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I am always amazed when I watch people grooming their horses and I see that they completely ignore the mane and tail, or, worse yet, grab a brush or a comb and rake it through the hair with wild abandon. Ouch! and Whoa! How would you like it if someone did that to your hair without any regard for the way it felt? Never mind the fact that with that kind of treatment both you and the poor horse will end up with chunks of hair missing.

The key to getting and maintaining a healthy, full mane and tail is first and foremost making sure the hair is kept clean of dirt and debris and secondly following a daily routine of conditioning and maintenance. I can not emphasize the word "daily" enough, for the wonderful irony here is that once you get in a routine of checking your horse's mane and tail every day and at the very least spraying on some conditioner/detangler the less time you will actually need to spend taking care of it.

Following these simple steps will, in time ,produce beautiful results regardless of the tangled, dirty mess you might be starting with:

1) Always begin by fingering through the mane and tail virtually strand by strand to remove any obvious debris such as
straw, leaves, twigs, hay and grasses. If there are burdocks gently separate the strands of hair until you can remove the
burdocks. Cutting them out with scissors is a very last resort and should only be done if there is absolutely no other
option.

2) If the mane and tail are dirty wash them with warm water and a good shampoo. One of my favorites is a tea tree oil
(meleleuca) based by Equine America. It is much less expensive than many other better known brands and it
leaves the horse's coat and mane and tail really soft and shiny.

3) After thoroughly rinsing the mane and tail use your fingers to work in a good leave-in conditioner. My favorite is EQyss
Survivor/Detangler Shine. Eight ounces cost about $18.00 but you use it very sparingly each time so it lasts for a
while. There are many others on the market which are also very good products. The key is to use a conditioner
that you don't rinse out. It is the conditioner and the daily detangler spray along with a good diet that will do the most for
building strong, healthy manes and tails.

4) If you have determined that the mane and tail is not really dirty then after finger picking you simply spray on a detangler
such as Laser Sheen or ShowSheen. Using a very wide toothed comb or a good, sturdy wide bristled brush gently comb
the mane and tail hair from top to bottom. Oster is now making some of the best grooming products on the market both
in terms of durability and function, and I highly recommend their tail brush as it is virtually indestructible and works
extremely well.

Again, if you take some time every day with your horse's mane and tail you will be rewarded, and I know that other horse owners will notice. In my barn my horse is the envy of the aisle!

Learn more about this author, Beth Daniels.
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