About manes and tails??

[~Karen~]

My experience with the big horses, the mane and tail hair grows out so slowly it seemed. This little girl that we will have at Christmas, the previous owner gave her a bit of a main cut (not tooo bad, but I LOVE Long, flowing manes). Is there a trick to help the hair to grow out quicker and longer?

~Karen

 

[Buckskin gal]

You might try Biotin...it is also for hooves. Also applying MTG to the tail may help. Mary

My experience with the big horses, the mane and tail hair grows out so slowly it seemed. This little girl that we will have at Christmas, the previous owner gave her a bit of a main cut (not tooo bad, but I LOVE Long, flowing manes). Is there a trick to help the hair to grow out quicker and longer?

~Karen

 

[Sandee]

My experience with the big horses, the mane and tail hair grows out so slowly it seemed. This little girl that we will have at Christmas, the previous owner gave her a bit of a main cut (not tooo bad, but I LOVE Long, flowing manes). Is there a trick to help the hair to grow out quicker and longer?

~Karen

If someone can really say something works, I'd love it hear what it is. Out of 3, and they all get fed pretty much the same stuff, the 2 younger ones from the same breeder in Florida grow hair (mane and tail) like crazy while my older gelding from Kansas/Okla. never seems to get much hair growth except on his body (he needs clipping in summer every week or two). In three years time his tail still doesn't touch the ground. So if I was to comment it would be it's in the genes not the food or maybe the age is a factor.

 

[cmcwc]

I do absolutely nothing to my guys and gals manes/tails except for clipping the ends and clipping short in the winter... I've clipped some of my horses' tails to just below the hocks, and by spring they're dragging the ground again.. Keep the ends clipped, I trim the tips once every one to 2 months to get rid of dead ends and split ends.. Keep them brushed out and clean.. All of mine their tails drag the ground, the only one with a short mane is Lacey's, but her mane was roached when I got her so it's going to take time to grow out..

Here's Star's clipped up for winter

Sky's tail

The only problem I have with manes are the two studs, theire manes are sooooooooo thick, they seem to get thicker than longer lol

 

[Shari]

I use Cowboy magic to help keep the mane and tail from breaking and they get "Grand coat" supplement.

Have really nice manes and tails on all my horses big and small.

 

[disneyhorse]

Honestly I've come to understand that luxurious coats, manes, and tails are PURE GENETICS. On some horses, NO amount of feed-through or topical supplementing or treatments will help. SOME horses have slick shiny coats, SOME horses have long manes, and SOME horses have thick tails.

It's a lot like people. I can grow my hair very long (it's down to my butt most of the time) but my hair is not particularly thick. Some people have thick hair, some people have thin hair. Some people can't grow their hair past their shoulders.

The best way to take care of a mane or tail is to first of all prevent rubbing/breakage. A stall that doesn't have anywhere to rub the hair off is important. It should go without saying that the horse should be as clean and healthy as possible, too!

Braiding helps a LOT, as it will prevent tangling and breakage.

Lastly, the crucial element is TIME. Hair won't grow too much more quickly... with a biotin supplement you MAY get 1/8'' more every month but overall just keeping the hair protected and healthy will go a long way!

Good luck, just be patient.

Andrea

 

[stormo41]

Try keeping the mane and tail in loose braids. Make sure they are not tight, so when they bend neck down to eat it does not tear the hair out. Take them out and brush them every three days or so using show sheen or someother product like it, and re braid when your done. You might notice that the tail will start to drag on the ground if you dont want to cut it make sure you keep it off the ground or else they will step on it and rip it out.

-Vanessa

 

[_minihorses4ever_]

I have heard a lot of good stuff about MTG. I bought it myself, but I still haven't gotten around to putting it on (I have been sick..). Anyway, Willie has a very thin mane and tail. I am just hoping this stuff atleast thickens it a bit!

http://www.shapleys.com

Good luck!

 

[Shari]

I personally do not think genetics is the only thing that makes good manes and tails. Because all the animals I have....did not have good manes and tails when they first got here, except one(my new blk Ice mare). They are all different breeds.

Now they do.

: :bgrin

 

[Loess Hills]

Genetics and a good diet are what produce a beautiful coat, mane and tail.

Hair is composed of protein, so be sure that that your horse is getting a good balanced diet,

ie., a complete feed, minerals available, lots of fresh warm water, and good quality hay.

And like humans, it takes time to grow hair.

 

[lovinarabs]

Ok - I have asked this on other forums and have gotten some really well written responses, but I am a very visual person. Is there anyone out there with pictures of their horses tails being braided and the braiding process? Then one of the finished product?

My daughter's show pony came to me with a thick, luxurious tail. Yep, genetics. Drags on the ground. In steps nosy neighbor who used to show in California and she tells me that I should cut her tail so that she doesn't step on it and tear it out. She is a hair stylist so I said, go ahead. BIG mistake. She helped me and when we were done it was wacked it off just below the HOCK! I have been adding healthy hair coat to her diet and she was already getting a mineral supplement with biotin in it, but I know it will just take time. It makes me so mad at myself every time I go out and see her tail inches above the ground.

Also, on the Cowboy Magic. Did you mean the conditioner? My friend uses show sheen and cowboy magic detangler for shine and smooth tails in the show ring. At Champ Show this year her horse's tail was coming out in GOBS and we finally narrowed it down to the way that those two products are drying. She wouldn't rinse out the tail after a show and we are feeling that eventually it just dried the hair to the breaking point.

 

[~Karen~]

Great thoughts and ideas, thank you very much! I can plait a tail pretty well, and if I am patient and have time to spare, I can set braids on a main (not show quality, but nice, generally come out a tad loose when I do it, ha-ha), so this would help protect from breakage then. And the speedy growth is mostly due to genetics, not care, but healthy looks is from quality feeding and care is what I am understanding. MTG... hmm, haven't seen it as of yet around here, but I'll check around more closely. I've seen people put a ton of conditioner in a tail bag and leave it on, for who knows how long. Does this help? Seems it would make the strands more supple. Also, do you thin the main and tail? If you do, how do you do it, by plucking or thinning scizzers?

~Karen

 

[Shari]

Also, on the Cowboy Magic. Did you mean the conditioner? My friend uses show sheen and cowboy magic detangler for shine and smooth tails in the show ring. At Champ Show this year her horse's tail was coming out in GOBS and we finally narrowed it down to the way that those two products are drying. She wouldn't rinse out the tail after a show and we are feeling that eventually it just dried the hair to the breaking point.

I use COWBOY MAGIC Detangler and Shine... it is a leave in product. One only uses a very small amount. I do not find it drying at all and have never had any problems with it. Makes the horse's manes and tails very soft over time.

I find with horses that loose globs of mane and tail...do it because of stress. When I used to show..I had one very nice mare...beautiful mane and tail. But she did not like showing and got so stressed she would loose hair. So..we stopped showing her.

Also would not use Show Sheen...because it dries the mane and tail out. Another thing to becareful of ...is using two different products at the same time. Many times a not so nice chemical reaction can occur. Which also could cause hair to fall out or worse.

Hope that helps.

 

[ThreeCFarm]

Karen, I've had big horses for years, and I've found the minis tend to grow mane and tail MUCH MUCH faster than the big horses!! I've always cutting my minis' tails so they don't get stepped on.

 

[justjinx]

We do nothing special for mane and tail growth and they grow like crazy. we can cut them to hock length in the fall and by spring they are on the ground. same with manes. some horses do tend to have more mane or tail than others and grow at different rate (just like humans). jennifer :saludando:

 

[~Karen~]

Thanks for the info and replys! :~)

It does seem that the little horses have much thicker manes and tails, so maybe our little ones mane will grow back out really pretty and long (I LOVE long!) I will try these tips to help it out. Again, thank you all so much!

~Karen