Encouraging mane and tail growth

[susanne]

A sad irony in my life is that I love long, thick manes and tails, yet Mingus grows only a short mane and a tail that is somewhat lacking. Thelonius has a thick mane, wimpy tail and no forelock (if he ha one, it starts back behind his poll...sort of an equine combover, LOL)

Flash is blessed with more than enough hair follicles and has sported long tresses practically from birth.

I know that most of this is genetic, but Mingus and Thelonius both used to have thicker tails, and Mingus used to also have a longer, thicker mane. I don't expect them to suddenly become My Little Pony (Mingus' mane and tail are more Shetland in texture than mini), but i'd like to do whatever I can to make the most of their hair.

Their body coats are rich and shiny (and what mane and tail hair they have is shiny and soft). They are wormed regularly and have a closed system -- barn and corral are cleaned daily, and they're not exposed to other horses. They are fed Allegra Condition, beet pulp, BOSS and very nice free choice grass hay, so I don't feel that their diet is bad.

I don't see them scratching their butts on the fence, but I suppose they could when I'm not watching. I've thought that they may be chewing on one another but it's not as if big hunks or irregular patches are missing.

I already plan to buy some Shapley's, but that can only help the hair that has already "left the building," so to speak.

Any thoughts on what I might do to give them lusher locks? Something I could add to their diet to promote mane and tail growth? Does Allegra lack certain minerals that could cause this? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Marty]

Susanne, rule of thumb is "grow hoof = grow coat" and that means that if you feed say Biotin or Farrier's Forumla or something designed to grow a good health hoof you will get one heck of a hair coat coming in with that too, which includes some extra mane and tail hairs that you would not normally get.

 

[minisch]

I own a tack shop and many customers swear by Shapley's M-T-G. One of my show geldings has rubbed a spot off his mane and it looks like I'll be using some.

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]Protein, fat and biotin. Now, I will tell you that Mingus looks very shetland pony-ish....and I mean on the modernish side.....they just dont have alot of mane and tail.... I have 3 that are VERY thin in that area. Sweet Tart's forlock hasnt grown since he was a weaner! I thought maybe Howie was eating it off but no.... now that he lives mostly alone it STILL doesnt grow. Bailey is mostly hackney and her mane and tail are very thin and fine but then again so is her coat and she , like Mingus sheds off and doesnt need clipping. Guess we cant have one without the other! lol[/SIZE]

Lyn

 

[lilfoot]

Ditto at my store but we also used to sell a product called "?" that the reining crowd swore by. Don't have it anymore & can't think of name right now. Came from California. Lots more requests for Shapley's MTG!!

 

[susanne]

Yep, lyn, I was laughing at myself over that -- I love his slick coat, but I also want the long, thick mane and tail -- LOL!

I will definitely try the Shapley's and Biotin -- I think the fat and protein levels in their feed+BOSS are already very good -- and see if I can make the most of what I have to work with.

Thanks, everyone!

 

[~Palomino~]

Susanne, rule of thumb is "grow hoof = grow coat"  and that means that if you feed say Biotin or Farrier's Forumla or something designed to grow a good health hoof you will get one heck of a hair coat coming in with that too, which includes some extra mane and tail hairs that you would not normally get. 

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I was going to say the EXACT same thing! the lady at the feed store and I figured out that it is cheaper to by Grand Hoof Flex then just stragiht biotin, and the Grand Hoof Flex has the same amount of biotin then the regular biotin, and it helps the feet too! So I would go with the hoof flex than just straigh biotin!

-Gage-

 

[Marty]

Just a word of warning, if you choose to use Farrier's Formula, or some brands of Biotin, be prepared for a very excellerated hoof growth. You'll be needing your farrier to visit more often.

I also believe that breeding has a lot to do with it. Back in World War I most of you don't know what a real appaloosa used to look like before he was tampered with and bred to quarter horses and thoroughbreds. He was a small horse, notorius for a U neck, with literally just a whisp for a mane and tail. Talk about scrawny. The past 30 odd years of breeding him to other horse breeds to "grow" him and "refine" him and change his overall confirmation fixed a lot of that.

 

[susanne]

That's what I figure, Marty, that a lot of it is breeding, and as lyn pointed out, Mingus has some different genetics going on compared to a lot of minis. I just want to make the most of what he has.

Thelonius just says he wants a forelock, although the girls all love him just as he is...

I was wondering if that might not happen with the hooves...I also wonder what it will do to my garden...if it will change that vaunted "Mingus Magic" fertilizer??!! Will it make my plants grow longer and thicker? Make them harder to cut back?? We'll see!