Your tail and mane regimen??

How do you keep your manes and tails long on your reiners? My 3 year old mare has a naturally long tail and her mane is pretty long also. She did rub out some of her mane this summer out in the pasture. I'm thinking for this winter I'll use a braid in tail bag and mane socks. I've seen mane socks/mane baggies used before. It sounds like hard work maintaining lenght. Does anyone use MTG? That stuff is a bit pricey and it looks messy. So, what is your mane and tail regimen??

I shampoo my mare's mane and tail once a week with a mild shampoo designed for colored/highlighted hair. Then I apply MTG, braid, and bag. I have a 3-tube tail bag and mane sox - all lycra. I like the bags because they keep the hairs nice and smooth and lengthen the amount of time you can go between rebraiding.

For the MTG, I shake it well and apply directly to the skin on the forelock, mane, and tail.

When I braid, I keep the hair loose for the first couple inches (more near the withers), and only braid snugly after that. That way the hairs on the sides of the braids aren't being pulled too tightly, and the hairs don't get pulled while she's grazing. With the tail, I let the hairs hang a couple inches past the tail bone before I start braiding.

I use electrical tape to hold the braids, because it doesn't damage the hair as rubber bands do.

Every few months or so, I go a few weeks without using any MTG. I keep shampooing and braiding, but I also heavily condition and moisturize. This keeps the hair nice and healthy.



It sounds like a lot of work... and it is, but it's only one day a week. It's nice being able to tack up without worrying about brushing out manes and tails. It saves time in that area.

I do have 2 tail bags that are the braid style with 3 seperate tubes. Here it gets pretty cold in the winter. I'm not sure I could do a regular weekly washing for the winter months. It would be tough to get a tail to dry.

Thanks CloudsMystique! :)

You could always blow dry it in the winter. That's what they do year-round at a lot of Saddlebred barns... because the tails drag the ground, it isn't really feasible to have the horse stand there while the tail dries. So they wash it, blow dry it, and put it back in the bag.

If you want the tail to grow out, wash, condition, braid the hair, and put it in a tail bag.

For the mane, you can use a sleazy or similar hooded device.

Do NOT over wash or condition the hair. That will make it brittle and weak.

I rarely wash my horses' manes and tails unless they're really dirty.

Take off the hood and tail bag occasionally, and unbraid the tail. Let it go natural for several days or a week.

Rebraid the tail, and put it back in the bag. Put the hood back on.

We don't compete in the reining pen - but our horses are reining and cutting bred.

The yellow horses get their manes and tails washed more frequently than the others but basically - we do nothing. We brush the body and take tangles out of the mane. The only time the tail is combed is after a bath and only with conditioner. We like the Extreme brand of products.

We have some serious hair on some of these critters . . .

Thanks guys!

Speed Racer- thank you. Quick question for you: do you prefer a hood to the tail socks? Any particular reason if you do?

Currently, my regimen is let them go all natural. I do occasionally brush it out, put in some of that leave in conditioner and bag it. My mare has a long tail, but I'd like to get the long "reiner mane". I figure if I start on a routein now, by summer they'll be nice and long.... well.... longer.

I'm going to throw in my two cents, even though your question wasn't directed towards me.

I like the hoods because they protect the whole mane instead of just the braided part... Also because they keep the head and neck clean. But they are VERY easy to tear and wouldn't last five minutes on my horse ; )

Thanks CM. I didn't intentionally leave you out of the question. :)

It is open to anyone... do you prefer hoods or braid bags??

I much prefer the hood to protect the mane. Easy on, easy off, and even the most skittish horse -cough- my grey Arab -cough- hasn't had a problem with one.

Tail bags of course, for the tail. They don't make a hood for the tails, but they do make an all over body cover.