Ahh my horse's tail is a nightmare!!?

Question

my paint is really a cute little guy (well hes not that little but i like to call him that) but his mane an tail- o lordie! its wavy, frizzy, ragged, and just impossible. even after i (attempt to) comb it. is there a really good deep conditioning product i can use to thoroughly detangle and shine his hair? thanks :)

Answer 1

There are a couple of deep-conditioning products for humans that I think work really well on a ratty tail to get it back into nice order. Pretty much anything that's a "leave in" will work well at the barn. Rub it into your palms and work it through the hair from top to bottom. Leave it alone for a day then try to comb it through.

I've had barn mates that have done the V05 Hot Oil treatments and they say it works like a DREAM on their horses!!

My horse has a HUGE tail by nature (drives me nuts when its filled w burs) and I use Infusium Leave in Treatment twice a week. I squirt as much as I want into the tail - can't use too much - and then let it sit for while I ride, then comb through when I get off. This will get the tangles out w/o breaking the hair. Be sure to work the bottom knots first, then slowly go up the tail.

I agree that a hoodie is the simple way to keep the mane in place. Again, a hot oil treatment and a leave-in-conditioner will help fiz the hair first. Once its in better condition (less frizzy, less dry, etc) then put the hoodie into place. Don't leave it on for longer than 12 hours. It can cause irritation to the skin/hide on the neck from where it will rub. :)

Treating the hair may take more than one treatment till it gets the condition you'd like - don't give up. :)

Infusium has really helped the breakage with my horse and I'm sure it will help yours, too.

Answer 2

The first thing I'd do is wash the tail thoroughly, then use some good old fashioned conditioner. Let the conditioner soak for two minutes or so, then rinse it out. While the tail is still damp, liberally spray Show Sheen. From the base of the tail to the very tip, rub it in. I don't mean drag your fingers through it, just use a massaging motion to evenly distribute the solution. Normally I'd finish the bathing process--sweatscraping, toweling, blanketing, etc. I try to wait at least twenty minutes or so before even thinking about combing he tail out. When you do comb it out, as I'm sure you know, start at the very bottom and work slowly up to the top. Same as with human hair; the more you pull, the more comes out. After it's completely brushed out, I lay it in a loose braid and use a no-metal hair tie gently on the bottom. You can also use a tail bag/cover, or I like to use one leg of a pair of pantyhose to protect. One last tip that I use only in the most dire of circumstances--baby oil. It makes the tail super slick and attracts a fair amount of dust, but if there is a knot that I just cannot get out, I massage a tiny drop of baby oil into the snarl and work it gently with my fingers. If you must use copious amounts of the stuff, I'd wash it out after the tail was completely detangled.

I hope this helps, and good luck on that crazy tail!

Answer 3

I also swear by Show Sheen, not only for the mane and tail, but all over the horse after a bath. It not only gets out the tangles, but helps resist stains. If using a saddle or harness, I try to keep it from where the saddle is placed, simply because it will move around a little if there is Show Sheen under it...but...that's why it can resist stains. On real problem manes, I have used one of those electric ceramic hair straighteners, a regular large size curling iron will make it curve too much and keep it from lying straight, but one of those hair straighteners is thin and flat and works wonders. The beauty of Show Sheen is no rinsing, leave it in.

Answer 4

I have a pony that has a very thick mane and tail and I had the hardest time trying to get a comb through his mane, let alone even try to attempt the tail. After trying many different products I finally found that Cowboy Magic's mane and tail detangler work very well! It makes you hands a little oily but their tail is not left oily or slippery, it just makes it look healthy and makes it easy to comb through, and run your fingers through. Show sheen also works well, but not quite as well, it makes it very slippery. Coboy Magic Body Shine is third on my list, but it still works quite well. Best of luck!

Answer 5

I use a product called MTG by shapleys its not the most pleasnt theing in the world it smells like bacon grease but nothing has worked better for my horses it makes the hair soft and easy to work with. It also makes the hair grow a alot faster so when you keep uesing it regularly so you can grow out the bad hair and get that new growth it says it will make it grow 5 inches a month.
Thee other thing that use are the braid in tail bags they keep the hair from getting tangles and that way you can apply the MTG to the tail bone area and not worry about the bottom every day.
My mare has a massive thick tail and thats the only way i can stay sane is the braid in bags. I dont buy mine they are real easy to make just old bed linens or you can go buy fabric and make it really fun.
You need three 6in wide pieces . Divide the tail into 3 parts useing masking tape to keep them seperate. Take your cloth and secure it at the top with a bit of tape and wrap each part secure them with a bit more tape and braid away . make sure your cloth is longer than his tail braid a bit past his tail and tie the braid in a knot you shold have enough at the bottom that the extra will make a false tail so he can still shoo flies.
I like these because if your horse gets his tail hung in the pasture it just slips off with no damage to the tail. You can smear the tail with conditioner b4 you bag and braid to make it soft.
THe mane i just smear and braid but you can do the same thing with their mane just scalieng down the size of your fabric
I like to do that for the simple fact i dont have to manage mane or tail every day i just take them off once a month or less just depends on my mood you can leave them on for months i often leave them on all winter as long as you use a cotton cloth the tail wont mildew in the braid. You can also buy the bags but its just cheaper to buy a yard or 2 of fabric that you really like
Hope that helps good luck

Answer 6

Oka, this will be long but I used to work at a pleasure/hunter barn and this was always my job before the shows...

1) wash the tail with warm water and some quality shampoo [not dish soap, but human shampoo is fine] first take the hose and just let the water run over the horses tail, then take the shampoo and put a streak of it from the very tip all the way to the end, and then wash it like you would do your own hair.. make sure to scrub the base of the tail [where there's skin] once this is done, take warm water and let it just run over the tail until the water coming off the end is clear, then check the tail for any soap suds, it ALL has to come out.

2) wring the tail, just take it all in your hand and pull down until the end, then don’t touch it for 10 min. get a wide tooth comb [like this http://www.hairsense.com/images/222.jpg ]
And starting at the bottom, brush all the way through the tail until you get most of it straightened out, if you hit any nasty snags dig a tooth of the comb into the knot and pull...

3) Once the tail is mostly good get some survivor [ http://www.petvetsupply.com/eqsursupdets.html ] and run a strip of it from top to bottom, and then work it through the tail, like you were putting product in your own hair... then take a brush and run it through untill the whole tail is smooth...

4) Once you do the initial cleaning, you can go through and bush and comb the tail once a week, or every other week. .. otherwise DONT touch it, whenever you brush it make sure your not pulling out allot of hair, you can braid it if you want, but if you still have flies out I wouldn’t. I never use tail bags and my tails always look good [=

EDIT: sorry, forgot to address the mane, but our horses always had pulled manes, for my horse, who got running braids through her mane, i basically followed the same process, but i tried to avoid using survivor because it makes the mane slick, and therefore hard to braid, if you arent showing then go for it! but on the mane, i wouldn't braid it just because they get ratty, you might be best off cutting it short to show length

Answer 7

All you need to do is go to a horse shop buy at least 2 bottles of detangler and a nice comb brush. Then put lots of spray on his tail if it comes to a large not dont try to rip through it. Simply keep brushing it and spraying on the spray. It might take awhile but it will be worth it! Or if that doesnt work try the detangler shampoo that works wonders!

Answer 8

DO NOT USE MANE AND TAIL like other people are saying. It is really hard on manes and tails that are knotted. It does nothing but dry them out. Go to a tack store and get Cowboy Magic Detangle and Shine. I GUARANTEE IT IS AMAZING. It works great. Best of luck!

Answer 9

I found that Mane and Tail work really well. Over about a 3-week-period, you should start seeing results. Also, if you find that your hair is getting like that, mane and tail is good for human hair as well. Oh and also...

Does he have a good enough diet? That could be part of it too. Hope this helps!! :)

Answer 10

i make my own "showsheen" it smells great and works really good and it conditions at the same time. take 1 part water, 1 part baby oil, and 1 part human conditioner ( sauve or whatever) and mix it together in a spray bottle. my 2 quarter horses have really thick tails and i spray it all in the tail, groom the horse, work half the tail and spray more, then work the mane and go and finish the tail. i do this about once every week or 2 and everytime in between i can just spray and brush. cheap and works good.