During the Autumn and Winter we can find that our horses have some of their mane rub out, often on bottom section of the mane nearest the wither. This can be due to either badly fitting neck rugs, dirty neck covers and heavy neck covers.
If the mane is dirty with grease then the grease transfers to the neck cover and the neck cover then rubs the mane and pulls the hair out as the horse moves their head.
Here are some of our useful tips for preventing mane rubs:
- Consider if your horse needs the neck rug at all or each day/night.
- Consider a detachable neck so this is easy to remove when not needed and can be washed more frequently to remove the grease from the rug.
- Consider using no fill or light fill detachable neck cover with a heavier rug to reduce weight on the mane.
- Consider a stretchy / lycra neck hood rather than a neck rug, again wash these as much as possible. Examples include Rhinegold Lycra Hood and HY Lycra Flex Hood
- Wash your horses mane as much as possible to keep grease levels low, if it’s too cold for a full bath then use a shampoo brush, a non rinse shampoo and less water to reduce the grease. Some examples are Barrier Lavender Wash, Horsewise Water Free Shampoo, Perry Shampoo Brush and Barrier Revitalising Mint Wash.
- Spray a lot of mane and tail Detangler spray on the mane to enable the neck rug to glide more easily over the mane and reduce friction. Mane sprays also condition the mane which increases its strength. Some mane sprays also have ingredients in them to promote mane growth such as Leovet 5 Star Detangler. Other popular mane sprays include Carr Day & Martin Canter Mane and Tail, NAF Silky Mane and Tail, Lincoln Silky Shine Hair Polish and Detangler, Barrier Tangle Free and Silky, Supreme Products Moisturise and Condition and Cowboy Magic Detangler and Shine
- Plaiting your horses mane into individual plaits may help prevent rubs
Once your horses mane has been rubbed there are some great products that can help to promote hair growth that you can use alongside continuing the preventative steps above.
Our favourite product is the Supreme Products Mane and Tail Builder. This amazing product can help regenerate hair growth for damaged manes and tails as well as promote growth on rubbed patches. It can also be used to calm skin conditions. We always recommend doing a skin patch test first.
