by Alta Brewer

Created on: February 15, 2007   Last Updated: January 18, 2010

Horse grooming: mane and tails. Horses have dry brittle hair.

1. Use a de-tangler. Cowboy Magic is the best that I have found. It can be rather expensive, however, it really works. Cowboy Magic has a slick silky feeling and helps your hands, combs and brushes glide through the hair.

2. Put a small amount of de-tangler on your hands.

3. Finger comb the mane and tail. You can remove anything that has been tangled in the hair by finger combing. You will be able to feel anything, including tangles that are in the hair.

4. Do not pull too hard. Pulling too hard will make it unpleasant for the horse and dangerous for you.

5. Use a downward motion. You can start at either end of the mane and tail. I generally start at the growth end and massage the de-tangler into the hair.

6. When you have finger combed the entire mane and tale, you can use a comb or brush that is specifically designed for mane and tails.

7. Brush or comb until there are no debris and no tangles in the hair.

8. Talk to your horse for safety. This way your horse knows that it is you that is there and not a predator.

The mane is easier to detangle than the tail. Once you have finger combed the mane and tail, you can use a wide toothed comb on them. The wide toothed comb will get any smaller tangles that might be left behind from finger combing.

Not all horses will stand still for their mane or tail to be groomed. If your horse does not want to stand still put out some hay to keep the horse occupied. The hay will give your horse something to do instead of moving his or her feet. A hay bag is great to use because it makes the horse work a little more for the hay. Put a halter with a lead rope on the horse and tie the lead rope close to the hay bag. Some horses like to eat a little bit and then walk in a circle or two before they eat again.

Remember not to pull the tail too hard. The horses backbone ends in the horses tail. Pulling too hard on the horses tail is painful to the horse and could make the horse kick. It will also make the horse to not want anyone grooming it's tail.

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