[ocalhoun]

I just bought a cute little Arabian filly. She needs training, but that's not what I'm here to ask about.

Her mane is overall very nice, but there's one spot, perhaps 6 inches long, that some time ago was rubbed completely off from her reaching under a fence.
Now, she's got one patch in the middle of her otherwise nice mane that is only, say, 2 or 3 inches long.

I'm wondering if anybody has a good solution for this... In the very short term, cleverly braiding it could hide that if I needed to for some reason, and in the very long term I'm sure it will be back to normal... but what about medium term?

Should I shave the whole thing and let it grow back evenly? Apply growth-helping products only to that patch? Just ignore it because there's no good fix?

I'll only be taking her out for trail rides (after training), so it isn't essential that she look perfect, but if there's a good way to fix this, I'd like to know it.

(Yes, I realize that I'm a new user who's first post is a new topic. This is impertinent, and has a greater likelihood of breaking rules. I apologize for that, and I've tried to minimize any possible problems. I'll be able to better adapt my posting to this forum as I become more accustomed to the mood of it.)

 

[Gidget]

Hello.

My fiance had the same thing happen to his colt. We ended up giving him a short mane....like racehorses.He looks a lot better that way but if you don't want to cut it off then I would put some leave-in conditioner and put it in braids that way she would get it snagged on something else.

That's all I can think of.

 

[smrobs]

Welcome to the forum. I want to say first off that we are pretty laid back here. So long as nobody is rude, vulgar, or completely inappropriate, all posts are welcomed.

I would suggest maybe getting some MTG to rub on the patch that is shorter to encourage growth. I don't really think there is any reason to shave the whole thing off. If you need to have it evened up for any reason, I would suggest one of those thinning razors that you can get at any beauty store. Just thin it out until it is all the same length. That is what we used to do with our show horses instead of pulling their manes cause it left it with some thickness and we didn't end up with those annoying little regrowth hairs sticking straight up.

 

[Pidge]

hello there! and welcome!

My gelding did this exact same thing last summer. I would shampoo an condition it and put some sort of growth encouragement product on it once or twice a week. also only brush it when the hair is clean. If you do this untill the patch grows out a bit you can cut all the hair even and your horse still have a mane. thats what i did with my gelding. I waited until it grew out long enough to band. (since he is western)

Now its grown out alot...long enough to braid again. Im not sure why but the shampooing an conditioning does help!

 

[southerncowgirl93]

Hi there! Welcome to the board. Like smrobs said, I'd suggest MTG. It can be kinda greasy, but it works.

 

[charlicata]

What is a good growth product to use. I don't need it for Rosie's tail...I need it for her mane.

THANKS!!!

 

[snoggle]

My mare had a really long bridle path, I'm letting all but a small part of it grow back in. I love how long her mane is so I can't just cut it all off to be even, but I do trim an inch or so off of the long part of her mane every couple of months. Eventually the short part will catch up. It's probably grown almost an inch a month, so there is hope. MTG does work wonders - but be forewarned - it's greasy so it will attract dirt and some people hate the smell. In general, don't comb the mane out too frequently, since that will just pull out hairs. When you do comb, make sure you are using a detangler.

 

[snoggle]

Cowboy Magic makes a great detangler, but a friend of mine swears by baby oil, which is cheaper.

 

[ocalhoun]

Thanks for all the advice!
I think I will use some MTG on just that patch, and other than that just be patient with it.
(It shouldn't look half as bad once the short patch grows long enough to lay down instead of sticking up.)

 

[snoggle]

Here are some pictures of my horse's mane over the last 8 months. She's come a long way. There is hope for your filly's mane....

The first one is from May 31, the day we brought her home:

The second one is in late August during the awkward, sticking up stage:

The last two are from today. I just trimmed about 2 inches off of the long part a couple of days ago:

 

[chicagirl]

mane growth

I have asked this question once before and did not see it come up so If it is duplicated please forgive. In regards to the short spots in the manes. We have hundreds of oak trees on and around our property and with them come chiggers. Now I never knew there were chiggers in Oregon until we moved to our new place that had oak trees, but there are and they live in the oak trees. That being said, my horses get chewed to pieces no matter what I put on them, so they itch constantly. They scratch their manes, tails, and every other parts of their bodies on the trees and fence post. My mare had a large white frost streak in her main which she has worn off to nothing. I saw where MTG was suggested to use. What is MTG and where can I find it. Is that it's real name or is that initials for the product. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
thank you

 

[charlicata]

I found it here chicagirl. You might be able to find it a little cheaper. I just have Valley Vets in my favorites.

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=2fd984b6-f5ac-4323-a639-1d059477370f