How do you whiten a horses mane/tail without washing?

Question

I have a Christmas parade coming up and Rain, my Palomino, has a rather orange tail. It is too cool here to get her wet, so is there a way that I can whiten it without getting her wet?

Thanks!

Answer 1

This hard to do! It's about 34 degrees here, but I still washed my horse's tail yesterday and bagged it with a Tailgator tail bag to keep it that way. You don't get your horse wet when you wash the tail! I used a bucket, dilute shampoo, and a sponge. I just repeatedly dunked the tail in the bucket, sponged the top part, scrbbed with shampoo and kept dunking, until the water ran clear. I also worked from the top of the tail with the soap (rinsing a little more each dunk, scrubbing the bottom dirtiest part after it had been dunked numerous times. Afterwards, I patted dry, conditioned it, then liberally coated it with cowboy magic. When Dry I braided it and stuffed in the bag.
http://www.tailgator.co.uk/tg/pages/tailbagorder.html

The mane is harder!!. Cowboy magic makes a green spot remover that can be used on mane, tail, and body. Using a damp towel after all the loose dirt is removed can help too. When I really need a good job, I wrap each section of mane is a towel and squirt id down with a water bottle. soap it up and repeat till clean. Many many towels and much time! The best method for mane and tail is prevention. I use Cowboy magic which repels dirt better, plus I use mane and tail bags! I just bought my first tail bag since his tail is white and mane black.
see how my horse's mane looks after a year of this!
http://www.tailgator.co.uk/tg/pages/tailbagorder.html
click 3 arrows to gray horse

http://www.tailgator.co.uk/tg/pages/manebagreview.html
horse with mane bags in

http://www.tailgator.co.uk/tg/pages/tailbagreview.html
click arrows to see several palominos with beautiful white tails.

Since you don't have a bag..... start cleaning that tail now, before it gets colder) , condition and braid it up. double it over into an old sock and wrap the sock tightly with tape and hair bands BELOW the tail bone. Leave this in for a week or two at a time. When you take it out to brush, you can clean more if not satisfied yet! Conditioned will soak in nicely and give your horse a soft tangle free tail for your parade.

I have an exhibition in January... thus why I decided to buy the tail bag after using the mane bags for a year. I started my cleaning process yesterday and bagging!! LOL! Brrr!

Answer 2

i've found that plenty of tea tree oil amd water mixed up in a spray bottle works good. Also i live in england so it pretty cold over here at the minute too, i have haflingers with white tails and theirs look a bit brown from the mud, so what i've found is that washing the mane and tail without pouring the water on the horses body gets the job done without getting the actual horse wet, so dip and wash the mane and tail in a bucket. Also you could use a sponge with shampoo to get the dirt out this will stop all of your horse getting drenched. Plus if you wash it just before you ride it will dry when your out so that it doesn't get muddied in the field or stable! good luck!

Answer 3

A blueing (not sure on spelling) shampoo will help whiten hair that is already clean and white, but won't really do much for getting stains out. Since the stains are basicly "set" in the hair follicles, it will be difficult. (Think of a stain in a rug or shirt!) I have been told, but never used, baking soda paste and/or peroxide. The only thing with the peroxide is you want to be careful not to over-use it and not use it on hairs that aren't stained because it strips the shaft of hair and can give it a dull or yellow look. Good luck!

Answer 4

If the tail is white, i have an idea, i have a white appaloosa with a white tail, i bought a spray from the local tackshop.
You spray it on the stain (it removes green marks&dirt) after you do that you take a brush and brush it out.. It workd like a charm. I use it at shown b/c he lays down and gets dirty!

Answer 5

You can get some really good colour shampoos at some tack stores. They come in a range of colours- white, black, and chestnut.
I have heard of people squeezing lemon juice onto their horse's tail to get it to bleach in the sun. Not sure if it works though.
If you do wash her tail, afterward, use a towel to dry it with

Answer 6

just wash her tail and try your best not to get her body wet. try this shampoo its made for grey horses ( i know that your horses isnt grey but your using it on her white tail so it will still work) to make them look clean and as bright as they possible can.

http://www.horse.com/products/gift-0__sku-BKB15.html

now for the mane......thats going to be the hard part because you might get her really wet if you try to wash it. Someone told me try using bleach but I wouldnt do it but if you feel comfortable doing it then give it a try.

Answer 7

you could get some dry shampoo which you just spray on and comb through...but if you just wash the end of the tail she shouldnt be cold. i actually suggest fairy liquid as i have 2 grays and they are constantly filthy. i then use conditioner to make the tail silky. on the day you could put talc or white chalk on the tail to make it whiter but that will only be temporary so i reccomend reapplying throughout the day to keep it really white.

Answer 8

Just wash the tail. There is a blue shampoo available (forget the name) that works pretty good. Secret to removing the yellow is "White Minx" by LeRue, available in hair color section of most drug stores.

Answer 9

Peppi Spray - at any tack store runs about 15$ and you mist it over their coats, mane and tail. Creates this amazing shine we use it on all our show and sale horses. And to make it better it smells wonderful.

Answer 10

Go out and buy a water less shampoo. That means a shampoo that you dont need water to use not a shampoo that doesnt have any water in it. And i would try using a green spot remover. And then spray with silicone spray to make it shiney!