Mane Issues

I have a couple of questions mainly about manes.

We have two Connemara ponies at the barn that I take care of and ride.
Oddly enough, they are full brother and sister. Both of them have very different hair types and issues.

Glider (younger brother)

For the tail rubbing, normally there is an underlying issue that is causing them to itch. Is his sheath clean? Flies bothering him? Although if it is in recovery stage, most likely the problem is solved. Some people use stuff called MTG (Mane and Tail Grower), however it apparently smells greasy and can cause sunburn if horse is left in the sun too long. Another option is coconut oil. Massage it into the base of the mane, since hair grows from the base, not the end.

For the thick mane, you can thin it by pulling it... Although I like thick manes. To make it lay on one side, you could try braiding it and while braiding pulling down on the braid, which will train it to the one side. I believe you always want the mane on the right side of the neck. Hope I helped!

The only hair regrowth product I have used is MTG. It STINKS, and gets oily and gross. Horses with light hair and pink skin can sunburn. You also should do a test spot as rarely a horse with have a skin allergy to it.

For the mane, on long/thick breeds I try not to thin if possible. For keeping it to one side you might try spraying in "easy braid" or another braiding gel type product. I found these these products also help manes to stay where you want them even when not braiding. I've also used super duper extra strength DEP (for humans) with some degree of success, but it can get too stiff and overuse can dry. My favorite product that I have recently found can usually only be found in beauty supply stores. It's called "Hask Placenta" and there are a couple of different spray in varieties that add in things like Shea Butter, or avocado. I found that it makes manes and tails lie flat but doesn't stiffen them. It also takes out any static. The plus is, it's actually GOOD for the hair as it's a leave in conditioner. I tried it for static once and found that Cinny's super fluffy troll doll mane actually looked soft and sleek for a couple of days so I started using it for shows.

Hope you find something that helps.

I agree with this. I use MTG on my horse but I try to find the problem first. Sometimes my horse rubs his tail when his tail is dried out so I alternate between MTG and coconut oil.

I agree with what to do about the mane too. But I do have a question for Almond Joy. Why the should the mane be on the right side? I have never heard this, is it just something that people did back in the day and now its more or less tradition?

I think it might be tradition, but I do know that almost all horse's manes lay on the right side of the neck.

It's funny but back growing up in the 70's and 80's I was told by trainers, other people at my stable, etc that one side was the "Western Side" and the other was "English Side" so it depended on how you rode. But that didn't make sense to me either because I rode both and so did most of my friends.

Ive read and heard that manes get pushed by the stronger side of the body. So if your horse has a stronger right side it gets pushed to the left and if they are stronger on the left it gets pushed to the right..

Thank you guys! That really helped! I've never tried coconut oil before... I'll have to give it a whirl!

I can't see that any product would make hair grow faster. Perhaps a good daily massaging to increase blood flow would help. It certainly won't hurt.

Do you know where you can get coconut oil? Maybe the grocery store? Or tractor supply?