Category: Caring For Your Horse's Mane

Caring for Your Horses Tail and Mane (Part Two)

10/28/2020

In the second part of this blog, we will be continuing our discussion on how to properly care for your horse's mane and tail.

Hello, trail friends! Welcome back to the blog! We are thrilled you decided to come pay another visit to our blogs and continue to learn more about the care and maintenance that your horse's mane and tail requires. The end of October is right around the corner, so make sure you come and learn more about the history of our beautiful trails and the land we are connected to. There might even be a ghost story or two lurking in the shadows waiting to be told! Make sure to schedule your rides with us ahead of time and get ready for the best horseback riding trail in Charleston! We can't wait to see you soon!

As we mentioned in our last blog, caring for your horse's mane and tail comes with a huge responsibility. This is just one of the multitude of things you need to take care of and care for when it comes to owning a single horse. We urge you to remember this when thinking about purchasing your very first horse or perhaps even your second. Every horse deserves every moment of meticulous and well-planned care as the next. We hope that you take these two blogs and every blog dedicated to the care of your horse to heart. We want both you and your horse to have an incredible life together. Please remember too that a horse is going to be a full life commitment, many of them live to be 20 years of age if not older. They will need your constant love, support, and care for every single one of those years! So, let's hop back into the barn and talk more about the care and maintenance of our beautiful horse's manes and tails!

Braiding

The last tip for mane and tail care in our last blog talked about how to wash, how frequently to wash, and the best ways to wash your horse's tails and manes. One of the most important things you can do for your horse once both tail and mane have been properly washed, dried, and brushed is to braid them. This isn't just a fashion choice or for show purposes, although beautiful braids do help with both of those things. A good braid goes far beyond just looks. While a horse with a braided mane and tail does look stunning, it does more than just leave your horse looking pretty out on the field. Braiding helps keep your horse's mane and tails clean and helps prevent them from snagging, ripping, matting, or breaking. Also, according to US Equestrian, it protects the mane and tail from bleaching out in the sun, causing severe damage and change to their look and presentation. US Equestrian does recommend that you start with a loose braid at the base of both the hair of the mane and tail and grow into a tighter braid as you move down each section of hair. This helps relieve tension on the hair and from pulling on the roots. For the mane, you will separate the hair into one to two-inch sections and braid each section. For the tail, you traditionally only have one long braid, but you can do multiple if you so choose. Braids can also help keep your horses cool in hotter months, keeping the hair away from their skin and removing the extra weight it can cause off their bodies. You can secure the braids with either a rubber band or electrical tape, it is your choice. Either option won't tangle in your horse's mane or tail between cleanings.

Frequency

We've mentioned a couple of times that to keep your horse looking and feeling its best, a consistent regime of care is necessary. This doesn't mean you should be washing, drying, and braiding their mane and tails every day. It's recommended by US Equestrian to wash and braid every 14 to 19 days. When it comes to spraying your horse's coats down, that will be done much more frequently but should be done and met with the same amount of importance, care, and dedication that you give to your horse's mane's and tails. All the tools you use for grooming your horse's manes and tails should be clean and up to date. If they're getting rusty and old, please replace them. After you use them, clean them, and leave them to dry for their next use. It is also recommended by Horse and Rider to use all-natural products. The more natural they are, the less likely they are to harm or strip the hair and the more likely to help nourish and care for your horse's mane and tail. Also, just like you do in training and daily care, be consistent in the bathing process. Once you find a system that works well for you and your horse, consistently stick with it and repeat it with every wash! Also, don't let your horse's manes and tails grow too long. You don't want them stepping on their manes and tails or allow them to become a danger to them. you want them to look great, but you also want them to freely be able to train, live happily, ride well, and do all of their tricks and maneuvers without harming themselves or their hair.

Keeping your horse healthy, clean, and looking gorgeous is a multi-staged approach. It does take time and dedication that every horse deserves. Just caring for their mains and tails is complex, don't forget about every other aspect of caring for them too! This needs to be considered when you are thinking about buying a horse of your own, can you handle this kind of responsibility? Of course, as fellow horse lovers, you know they are worth the time and care and to look and feel their best, always! We hope this how-to guide was helpful, and we look forward to seeing you on the trails very soon! If you have any questions about the care of your horse between now our next blog, don't hesitate to reach out. We are here to help you care for your horses as best as possible. Until next time, stay safe and stay hopeful everyone!

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Caring for Your Horses Tail and Mane (Part One)

10/19/2020

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While the seasons begin to change, it's time to start thinking about caring for every aspect of your horses from the tip of their tails to their noses! Let's focus on the best ways to care for your horse's mane and tail!

Hello, trail friends! We are back again at our writing desk after taking a break from our saddles! We continue to have incredible rides with our guests that are safe, full of fun, and surrounded by the beauty of the Lowcountry! Have you visited lately? We'd love to hear about your trip! Make sure to comment below after reading this blog! We would appreciate the feedback because we have been loving every moment with you all on the trail!

In this two-part blog, we are going to be moving away from the trail and back into the barn. As much as we hate to admit it, we are going to see the weather change and get cooler over the next few months. Rain will mean muddy fields, trails, and paddocks that will cover our horse's bodies, hooves, manes, and tails. While this is very normal, it is also very important that we keep our horses coats, manes, tails, and hooves clean and dry throughout the winter season. This can help promote healthy skin, help avoid sores or irritated skin, and help maintain your horse's overall health. To learn more about caring for your horse during the winter months, follow the link below to one of our past blogs that discusses exactly that!

https://www.middletonplaceequestriancenter.com/blog/archives/11-2019

In this blog, we are going to be specifically focusing on the care of your horse's manes and tails. This extra care will not only keep them healthy and happy, but it will also help keep them ready for the next season of competition, riders, tournaments, and more!

Getting Started

The changing of the seasons isn't the only reason why a deep clean on your horse's mane and the tail is needed. The big secret to true beautiful hair is being consistent and thorough all year round. This has to be part of your regime for each of your horses, especially horses like Gypsy Vanners, Andalusian, and Lusitano's who are known for their long and luscious locks. Just like humans, a healthy diet and lifestyle are also a huge help in keeping and maintaining lush, healthy, and clean tresses. This consistent care needs to happen all year round, even if it is colder, to keep your horses at the height of health and cleanliness. Each breed will naturally have their own kind of mane and tail, and will each have their own unique thickness and length that they can healthily grow to with proper care and attention. Taking the time to consistently and properly care for your horse's mane and tail will help prevent hair loss or thinning and help keep it strong against natural elements that actively work to destroy it.

The Brush

One of the first things you need to remember is to never over brush your horse's mane or tail. Only brush it when you have to! A significant amount of hair does come out when brushing, and over-brushing can lead to dull, thinning, and breakage of the hair itself. Brushing daily is not something that we would recommend. What you can do daily is shake out your horse's mane and tail to remove any excess dirt, skin cells, or any branches, twigs, or leaves that might have gotten stuck in there. Also, if you do come across any knots or mats, gently break them up and pull them apart with your fingers. Make sure to do this as often as possible. Also, keeping them away from anything that could grab or snag their tails or manes can help prolong the quality of both. Also, don't forget to use the proper tools. Horse and Rider recommends that you use a tail and mane brush that has wide teeth. These brushes help remove less hair when brushing. It also helps you avoid catching tangles and limits breakage. Also, save your brushing for after both mane and tail have been thoroughly washed and have had time to dry. Brushing wet hair can be even more destructive than brushing it every day. If you need to, make sure to secure your horse while letting its mane and tail dry to avoid it getting dirty again or getting more tangles. Most importantly, please don't rush the brushing or grooming process. If you rush through a brushing, this can result in ripping out the hair or cause severe breakage!

The Wash

Just like over brushing, over washing, or using too much shampoo or conditioner can damage your horse's mane and tail. This too can cause the hair to dry out and become very brittle. According to US Equestrian, the best place to start washing is at the root of the mane or the dock of the tail. Really scrub right at the root of the hair, this is where most of the oil, dirt, skin cells and dander will accumulate. Plus, who doesn't love a good scalp massage? Scrubbing deep and right at the root will also help with blood flow and will promote healthy hair growth. Also, don't forget to wash both sides of the mane. Start at the root and work your way down to the very end of the mane or tail for a thorough clean. Once you've accomplished this, make sure to rinse well to help get out any dirt you might have missed, help battle any tangles and knots, and remove the shampoo.

You can use more shampoo than you can conditioner. Using a lighter amount of conditioner can help avoid it from getting clumpy or being left in the mane after you rinse. This can cause more dirt to build up and stick to the leftover conditioner or the mane and tail can become very greasy. While washing or conditioning avoid tangling it or adding to existing tangles. You don't need to scrub back and forth, according to Horse and Rider. This will also help avoid irritation, itching, and rubbing if you remove the dirt and thoroughly rinse the mane and tail. According to US Equestrian, instead of using large quantities of conditioner, spraying a clean damp mane after the wash with leave-in condition can help with keeping it healthy and shining. Spray on before brushing, and once the mane and tail are dry, you can then begin the brush!

How does your current brushing, washing, mane, and tail maintenance stand up to this list so far? Are you already a pro, or do you think you might have some work to do? No matter what path your on, as long as you're working towards helping your horse have the best skin, mane, and tail, then you're doing great. Who knew that manes and tails needed so much care? This is just one of the many aspects of caring for just one horse, can you imagine how much time it takes to do this for multiple horses? Owning and caring for a horse takes extreme responsibility, and you must be ready to take it all on if you're wanting to provide the best life possible to your horse. If you have any questions about the care of your horse between now and the second part of this blog, don't hesitate to reach out. We are here to help you care for your horses as best as possible. Until next time, stay safe and stay hopeful everyone!

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Middleton Place Equestrian Center Blog

Caring for Your Horses Tail and Mane (Part Two)

Caring for Your Horses Tail and Mane (Part One)

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