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Products for a thicker, longer tail

9K views 43 replies 20 participants last post by  emmasacha 
#1 ·
I have recently bought a cob and she has really thick mane hair and lots of feathers. Her tail is real thin though, not sure if thats how it is or if its been rubbed or brushed out by previous owners.horses.
Anyway my question is, what products are good for encouraging hair growth?
At the minute I'm using pig oil on it and it seems to be helping a bit. I have heard shapeleys original mtg is good but its hard to get hold of in the UK.
Any suggestions?
Anyone got before and after pics?

Here's a pic of Shoop's tail...the challenge is to get it thicker and longer!

This is the day that we bought her...


And this is after a couple of weeks...
 
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#4 ·
cobs tail

has your cobs tail been cliped out.
we cliped ours out and his mane and leting it grow.
when we got him his tail was thin and matted but he has a tail and a half growing now and his mane is starting to lay over.
i use absabine i think i have spelt it right and there shampoo super poo as i have a gray pony as well.
just cut it so its about just below the hock and it should grow through.
 
#5 ·
I use the vet wrap method on both my mares, plus wash/condition each time I redo the wrap (probably every 6-12 weeks). After it's washed and dried I put MTG in, then wrap. Occasionally I'll throw some mane & tail moisturizing stuff in there. My pony started with her tail right at her hip before where her leg actually starts, a whispy little thing. ~6 months later it's THICK and nearly to her fetlocks.

vet wrap method


you can find MTG online, not sure about shipping charges, but I am sure there's other websites that carry it cheaper
Shapley's Original M-T-G - First Aid Supplies from SmartPak Equine
 
#27 ·
I use the vet wrap method on both my mares, plus wash/condition each time I redo the wrap (probably every 6-12 weeks). After it's washed and dried I put MTG in, then wrap. Occasionally I'll throw some mane & tail moisturizing stuff in there. My pony started with her tail right at her hip before where her leg actually starts, a whispy little thing. ~6 months later it's THICK and nearly to her fetlocks.

vet wrap method
How To Wrap Your Horse's Tail : With Special Guest, EquitationPrincess! - YouTube

you can find MTG online, not sure about shipping charges, but I am sure there's other websites that carry it cheaper
Shapley's Original M-T-G - First Aid Supplies from SmartPak Equine
This is late, but I do just want to add that I keep my horse's tails wrapped like this a good chunk of the year (minus some "air out" time), summer included. Mine are 100% fine with being ridden with vet wrap in. In summer when it is mosquito season - we have a LOT here, and a mare who is allergic does not help - I continue to keep her tail wrapped and as I am wrapping I tie in baling twine to act as a tail of sorts for bug swatting. Never had any issues with this.:)
 
#7 ·
Vet wrap is great-IN THE WINTER, and I will not ride mine with it. I have geldings, and they are do not look kindly to a vet wrapped bundle of tail hitting them between the legs with every stride. Plus, they need their tail for flies in summer.
 
#8 ·
I agree with franknbeans, not a big fan of vet wrap myself (my horses really aren't either). And they NEED their tails in the summer.
I personally swear by my method of braiding every winter, all winter long. I find the time when they wreck their tail most is in the winter (from mud, wet, etc). I also use a detangler every time I brush them. I normally use showsheen since it's pretty cheap when buying in bulk and you need very little of it. I also swear by the Oster mane & tail brush. Buy one if you don't already use one. They are super effective in getting rid of tangles and pull out very little hair, if any. I also don't wash unless absolutely necessary. I find shampoo strips the hairs of their natural oils and makes them more brittle, causing more breakage. I only wash before a show or major event, or if their tails are exceptionally dirty in the winter. All three of my horses have beautiful, thick tails. One of them had a pretty average tail when we got her, quite broken at the ends and thinning. After a while with me her tail is now one of the first things people comment about her and it's only getting thicker. I can hardly wrap my hand around it it's so thick and, after leaving it in a braid for this last winter, I literally had to take 6 inches off and it still touched the ground. I've also never used a growth product, except fresh ground flax seeds which are high in omega-3's and help hair quality.

These are just some of my opinions. Good luck with your mare, I think time will make all the difference! (And sorry for my long post, I like to talk!)

I also attached some before and after pics since you asked for some (they're the best I could crop up from what I have).
 

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#9 ·
Mine are braided and vet rapped all winter too, it really does help, and yes-that is the perfect brush, and a MUST for every grooming kit, IMO. Showsheen has silicone, though, so that will tend to dry it out......beautiful tail tho! About the same as my guys-just a different color. I just took it out for spring and had to cut it, which I always have a tough time with, but, better to cut than to step on.
 
#10 ·
Yeah, I suppose that is one thing to consider, the showsheen drying out the hair if their tail's already brittle... I hear vetrolin may be a good alternative but I've never tried it. I've never had a problem, I don't brush their tails so often to dry them out but if your're in the heavy show season it just might do that... I had a big problem with cutting her tail off, it was beautiful dragging the ground!
 
#14 ·
There is no need to be negative franknbeans if you've never heard of it... I myself have never used pig oil, however, unless you've used it before and know what you're doing, I don't advise trying it. It's named "pig" oil only because it is used on pigs for mud fever, hair loss, etc. As we all know, pigs have a tuff hide and horses do not. Pig oil has been commonly known to cause many skin conditions in horses if ever in contact, such as burning, splits/cuts, gaping holes in the skin, puss, and sores. I believe it has a high level of sulphur in it, causing these injuries. Someone posted that they tried it on their pony's mane, trying to encourage his hair growth, and burned his withers badly from it causing him a lot of pain and they regretted their choice. I suggest you research it online before testing it out, and if you do decide to try it, it is suggested you test it on a very small portion of skin and see if there's a reaction first before use.
 
#15 ·
I just started rubbing Moroccan oil into my horses dock and brushing it through his tail as I found the show sheen to be drying.......yes I'm using MY Moroccan oil......:shock:
 
#19 ·
I'm going for a thicker tail too right now with my horse Maverick. He's got the length down...it's touching the ground. now I want some volume to it.

What I'm doing is brushing it, conditioning it (my fancy homemade conditioner made with human conditioner, water and vinegar with a bit of baby oil. You spray it on then leave it in.) adding MTG and then cutting an inch off the bottom (completely straight across) then loosely braiding it. I leave in the braid and take it out about twice a week to brush and condition it again, then add MTG about once a week. After that it immediately gets rebraided and kept in for another 4 days or so. I cut it whenever it starts to get whispy at the bottom.
Slowly but surely, Maverick's tail is becoming thicker and thicker! It now looks good and is easy to braid for shows!

Good luck!
 
#20 ·
I have already used pig oil on my ardennes mares feathers, its used alot on shires and clydesdales in the uk. it does contain sulphur so I guess its the british version of MTG. i havn't had any adverse reactions from it. I think the idea of it is to protect the hair from breakage rather than promote growth.
Anyway today I shampooed Shoops tail. She had alot of dry flakey skin down her tail bone. I let it dry and combed it through with my fingers (btw I do already have an oster brush and I agree they are amazing). Once it was dry I applied some Mane and tail thickener that I get from my local tack shop, it's designed to create healthy skin which in theory lets hair grow better. I will take a pic of the bottle later when I go back to the yard. I massaged this into her dock and her skin is now nice and soft and flake free. I also chopped of the scraggy end part and made her tail level just below her hocks.
I thought her tail would be a hopeless fight but after today I think it has potential. I think I'm going to plait and vetwrap it tonight when I go up to feed.
I will keep posting pics of the progress as I have been searching for before and afters but havn't been able to find many good ones.

Anyhoo I'll take some pics later, she seemed to enjoy the pampering and massages if nothing else lol
 
#21 ·
Ok, i have an OTTB, which as we all know are notorious for horribly thin tails. hahaha what works for me and him (over time) is Enfusium volume shampoo/conditioner and Enfusium rejuvenation spray. Both are safe to use repeatedly and i use the rejuvenation spray every single time i brush his tail to reduce breakage. It has worked very well so far! You can buy it at any Walmart in the hair care aisle :) ENFUSIUM! It comes in a grey bottle and there are several types, choose as needed :)
 
#23 ·
Wow that's a great before and after. His tail literally looks twice as thick. I have just shampooed and massaged builder into her dock for the second time this morning. I swear her tail looks better already but that could be rose tinted glasses lol. Anyway I took a pic of her tail after a couple days TLC and also a pic of the product I'm using. I was going to wrap it but the sun has decided to come out today and there are flies about, might wrap it and at some extra wrap or string to the end so she can still swot bugs.

 
#31 ·
My mare rubbed her tail out every spring and what was left was none to pretty. It is due to sweet itch in her case. Thick sticky oils have worked so far (knock on wood). I use castor mixed w vitamin E and really rub it into the roots. I imagine it also helps to keep the hair from breaking if they do rub.
 
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