Rubbing mane and tail!! help

Okay so my horse Nugget like to itch his tail on trees and he is starting to get a bald patch!!

He also like to eat from the other side of the fence, the fence is barbed wire oon one strip and the rest just plain wire, his mane is rubbing out when he does this!!

It looks really odd and is a pain in the rear for plaiting coz he will have nice rossets and then really tiny ones or none at all in the middle!!

PLEASE HELP ME!! I am starting pony club again and will be going to Ribbon days where you have to plait up

He also has a slightly smaller tail then the averge one because where we used to agist there was a horse that lived in the yard next to Nugget, and Cadbury ( the horse next door) used to like eating or chewing other horses tails (ood habit I know) and Nugget got his chewed off!! It is growing back slowly but looks nicer when it is long!!

Please help me if there are any tactics to stop them from doing this (rubbing) I would REALLY like to know them for present and future

I'm having this same problem, my mare looks kind of ridiculous LOL



She sticks her head through the fence to eat the weeds/grass or play with trees. I don't know what to do to stop it but I am using MTG to help her mane grow back and so far so good!

Dont know about the mane...maybe put a sleezy hood on him? As for scratching the tail like that he might have worms...whens the last time you wormed him? Not saying that is the only option but alot of horses with worms scratch their tails like that...

My gelding likes to itch his butt/rub his tail too....I read in another thread on here somewhere to mix baby oil and iodine together and spray it on there, and that worked pretty well for me! His tail is starting to grow out already.

If possible, try to replace the barb wire with something a little more horse friendly. I totally understand if that's difficult, my boys share a cutout of the cow pasture that has barb run over a section, and replacing it is out of the question for me (dad's cows were there first, and it wouldn't be possible to splice two kinds of fence together the way ours is set up), but please understand that the risks run higher than just rubbed out manes. I would suggest running a strand of electric wire (totally safe) along one of the middle strands of both kinds of fence to discourage him from putting his head through at all. He doesn't need to do that. It's rough on the mane, rough on the fence wire, loosens fenceposts, and if he spooks with his head through there you could have a wreck on your hands.

As far as fixing the damage to his mane, I suggest using MTG on the rubbed spots. As for the tail, I would deworm with something apropriate for pinworms, if he isn't already UTD, and then maybe try MTG there, or massage baby oil into the skin where he's rubbing if it looks "dandruffy". The baby oil can cause them to sunburn, though, especially if he's light colored. MTG can fix a lot of skin related problems, and can jump start hair growth.

Hope that was helpful! Good luck!

Goodness, I thought only my horse had the "butt" scratching problem, lol. I've tried everything. They are all wormed monthly, I've tried the MTG and it seemed to begin helping, but she acted as though it was burning her really bad (swishing the tail, etc). So I stopped using it. The vet said it was boredom. I don't know it could be boredom, she runs and plays with the others, grazes, etc. She has rubbed one of my round pen panels to the point it is about to break in half. I would like to know a good cure myself.

I would definitely try the MTG. It works wonders. Also try Infusium, Spelling?, the leave in kind.
I would try to get rid of the barb wire.
The sleezy is probably not a good idea, they can get caught in the fence and then cause an even bigger problem.
As for the butt rubbing, try worming again, since they are outside, they could need it more often.
The MTG promotes growth, in case you weren't sure.
Hope this helps!

As for scratching the tail like that he might have worms...whens the last time you wormed him? Not saying that is the only option but alot of horses with worms scratch their tails like that..


Hahaha!! I wormed them only like 2 weeks ago!!! But thanks for the help

Yes but the thing is It isn't our property, and it would take like 3 days to fix the fence, so the the horses have no where to live, there are 3 big paddocks all split up by the same 2 fences!!

But thanks for the help scoutrider

I would definitely try the MTG. It works wonders. Also try Infusium, Spelling?
The MTG promotes growth, in case you weren't sure.


Okay I have no clue if they sell MTG in Australia, But if I can find it sure thing!
And with the Spelling that is also nt an option, he is a backyard Pony the goes to Pony Club, and things like that. I can not just put him out for Spelling, I don't have a place too, and he get worried and hurts him self when he can't see his friends, he runs through fences.

And I wouldn't speel him anyway, he cna't just go out in a paddock and eat 24/7, when his usual week is 3 days of riding a week if the weather is being my friend.

So I am sorry but you haven't really helped that much, as I already know that I should try MTG there a many people that have suggested it to me!!