Arabians, NSH & Pintos with
excellent dispositions.
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Today's tip focuses on tails:
One of the best ways to grow a long, thick tail -- use Nexus brand Therape Shampoo, thoroughly soaping the tailhead. Too many people spend too much time washing the rest of the tail and not spending time at the point where the hair grows. Rinse and saturate tail with Nexus brand Humectress Conditioner and let sit on the tail for 20 minutes or so. It's very important to use cold water with this, and if you have time, soak the tail up to the bone) in cold water. Brush out and braid tail and keep up in a sock. Make sure you don't tie the sock above the bone,that will pull out hairs. Nexus can be purchased for a reasonable price at your local discount beauty supply or salons.
"I'd like to know if anyone has a remedy for bringing back pigment on an Arabian horse. I believe the lack of pigment is due to a deficiency of some kind, but I don't know what it is or what to feed to aid the condition."
From Jacquie Glasscoe:
This happened to me when I was living in TN. The area vet said that my horse was lacking in
Zinc, which is not strong in the soil there, therefore, not strong enough in the hay and grain grown there. We were from Ohio, and had excellent soil all around. I tried Moorman's mineral supplement (I think it's name is Gro Strong, or something similar). A local trainer had said it was the only product that worked for her. My horse's skin under one eye was turning pink, and he is a dark bay with black skin. It took a few months, but turned black again and never returned. I have kept him and the others on this product and never had this problem again. Hope it works!
From Gail Pate, D.V.M:
Arabians , more than any other breed, occassionally have a condition known as "pinky syndrome". In Arabians it is referred to as Arabian fading syndrome and may or may not be exactly the same thing as the Pinky syndrome. It is most common in greys. All ages may be affected, but it is usually younger animals. Some mares only have the problem when they're pregnant. The most common places for pigment to be lost is around the eyes, the muzzle and maybe the anus area. Some management or treatment regimens which have sometimes worked include: Putting on pasture , rather than stabling; feeding a mineral and vitamin supplement, one which includes iodine is recommended. If only related to pregnancy, the owner might wish to consult with their veterinarian about testing adrenal and thyroid functions. Aged Arabians frequently lose some pigment, especially around the face or anus, and there seems to be little to be done for it.
From: Wendi Wiener
Use as a sweat on the legs, rub legs direction in of hair....Then sweat.....Works great for stocked up legs, sore tendons, etc.....Really EVERYTHING...Horses that rub the hair on their tails.... Rub into dock of tail:-} It's cheap and GREAT to Keep around:-}, also use as a rubdown after bathing....Is an astingent..and LOTS cheaper then other commercial products.....Can use it straight....our 15 horses enjoy a rubdown each day with Listerine! Keep the HUGE Bottles all around the barn....
From: J & M Bassett
Not all tail rubbing can be attributed to internal parasites. If you have a horse who has been or has just started rubbing its tail, try this tested remedy: Fill a spray bottle with original Listerine and soak the top half of the tail to the root with the Listerine. This can be repeated AM & PM until the rubbing subsides. Always does the trick for us !!!
Today's Equine Tip of the Day is from Jane Donahoe:
When trimming your horses bridle paths and ears, stand on a step stool tall enough to make you stand taller than the horse. This gives the horse the feeling of being smaller and will be
more willing to participate with less problems. It really works. I have been using this method for years as the groomer for my husbands training business.
"Help me please! My beautiful QH gelding has a wonderful long mane. I've been letting it grow all summer! Well, it's way too long now. Though it is very beautiful and healthly, it is in the way! I don't know how to handle this - should I pull the mane? cut it? I don't know how pulling would do any good. I want the mane shorter but now it's bascially all the same length! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!"
From June Grant:
Use a pair of small scissors and cut straight up into the mane to shorten it. You can them make it
as short as you want without pulling the mane..
From Lyn Hood:
To trim a long mane but not have it "look trimmed", flip the mane over to the other side of the neck from the way that it naturally hangs, trim to the length you want and then flip it back. This gives you the freshly trimmed look. (always trim a little longer than you think you want, you can always trim more, but you can't trim less the second time around).
From Kris Stump:
I would suggest using those scissors that are for thinning. This way you can cut it shorter but it will look like it grew naturally. Also, if it is too thick after you get it the length you want, then pull some.
If you don't want your horse to hair up, with colder weather and shorter days coming, leave your barn lights on until your bedtime so the horses will think the days are longer. This also works well when trying to breed mares early in the year, get them under lights early for breeding.
Today's tip is from Felicity Van Runkle:
After putting on hoof polish, spray on aerosol finger nail polish dryer. It's available at beauty supply stores for $2-$5 and drys the polish so fast your horse won't have a chance to mess up his beautiful feet! Plus you can put him back in his stall almost immediately.
Today's tip is from Peggy McLinn
Instead of buying expensive tail wrap tubes, make your own. You can use just about any type of material, I prefer polor fleece. One yard makes 3 sets of tubes, a bent coat hanger makes a handy tool, and the polor fleece will keep conditioner in and other stuff out.
From Judy Kielhamer:
WD40 is great to remove pitch from manes, and tails. Just spray on lightly and brush with stiff brush...comes right out. Best to spray on cloth for forelocks. Works on body also...use the
same way and be sure to use lightly and brush with stiff brush.
"I recently purchased an abused Thoroughbred Gelding. I have been able to restore every part of him from shiny coat to great strong hoofs. The only problem left is his tail. It is GONE. It is stringy and thin. I would like to gain length as well as health. Please help. What's the best way to do this for the winter months since he goes crazy with flies and we know it won't grow until winter."
Here are a few of the replies:
From Di Apsey:
NO horse's tail should EVER be brushed or combed. My horses all have beautiful tails which get washed once a week with warm water & a gentle shampoo that kills ticks, lice, fungus & fleas. (Here in South Africa we have such a shampoo called Aquilla) rinse very well & always apply hair conditioner generously. When the tail is dry you can easily untangle it with your fingers. A little oil in their food also prevents their skin getting too dry & itchy.
From Kim Hedrich:
Supplement his diet with vitamin A for a few weeks. This may help his tail growth if he has a deficiency. could have a thin tail from genetics, in which case there is not a lot you can do. keep it clean, and conditioned.
From Kris Stump:
I would suggest to regularly message the tail bone and put a good conditioner on it. (mane and tail) When it gets long enough you should braid it loosely from the bone down and put a sock on it, make sure it stays conditioned and clean. Do not brush it! Also realize some horses are just not made to have thick beautiful tails and while you may get it longer, it may not be thick.
From Kelly Fox:
I have heard that briney water will work. Make a batch of really salty, briney warm water in a bucket. Dunk the tail in it everyday, including the dock, and leave it to dry. The more frequently the tail is dunked, the faster it grows. You might want to consider adding baby oil or Cowboy Magic to the long hairs and ends after it dries.
Today's tip comes from V. Diane Reikowsky
If your horse does not like the sound of the clippers as you clip inside his ears, try the following trick. Have someone stand to the side of the horse's head, placing 1 hand firmly on the muzzle and the other hand between the eyes palm down and slightly cupped. When the clippers start, begin patting the horse rapidly between the eyes while applying mild pressure on the muzzle. This works on the same principal as a twitch....distraction. The horse will focus on the motion and sound of the cupped hand and less on the clippers. This also works well when applying medication to the eyes or ears.
Today's tip comes from Chris:
To get your horses bit shiney and clean wash with tooth paste. It leaves a taste they come to enjoy!!
" was in regard to giving a horse a bath or spraying, here are a few replies: From Sonny:
When giving my horses a bath or fly spraying them for the first time, I have someone hold the animal while I spray them (Starting at the legs). I am sure to do this in a fenced area. When the horses starts to move just go with them, DON"T PULL on the lead rope. Talk to them and pet them under their withers so they willl settle down. After a while they learn, that they are not going to be hurt, and they stand there. I have used this method many times, and just last week used it for a yearling stallion's first bath. IT WORKS!
From Robert Nahrwold:
You can start by doing the horses feet first but hold the hose a lot closer to the body and place anouther hand on the horse and speak in a soft reassuring voice try to make bath time fun time for both of you.
From Sue David:
Teaching a colt how to take a bath and ENJOY it....
First and formost..... water that is not cold will make this a much more pleasurable experience. Next will be to have a trusting relationship. A trusting relationship is aquired by spending lots of quality time. Don't expect your colt to take to a bath the first trip to the wash rack if you havent spent some time bonding.
From Di Apsey:
We bought a three year old filly, she was filthy as they said she would not allow you to wash or even even wet her! For three months we tried love, patience & understanding, together will sacks of carrotts & hours of (wasting) time while she pretended to be terrified & even went through fences to "escape". Until we said "enough" & twitched her up real tight. We then gave her a throrough bath from top to toe with the hose pipe, while she of course stood rooted to the spot. The following time we did the same, when halfway thro' my son (who was holding the twitch) mentioned that the twitch had actually slipped off her nose without the filly noticing! Well we proceeded with the bath twitch-less, & have never looked back. She now gets a bath without even a halter. So my advice is : waste no more time & effort, just DO IT!
Today's tip is from Kris Stump:
If you have old, hard, crusty leather tack, or to maintain leather tack for long term use; Get a big pot and fill it with warm water and murphys oil soap. You can scrub it clean with this and it will leave it soft and flexible, this is also a good way to break in new tack.
Today's tip:
Always brush your horse and if possible vaccum before working it.
Helps keep sweaty horses cleaner and it's better not to have the dirt mixed in to maintain a good haircoat. Dirt promotes fungus!
Today's tip:
Use a hair dryer on a tail if you need to dry it fast(just be careful not to blow the hot air UP the rear of the horse!), and you can use a curling iron to straighten out an unruly mane. It's great for getting out the kinks and getting a mane to lie flat.
Today's tip is from Kerry D.:
Here's a good tip about how to get stains off of your horse:
For grass and manure- use strait whichhazel in a spayer bottle- spray on area and then either brush away or buff w/ a rag. If your horse likes to rub on the fences at the barn and has
paint/ rust on him/her- use WD-40- spray on the area + use a brush or a rag to rub it off. Make sure WD-40 does not get anywhere near the horses eyes/ mouth/ mucouse membranes.. etc..
"I was wondering if anyone could tell me how to go about finding a used show saddle. I am on a tight budget, and can't afford a brand new one. Also, should I think about buying a used show halter also, or is it better to buy it new? Anything would be greatly appreciated on how I should go about doing this."
From Cindy Henry:
Try a sale barn. I have had luck there in the past in getting some pretty
nice saddles and show tack!
From Connie Jackson:
Reply to used show equipment question. Most tack shops in my area offer used show saddles, halters, and other equipment, including clothing. Also watch for tack swaps and check your newspaper. When buying used equipment, remember to check saddle trees and stress points, watch for dry rot. Good Luck!
From Kendra Hawkins:
Answering the question about buying used show equipment. Try going to a local horse and tack auction. They sell new and used tack and you can always find a bargain. Remember, get there early enough to look at the tack before the auction starts - that way you can check out the quality of the merchandise. Sometimes really nice stuff is covered in dirt/mildew, ect. and it doesn't look like much, but cleaned up it might be show quality.
From Sue David:
Used show gear... hmmm depending on where you live is the key... west coast you'll pay up the tail... used or new... I find my best buys in catalogs.... prices that are like used prices, but they are new. Buy ONLY brand names to get the fit and shop it well. You can get a good starter new show saddle whether it be for Pleasure or Reining type stuff for between $650.00 and $900.00 sometimes even less. And a good show halter for as low as $175.00 you just have to shop it. One thing nice a new saddle is that you can return it if it leaves big dry sore patches on your horses back...I dont really like used because you never know if the owner properly housed the saddle, the tree could be warped due to extreme tempatures. Remember also to spend a good amount on your saddle pad.. buy a good one like Professional Choice. they have a nice econo one that eliminates dry patches for under $100.00 I can list a bunch of catalog numbers if you need..... Maybe an idea would be a compiling of good catalogs and their numbers?? Happy Trails
"I have a five year old QH gelding that can't keep his mane beautiful. It is always just rubbed out or something. He is in great health, but why does he do this? Please give me any suggestions of how I can get his mane to grow out."
From Cindy Henry:
Well...first you must find out WHY he is rubbing his mane....could it be mites....irratation from shampoo....dry skin, you get the picture. Once you find out why he is rubbing it....try squirting some Listerine (yep the mouthwash) on it and if that doesn't work there is a product called Happy Jack for fungus that seems to work, altho I like the Listerine better. I have a mare who did the same thing and this stopped her....after....I found out I she had a fungus! Hope this helps!
From Laura Melendez:
Make sure that you use a medicated shampoo on his mane. Really scrub down to the roots (you might even want to use a comb to make sure you get all the way down), then rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse! Left in soap can cause itchies. Also, make sure that his mane is not being chewed by pasture-mates. Use a tabasco or pepper sauce on his mane to disinterest chewers!
From Paintfilly:
A horse that looks like it is in very good health can still have lice and lice is the #1 reason why horses rub there mane out. I would start by addressing the problem with a good lice killer. DUST HIM GOOD! Follow the directions closely. Along with that I would start using a suppliment that directly addresses his hair coat. Some are, Super 14 or Equine Shine (Rice Bran) Also if he is either a buckskin, dun or palomino, I see more of those with hair coat conditions beyond lice.
From Lu Hannon:
One of our QH, a 13 year old dun, has never had a mane. He has always kept it rubbed out, you would have thought we kept it roached. We have since moved and put up High Tensel Fence around the entire pasture and there is now NO place for him to rub. In a short 3 months his mane is almost 6 inches and coming in thick and beautiful. The fencing has made all the difference in the world.
From Hap Bazemore:
Sounds like a skin problem. Might have mites or other parasites at work. So you don't get a big vet bill, try an iodine bath. If it is mites you can see telltale signs in the lighter colored manes. If you look real hard you can see the mites. Also use a hair moisturizer. Dry hair will not get long, it keeps breaking off. If you look you will find a cause and effect to your problem. Cleanliness and conditioners will make a dramatic difference in a very short time.
"How can I keep a tail wrap in my gelding's tail? I've tried the bags, the braided polar fleece, and most recently, the "sleezy" type braided lycra bags. The latest one has no velcro or anything, just tubes I pulled the hair through. His goal is to rid himself of the wrap within 24 hrs.
From Channa Stratton:
You could put a blanket roller on him and tie the tail bag to it behind his withers, or if he wears a blanket tie it to the D ring behind his withers, also spray chew stop on it or hot pepper.
From Kris Stump:
I have tried everything and the best thing that works for me is a tail bag that is made out of a slicker material (lycra rips) it has a string around the top that you can pull the bag tight with. After you braid the horses tail, put the string through the middle of the braid below the tail bone and tie it. He should not be able to get this undone unless you have something in the field that he's hooking it on, and if so the tail would also come out! Mine has never come off of my stallion. Another thing that works is a tube sock, cut down 3' on each side to use to tie through the tail, only thing with this is that it developes holes after a month.
From Amy Saunders:
I had a horse that had the habit of flinging his tail wrap off, too. All I can say is try to get the braid as tight as you can. When you braid it in the tail wrap, put extra rubber bands all the way down the braid on the outside of the wrap. This helps keep it in longer. Another way is to braid each three parts of the braid so that you braid all the braid together, this helps it stay in tighter, too.
From Laura Melendez:
The arabian owners at our barn have a technique that works very well. First loosely braid the tail, then loop the end of the braid back through a higher part of the braid (separating the braid at one of the three sections), loop this through a couple of times depending on the length of the horse's tail. Once you have it looped up take a strip of cloth (any rag material works) and tie it through the loops (let the ends dangle), then start to wrap the looped section of tail with a Vetwrap type product. Make sure that you do not wrap any of the tailbone in the vetwrap, it can cause major tail-rot. Because the braid and loops are loose and you only have a "knot" of vetwrap at the lowest part of the tail, the hair usually doesn't pull out, and the fabric fly switch gives the horse the feeling of still having full use of his tail. One of our arabians has a tail that unwrapped drags over a foot on the ground, and his partner's tail has grown over 8 inches using this method.
Today's tip is from Heather Boyer:
TIP: Not only is Show Sheen great for your horses body(excluding the saddle area!) mane, and tail, try it on your own hair too! It will make it really shiny and smooth. Spray it in when your hair is wet, once it's dry you will feel how silky your hair can be. It also helps to keep knots out of your hair on windy days.
Today's tip is from Connie Jackson:
When cleaning out my trailer after coming home from a show, I put Lysol disenfectant on the type of sprayer that you hook onto a water hose. Adjust the sprayer to a low mixture and spray the entire inside of the trailer. That way you kill any germs you may have picked up and the trailer smells nice.
Today's tip is from Damon Kendrick:
If you want to hose a horse down after working it, always hose from the feet up. During exercise the blood vessels expand to get rid of the heat and to deliver oxygen and food to the muscels. Hosing causes the blood vessels to constrict. If you hose at the top of the legs, the blood vessels constrict there at the top of the legs and remain expanded below. That can cause swelling of the legs. Hose from the feet upwards very slowly to avoid the legs filling with fluid.
Today's tip is from Di Apsey in South Africa:
If you want to put ice on a horse's leg when you haven't got a fancy ice-boot, just pull on a rubber over-reach boot (you call them bell-boots), fold the bottom up so that it sits on the leg upside down & inside out. You can then fill it with ice blocks which will melt slowly & drip cold water down the leg below.
"My horses blanket always shifts to the side. It has no back leg straps just two straps over the shoulders and two straps that go under the middle. I cross the middle straps but it still slides over. Any suggestions on how to keep the blanket upright instead of shifting to the side?"
From Magdalena Haupt:
You can buy a strap with clips in each end to put on the rearend of the blanket, a bit below the roundest end of the buttocks. It holds the blanket more shaped to the horse, and it will not slide to the side. Works for me!
From Paintfilly:
I dont know of any quality blanket that doesn't come with leg straps or the ability to put leg straps on it. Don't waste your time in altering this blanket, buy a quality brand. "Big D" has many different weights and is a good place to start.
From June Grant:
To fix the horse blanket to keep it from sliding. Sew two D rings on each side of the blanket to make ready for leg straps. Then buy two legs straps or make your own out of snaps and nylon strips. If you want take off belly straps then put one strap in the girth area on the blanket. Blankets with belly straps always slide and are a pain to deal with. The BMB closed front blankets are great, as well as easy to wash
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