# What about very bad dandruff all over?



## SuperStarsSugar

My horse had weird dandruff in her girth area once and I got some tea tree oil and applied that fora few days and it worked wonders. I bet a tea tree shampoo would do the same thing.


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## lillie

you could try adding some oil to her feed. tea tree would help as SuperStarsSugar says, or aloe vera


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## twogeldings

My rescue horse, Sammy, has the same thing, except for he has it ALL over and so bad it horribly dulls his coat. It actually gets crusty in some places. Especially under his mane, along the crest.

My solution? Corn oil! 

By the time I went through a gallon or so of corn oil (I feed just enough to coat the feed, roughly 1/4 cup) his dandruff was pretty much non-existent and he just glowed after grooming.
If you look at his page (he's in my barn) you can see the 'before' photos, where he's just a dull chestnut. And the 'after' photos where he glows like a show pony. I didn't apply any show-sheen or other products, just gave him a good curry and brushing.

I would be careful with what products you use on your girl, however. I normally use Cowboy Magic detangler and Sam had a reaction to it, he actually rubbed most of the hair off his face and under his mane. Now it's baby shampoo all the way for him


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## Karma

Linseed Oil also does the same trick 

Horses produce scurf naturally so it could have just been a build up.


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## lilianaliliana

Thank you so much for these replies! This is a wonderful forum. I can't wait to take some pictures so I can make a photo album for my profile.

Thank you.


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## ScharmLily

Hey all, I'm new here 

How often is she groomed? My first horse came from a place where he was pretty much not handled for several years when the daughter left for college and he had soooo much flaky dandruff crud on him that he looked absolutely terrible by the time I got him. Being my first horse, I would brush him for hours at a time and after weeks of this constant brushing the dandruff finally subsided and he began to shine. Brushing stimulates the oils to come out onto the hair, so it will help with dandruff....as others suggested oil is also good to help this process along.


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## lilianaliliana

Hi ScharmLily. I'm new but now you're newer than I am!

I'm at a disadvantage because it's not my horse, however, I've done some reading and considered the suggestions here and I'm going to first see if regular brushing will help. That would be the ideal solution. She's been rarely groomed.

My other options are corn oil and tea tree oil. At first I thought I'd try the corn oil right off, but it's not in the animal's normal, regular diet and if more frequent brushing could help, that would be better than adding the oil to her diet. Plus, this one isn't in a pasture, so she doesn't get as much exercise as my other friend's horses. The tea tree oil applied externally is an option too which could control the dandruff, but then if we could resolve the real cause instead of just treating the symptom - I would be happiest for that.

Very cool that you commented. You give me hope and inspire me to try more brushing. Thanks!


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## Speed Racer

Is the flaking only on her white places? If so, maybe it's sunburn.

If she has pink skin under the white, it can and does sunburn.

If she doesn't have pink skin where it's flaking, then it's not sunburn.


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## ScharmLily

Thanks for the welcome lilianaliliana 

Brushing is also great bonding time, I hope it goes well for you.


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## mom2pride

You live in NM right? Dry, no humidity? Chances are, she suffers from dry skin, just like alot of people do from that region; I'm from AZ and I have to make sure I drink lots of water, and apply lotion to ensure my skin retains moisture. I would presume it's the same with horses, only you would want to make sure you apply some kind of conditioner, to make sure the skin stays healthy. None of the horses in my care have dry skin, but I make sure they get some kind of conditioning spray applied periodically; in the warm months they get bathed more frequently, and a regular condition applied, allowed to set, then rinsed. 
Hope that helps  And welcome to the Forum


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## lilianaliliana

Hi ScharmLily! Actually you can call me Liliana just once. I'm double liliana here because everywhere I go Liliana is taken. If I make something up I'm bound to forget who I am. Heh.

Speed Racer - she flakes all over pretty much. Thank you for the input.

mom2pride - if you read this thread again could you suggest a product? Hopefully one you can recommend?


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## Shalani

Apart from adding oil to her feed , wash her down with ACV ( apple Cider Viniger) about a 50/50 mix it does wonders!!! it helps with the ph level of her skin and coat , adds a fab shine and is great For almost every skin condition ! 

Heres a list of things I have treated with ACV 
Rain scold 
Dandruff
seedy toe
Research it for yourself 

Also a tablespoon of acv in her feed will help


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## lilianaliliana

Thank you Shalani. Why, I had completely forgotten about ACV. I know it does work. Thanks, and for the Google search suggestions too.


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## mom2pride

lilianaliliana said:


> mom2pride - if you read this thread again could you suggest a product? Hopefully one you can recommend?


I like to use Mane and Tail; and I dilute it so I can use it as a leave in between washings. 

I also use products I used as a dog groomer; Eqyuss products, Groomer's edge products, and the Coat Handler products.


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## Shalani

lilianaliliana said:


> Thank you Shalani. Why, I had completely forgotten about ACV. I know it does work. Thanks, and for the Google search suggestions too.


Your welcome 
My partner thinks im crazy cause i use ACV for almost everything lol
But it works hehe


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## Sonnyx12

three letters... MTG!!!!

it really is the greatest stuff in the world. It smells like bacon and can be a bit messy (i apply it with a glove), but I haven't found anything that compares to it. It will eliminate dandruff in a day, along with fungus, rain rot and makes hair grow great in general. I use it for almost everything.

When I got sonny, his tailbone was completely full of dandruff. I literally couldn't even see his tailbone it was so bad. I haven't seen anything like it before. After a little MTG, it was COMPLETELY gone! He is good as new now . He also gets beat up a lot on the field, so once the wounds are completely healed I put MTG on them to make the hair grow back faster. I also use it on the back of his hind legs, where it some times gets gross from where pee splatters, and it helps a ton. I really do use it all the time 

Schneider Saddlery


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