horse advise please........[mane,hooves,ect.?

Question

natural ingrediants?

ok....her mane isnt that long but her tail is! do you know of any natural stuff to make her mane grow longer?

and also... i was told that you can give horses cooking oil to put fat on them..is this true? i do need to put some fat on her... just alittle thoughh shes not terribly underweight.

also.. i had a farrier come out and trim her feet like usual..and he said her feet are looking alittle dry and cracked, anything i can make them shiny with? and healthy?

she is a Quarter Horse...

Answer 1

I dont know about the natural ingrediants, but MTG (I think it stands for Mane Tail Groomer/Growth) is this sticky, bad smelling stuff that works great to keep there hair healthy and growing (you rub it into their crest once a day, you will see results, fast. I used this after my arab rubbed almost his entire mane out.)
Baby oil is another thing that can work, but I find that it just attracts dirt, leading to knots. Keep your horses mane clean, but dont excessivly comb it, this will rip hair out.
Also try using a leave in conditioner in its mane, show sheen has an herbal leave in conditioner that I have found to work well. Many leave in conditioners ment for people with course hair work well too.
Oil is a great simple way to help a horse gain a little weight, and it makes their coat shiney. I always use vegitible oil.
About the hooves, your local tack shop or feed store will have a variety of hoof conditioning products that you apply with a large brush. I am not sure how effective they are though. Make sure your horse isnt standing in wet and muddy conditions for excessive periods of time, this will cause them to dry out.

Answer 2

I am wondering whether your horse has worms. Do you worm your horse regularly? If you do not, that would account for poor growth of fur or mane, and possible weight problem. Worms deprive a horse of important nutrients, and also can do severe damage to the intestinal tract. Another thing you might see, would be a dull coat. If you are worming your horse regularly, then you might look at a couple of other things: Have your horse's teeth been "floated" recently. Horses teeth grow, and somethimes don't meet properly, causing the horse to have problems grinding their food.

There are a couple of products that keep the mane and tail smooth; one is "Show Sheen", but I don't know whether it actually conditions the mane. If your horse is having trouble with her mane growing, and her hooves are dry, then you ought to ask the vet what supplements would help with this. I, personally wouldn't add anything to a horse's feed without first consulting the vet, as they have such sensitive digestive tracts. Also, does your horse get grain, or is it fed hay, only. A good quality grain in the correct amount for your horse would provide nutrients for good health, and again, your vet would be able to tell you what might be a good choice for your horse: straight feed, sweet feed, or pellets.

Answer 3

Exercise promotes blood flow in the hoof and is the best way to moisten hooves. Often, hooves will crack not because they are too dry, but because they have been too wet. Horses in a consistently dry environment have better feet. To be sure your horse's hooves are growing at an optimum rate, make sure the horse is getting a balanced diet. Farrier's Formulae (http://www.lifedatalabs.com/) is a supplement that can help undernourished feet grow stronger (it also improves the hair coat, including the mane and tail).
Also try Farnam Hoof Dressing, the oil kind it will really help his hooves.

Answer 4

What you need to do is buy a calorie builder. It's similar to a protein shake in humans. It's in powdered form and you administer this to your horse. This will bulk up her weight. Keep in mind that depending upon her breed (Which would be helpful to know), some horses don't need a lot of fat. I would not recommend giving your horse cooking oil unless you want a horse to have wet, loose stools. Causing them to pass food too quickly will also result in an underweight horse. Only use any sort of oil (Mineral oil is best) when you're branning them to thoroughly flush the bowel.


As for mane growth, it also depends on her breed. Some horses manes don't grow very long at all. We have an Arabian/Quarter Tobiano who has a very short mane. It resembles that of a Zebra, sticking up all over the place, yet his tail is very long. It's just how he is. If you want to attempt to stimulate growth, there are a lot of supplements out on the market today that promote fur/mane growth along with coat lustre and quality. I use Vita Bran Joint Care. It gives them all the minerals they need, plus gives them a shiny, healthy coat, along with keeping their hooves in excellent condition and keeping their joints healthy.


As for your horse's hooves, you'll want to buy some hoof dressing. You can find it at any pet store that sells equine products. It'll be in a large can with a brush in the middle. You'll apply it like you do nail polish. Thoroughly exfoliate the hoof before you apply (I use a stiff brush with plastic bristles). Be sure to pick the hoof as well. You'll want to apply a thick layer of the dressing onto the outer wall of the hoof and onto the bottom as well, especially around the frog. The frog of the hoof (It's a V shape) acts as a shock absorber for the hoof. Keeping this well moisturized and healthy will provide a healthier hoof. It'll keep the blood stimulated.


If you have anymore questions, you can feel free to E-mail or IM me. <3


Good luck!

Answer 5

Ok i don't know of any natural mane growing stuff but i wouldn't give a horse cooking oil to put fat on them, rather find a suitable weight gainer from ur local feed suppliers but if u do give her sumthing to put weight on u'll hav to be prepared to exersize her heavily so she puts on muscle coz if u don't then she'll just be fat.
Now with the hoof subject u can buy these special boots that u soak in water then u put on the hoofs that'll stop them from cracking, u can get them from saddleword or something. But if shes healthy than her hoofs and coat will be shiny and gleaming with health. Hope this helps!

Answer 6

I used peanut oil for YEARS on my horse's hooves and it worked wonderfully -- and it's cheap! Also, make sure to vigorously brush the coronet band -- that's where the hoof grows from and a good blood supply is essential for good hoof development.

Putting corn oil in the food can be good for horses, especially if the horse is prone to ulcers. Obviously don't use too much...

I found Show Sheen, Laser Sheen or Vetrolin Shine to be VERY helpful in keeping my horse's long mane in good condition. They might not be 'natural' but they are effective.

Answer 7

A healthy diet is most important. If your grass isn't top quality or the horse is in regular work, Lucerne hay (alfalfa) and oats, with a little vegetable oil added will help with the horse's weight, coat, mane and hooves.
There are professionally made natural hoof treatments, but brushing with neatsfoot oil or linseed oil will also work.

Answer 8

For our first horse, who was really old we had to get her to gain weight, & keep it on. So we just used vegetable oil and mixed about 2 cups in with each feed, it helped alot but she was still going downhill. But the oil does work very very well. You can also use some hoof treatment on her feet, I dont know what its called, I'll look when I get to the barn tonight, but I will get back to you if you want me too!

Answer 9

rub baby oil through her mane to get it healthy but don;t rub it at the root of the hair, just the hair itself. You can get certain homeopathics that can help hair growth in horses, but i tried them and it didn;t work on my horse :(

Try not to put oily things like that in their food, unless its linseed oil, to put on weight try a few handfuls of sunflower seeds in every meal, you can also certain bulky foods specially to out on weight, but other that that, make sure they have A LOT of hay, that is a horses main food.

to get a special shine in those hooves, paint them with linseed oil every day, water them down every second day or so, and put sunflower seeds in the food.

Good luck! :D

Answer 10

ok first things first. Are you brushing her mane and puttling it out? If you are then stop, start by putting showsheen in it before you brush it. Second yes you can give them oil it works great. third we use"ecthemal" its for wounds but if you put it on the cornet band and soal it works great it promoted growth.