though the vet said he probably had none, since this only appears in summer and is usually gone by october, but so is his mane..

Thanks so much for the ideas :) I'll bring some listerine out tomorrow and try it!

gemmabowles July 14 2009, 10:09:52 UTC

mmm i wouldnt say the horse is deliberately doing it. he looks lovely, by the way ( ... )

thelitas July 14 2009, 11:27:04 UTC

This is a very good comment; I've tried both of these things to help grow manes and they do help.

Have you ruled out dandruff as well? That was my first pony's problem. She had such terrible dandruff in her mane that she would itch and rub it out. Dandruff shampoo helped it immensely.

As for roaching, while he would look far more lovely with a full mane, if he continues to rub it out then he may look far better with it roached. However, I'd try everything else first before going to that extreme.

And the best thing to remember, that just like your own hair, manes will grow back! If you hate how it looks roached then just wait a few months and you'll have it long again. :)

ladyiceblink July 15 2009, 06:34:26 UTC

He hardly has any dandruff since he has oily Arab skin, lol. Dandruff shampoo has other good stuff in it like anti-bacterials, so maybe that would help anyway!

Heck, If he rubs it off as bad as last year, maybe I'll just shave him like a polo pony and hope it grows back thicker :p

ladyiceblink July 15 2009, 05:41:45 UTC

Thank you :)
I've inspected the roots of his mane very closely and there are no bugs that I can see, unless they are too small to be visible? I've washed his mane off as well with antibacterial shampoo and tea tree.

See, that's the odd thing - he stops rubbing as soon as the mane is gone. There are never any rub marks on the other side of his neck, or his shoulders.

I thought a lycra sleazy hood would be a good idea, too - I bet I could get one pretty cheap secondhand that I don't care about getting torn. What is in a sweet itch lotion? I don't know that they sell that kind of thing around here, so I may have to improvise.

I put coat shine on him today for a thing at the county fair, so we'll see if it helps :)

Thanks so much for the tips!

Thread 5

rckmeamadeus July 14 2009, 11:45:01 UTC

Try using Calm Coat to help stop the itching, since MTG seems to be a no go. You could also try turning him out in a fly sheet that has a neck attachment to keep bugs from getting to his neck. Most of them also have nylon lining that the hair will just slide against if he does scratch it against something.

ladyiceblink July 15 2009, 05:43:53 UTC

I almost bought the Calm Coat instead of MTG when I was shopping - is it the same kind of idea, or is it anti-bacterial?
I was thinking about having him wear a sleazy hood so he couldn't tear all the hair out, and to keep little bugs off. I have a fly sheet, but it seems like it's not fine enough to keep the tiny ones out, and it has no neck attachment.

rckmeamadeus July 15 2009, 13:21:26 UTC

It basically stops the itching and unlike MTG, doesn't smell like bacon grease. I use it on my tail rubbers and it works like a charm.

penella22 July 14 2009, 12:24:34 UTC

MTG does smell terrible and is super oily, but it has worked wonders for my horse's mane. I use it about once every 10 days though, not EVERY SINGLE DAY yikes!

Because the smell of the MTG was grossing me out, and because I didn't like the oiliness of it, I switched to using a no-stain iodine solution in a spray bottle. Kills bacteria and the red fades after 24-48 hrs. No oiliness.

I like it better, but I think I may need to start using a little jojoba oil on the ends of my horse's mane, as with the iodine solution his mane is drying out too much.

For sweet itch, an herbalist friend of mine was mixing up a solution with a lot of garlic juice and some tea tree oil and I think...apple cider vinegar. I don't have an exact recipe but it's another way to go if you run out of options. A google search might yield a more specific recipe.

And GORGEOUS photos. Thanks for sharing.

ladyiceblink July 14 2009, 16:40:22 UTC

Ahh I worded that so awfully.. I only put it on him once, then waited without putting any more on.
hives aside, he was gross and oily looking because it seeped from his mane down onto his neck.
How does the iodine solution help hair grow, just keeps them from itching because of bacteria? I don't care if he's stained a little, and he's already red, hehe.

I'm really inclined to say it's something other than sweet itch - he never gets sores, never rubs anything but his neck (not even the side with no mane), and not a single one of the other horses in the stables or surrounding barns has it.

I've heard apple cider vinegar is very good for killing bacteria though! I've been looking up herbal remedies for everything :)

Thanks very much!

penella22 July 15 2009, 18:37:46 UTC

Yes, the no-stain iodine solution just kills bacteria.

By the way, MTG has sulfur as its main ingredient, and garlic juice is the same, so if that is what is bothering your horse, he could have the same reaction. (On the other hand if it was something else in the MTG bothering him, then garlic juice might be a helpful way to go.)

Yay herbalism! I wish more people posted stuff on the equine_herbal community but oh well.