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  Discussion on Shedding mane
Author Message
New Member:
mari1yn

Posted on Saturday, Feb 24, 2007 - 12:34 pm:

Being a new owner, I have much to learn. My 6 year-old Quarter Horse Mare is has been losing much mane hair. When I groom her, she loses 10-20 strands. I have asked her vet, who is non-commital, the stable-owner says I should condition at the roots (I do), other stable people say it could be a need for supplements (which I'm using for mane and tail health), but she is still losing hair. Her tail is abundant and long, so no problem there, except for the time it takes to get tangles out.

Any ideas from the seasoned horse-people out there?
Member:
corinne

Posted on Sunday, Feb 25, 2007 - 9:15 am:

My horse has a very beautiful but weak mane as well. For our first recognized show we had a braider french braid his beautiful long mane (he is an arab) when we went to unbraid for the night the bottom six inches were lost and I learned the hard way not to braid to the bottom so when their poll is the highest part of their body and they are on the bit it doesn't rip out. Another arab owner said with her mare they had to hold her head in the dressage position and braid so there wasn't unreasonable tension created by the dressage head set. I have tried all you have tried and it still falls out when I groom, which I doubt I will ever change. We have resorted to using only very wide tooth combs, leave in conditioner to prevent tangles and the occasional showsheen (which I don't use on his coat) because it has silicone in it and his hair doesn't tangle as much. I think removing tangles made by the wind is the worst. Neck covers in the winter help, and fly sheet neck covers in the summer. Good luck but my vote is, in addition to all you are doing....only wide tooth combs NEVER BRUSHES!and don't comb unless you condition with a spray on first and only comb when you have too then comb. Use your fingers when you can. For tails I heard the Germans never brush, they finger comb, until they need too. This year we have put his tail up for the winter in a tail bag, which I braid first, under the tail dock, then I take it down for riding so the bag doesn't become projectile if he swishes for some reason. It's grown 4 inches so far.
Member:
ilona

Posted on Sunday, Feb 25, 2007 - 4:43 pm:

I only finger comb unless I absolutely have to use a comb and I always abundantly use cowboy magic and Infusium (newly added because of a recommendation on this site) before I even try finger combing. It seems to help. Remember, like people, horses naturally shed some hair anyway.
Member:
sonoita

Posted on Monday, Feb 26, 2007 - 11:48 am:

I use Infusium and Skin -so -Soft. I braid the mane during the winter and do not brush unless I am riding or it is tangled. Hair will fall out just like mine falls out, we shed My horses mane is about 15 inches in the middle about 9 to 10 up higher. His tail drags and I braid that too. He is a QH I cut it about five years ago up to about three inches. I do spray first before brushing.
Happy Trails
Member:
sonoita

Posted on Monday, Feb 26, 2007 - 1:23 pm:

I just went out and re-measured and it is actually 27 in the longest part and 15 in smallest.
If she has bald patches I would worry about fungus or she is grazing under the fence.
Happy Trails
Member:
freshman

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 27, 2007 - 1:34 am:

I agree that it is best to aviod using any sort of comb or brush on a wispy mane. Really no reason to do so if the main is truely sparse or thin; finger combing only is best for everyday grooming in these cases. Pull out the comb for shows,etc.

Some horses just don't grow a full mane, so it is a constant battle to protect it from undue loss. Losing 15-20 hairs per session isn't really that much, so that amount is only a problem if the you are try to preserve a truely thin mane, making it thicker for showring purposes. Otherwise, I'd not waste much time worrying about it. The mane doesn't serve a real purpose, anyway, so no harm done to the horse itself by a thin or nonexistant mane.

I did notice at one point that I had gotten into the habit of using the mane as leverage when mounting taller horses. The grasping and pulling really thinned out the mane just above the withers. It took a really conscious effort to quit doing this, but it did spare the horses unneccesary hair loss.

Best of luck with your horse, and godspeed to the hair growth that will make a fuller mane. I'm sure that I lose at least 20 or so hairs, probably more, every time I shower, brush, and dry my own hair. Unless the horse is truely balding, I don't think that this is enough loss to worry about; but it does make sense, in any case, to try to minimize the hair loss.
New Member:
mari1yn

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 27, 2007 - 11:26 am:

Thanks so much for all your thoughts and product info. I probably am being neurotic, but not having seen this in the boarding stable, I got concerned. I will relax a little more, finger-comb (infrequently), get some Infusium, and the fallout will probably take care of itself
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