# Opinions on MTG



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

1. MTG is sulphur based --- that can cause bad allergic reactions to some horses.

I have read of a few horses whose reactions were so bad it cost the owners vet bills.

2. There are better and more appropriate products to use for ANY issue that leads to open sores.

3. It is greasy and smells like bacon ---- yuk---

4. My ONLY use for MTG is an aid to keep the ticks of my horses in the Spring. For some reason ticks seem to have an aversion to sulphur. I soak the bottoms of everyone's tails and also wet the fetlock hair with MTG. It seems to be very efficient in repelling ticks.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Ditto to what Walkin said., except I don't have ticks,and would never use it again, even if given to me for free!


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

It is the ONLY thing that kept a mare I used to have from rubbing her tail. We tried absolutely everything. It stinks, but it worked for her. The stuff makes your horse smell like bacon, which was odd, but hey, her tail wasn't raw. Once the rubbing was under control, I only had to use it a few weeks every year in late summer when she'd start rubbing.

Spot-test it on a small area to make sure the horse won't have a reaction. I usually use a spot over the hip where it would be blatantly obvious if swelling, hives, or hair loss developed. Rub some in and wait 48 hours. Even if no reaction, use it lightly the first few times just to be sure. 

I have heard it's good for ticks, too. I rub it on lower legs and into the tail when riding in the spring when ticks are bad. So far so good. A riding buddy really likes the new herbal variety, but I haven't tried it personally. He says it works just as well but smells better. He uses it to keep scratches away on his draft cross.


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## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

As long as you're sure a sulfur based product works for your horse, this outdoes MTG by a mile Nu-Stock - Topical Skin Treatment for Animals. . It doesn't smell like bacon XD. It's not as greasy either and if it's too concentrated you can mix it with mineral oil. It works great for scratches (the dermatitis) and scratches (the get-cut-on-the-fence kind) and it keeps bugs off small wounds. It doesn't sting. Again, watch for allergic reactions with the sulfur, but this works better than MTG from what I've seen. It's a little pricey, but it's concentrated to the extent that you can mix it with mineral oil and make it last a long time. One tube lasts a summer for my one horse with skin issues.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

MTG starts out smelling like bacon. Just use gloves to apply it because I don't care how many times you wash, your hands will stink for a LONG time if you don't. I used it and washed, showered, washed, had dinner, washed dishes and still woke up because I had dreamed I died and went straight to hades. Woke up with my hand under my pillow, under my nose. All I could smell was the sulfur. UGH!


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## Cynical25 (Mar 7, 2013)

My gelding welted up within a few moments after applying a test spot of MTG.


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## kittycom101 (Nov 15, 2017)

I use it on my gelding. He rubs his mane out trying to reach through his neighbor's stall (super frustrating for me  ). I started using it once a week (after I did a test spot, of course) for 2 months, then as his mane grew in I was able to cut back. Now I hardly use it unless he starts rubbing again. It works very well though! He had a complete bald spot rubbed raw before use, then after 3 months all his hair was back to normal. Though that could be because his hair grows at a fast rate and not so much the MTG. MTG is greasy and smelly as mentioned above. And if you have a light colored horse like mine, the area will look all dirty and gross for a few days.


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## Chasin Ponies (Dec 25, 2013)

Obviously from the posts, some horses will have an allergic reaction but for myself I've had fantastic results with it. One of my geldings never was able to grow a tail past his hocks, not even from a very early age. He is a beautiful horse but looked ridiculous with no tail and we were always laughing about it! I started rubbing MTG into his tailbone a couple times a week and within a couple of months, he had grown 6" of new length. Of course it was pretty thin at the bottom as it has to grow from the top down so I just kept snipping a bit on the end now and then and his tail grew out thick and long.

The only thing I had to do is put a little reminder note in my grooming tote so that I put didn't forget to put in on regularly. If you forget or only put it on occasionally you lose the effect. I have also used a dab of it on scabs and minor scuffs-they heal up and disappear very, very quickly. Of course I wouldn't use it for a more serious cut but it seems to sooth the skin.

You have to be sure to put it right at the base of the mane and down to the tailbone where the hair grows, it doesn't do anything just putting it on top of the hair. Do a spot check on an area to check for allergy-I've used it on many horses and have never had a bad reaction.


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## SkyeLen (Mar 28, 2017)

ChieTheRider said:


> As long as you're sure a sulfur based product works for your horse, this outdoes MTG by a mile Nu-Stock - Topical Skin Treatment for Animals. . It doesn't smell like bacon XD. It's not as greasy either and if it's too concentrated you can mix it with mineral oil. It works great for scratches (the dermatitis) and scratches (the get-cut-on-the-fence kind) and it keeps bugs off small wounds. It doesn't sting. Again, watch for allergic reactions with the sulfur, but this works better than MTG from what I've seen. It's a little pricey, but it's concentrated to the extent that you can mix it with mineral oil and make it last a long time. One tube lasts a summer for my one horse with skin issues.


Thanks! I'll have a look at that one. I've seen countless times of how bad MTG smells let alone the allergic reactions to it - if no allergic reaction you're still stuck with the smell. 

--

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences with it - truthfully I'm still pretty leery of it. I might give it a go as a last resort, but until then... the last thing I need is a bacon smelling and possibly welt-y horse, lol. Are there any other hair growth promoting products you might recommend? Non-sulphur based? I've heard of some feed through supplements for it but have never seen really reliable reviews of any one product.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

This came up on another thread where I mentioned the use of pig oil and Sulphur to reduce risks of feather mange mites and scratches on feathered horses. It can be bought ready made in the UK and Dreamcatcher Arabians told me that that's what MTG is (plus a few other ingredients) 
I do know that some horses have had severe reactions to it so its something that you really should spot test on a small area before splashing it all over the mane


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## csimkunas6 (Apr 18, 2010)

My one gelding, it doesnt do anything for, doesnt harm him but doesnt work either. My other gelding, it clears up his rain rot, literally like overnight. Its amazing for his rain rot.

My BO uses it on his TWH's manes quite a bit, no doubt they have nice manes, but worth the smelly hands after? I doubt it.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

SkyeLen said:


> Thanks! I'll have a look at that one. I've seen countless times of how bad MTG smells let alone the allergic reactions to it - if no allergic reaction you're still stuck with the smell.
> 
> --
> 
> Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences with it - truthfully I'm still pretty leery of it. I might give it a go as a last resort, but until then... the last thing I need is a bacon smelling and possibly welt-y horse, lol. Are there any other hair growth promoting products you might recommend? Non-sulphur based? I've heard of some feed through supplements for it but have never seen really reliable reviews of any one product.


Eqyss Rebuilder









I use the MicroTek Shampoo and then put on the Rebuilder. It doesn't have to be rinsed out.


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## kiltsrhott (Mar 11, 2012)

I have used MTG a lot over the years. I have not encountered any horse with an allergic reaction to MTG, but my draft cross mare swelled up like a balloon when I tried to treat some rain rot with the Cowboy Magic Krud Buster... No matter what new product you're trying on your horse, always test it out in a small area away from their face or neck before dousing them in it. MTG isn't magic. Some people seem to think it will help a bald horse grow a mane like a gypsy vanner... dream on. It has, however, done a great job of clearing up rain rot and keeping my appaloosa gelding from rubbing his tail. It does smell strangely like bacon. This seems out of place, but I've smelled much more offensive things...


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## Chasin Ponies (Dec 25, 2013)

As a long time horse owner (and former nurse), the bacon smell doesn't bother me at all and the strange thing is that if you go read the Amazon reviews, most of them are from *people *using it for thinning hair!!


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

^I had never thought a person would use it xD

I don't use it, simply because I haven't needed to.
Let us know if you find a good alternative, OP!


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## Been There Dun That (Dec 23, 2015)

SkyeLen said:


> I've heard some pretty mixed reviews on Shapley's MTG - so it got me curious. Has anyone used it and found that it works? Any horror stories? I'd love to hear some more experiences with it as I have a horse who is prone to rubbing out parts of her mane.


I haven't really used it much because I don't like the smell. It is oily, it gets all over your hands when you are putting it on and it smells like train tracks and BBQ. The BO at my barn uses it occasionally when a problem arises, like rain rot, and I guess it works? She also puts it on one of her horses that has a pretty thin tail occasionally, but it doesn't seem to have done a whole lot. I also have a friend who used it on her mini's mane and a small patch fell out and hasn't ever grown back in... apparently it was from the MTG. I prefer another product I can't remember the name of, plus Show Sheen and Cowboy Magic.


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## PresleysMom (Nov 21, 2017)

I will tell you my experience with MTG - fantastic! I used it on a gelding (I was free leasing him) and he came from a stall situation with little turnout. He picked up the habit of tail rubbing while being stalled, so the tail head was almost bald. Within two weeks the hair began growing back, and within a month it was almost totally filled in. Smell is awful - yes - but it works so I will continue to use it. Trying it now on my dog who has dandruff on his back near his tail. Seems to be helping him.


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## Mikjagger (Nov 26, 2017)

I used it probably 3-4 times during the winter to try and get my horses very pathetic at the time tail to grow out and it thickened it immensely he has the nicest tail now. But it is risky to reactions so test on a small patch and wrap and braid the tail loosely. If you're looking for safe growth I recommend biomane, it's a feed through supplement that in 2 weeks has already added a 3 inch long extra layer to my horses mane. It's amazing


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

I've used MTG on several horses. My mule came to me with some rain rot on his withers, chest, and shoulders, and two treatments cleared it up within a few days.

It didn't work at all for the big Belgian gelding I leased this summer, he had scratches on his heels and big, gross scabs had already sprouted. I applied it and applied it for days and nothing - his owner finally just gave up and shaved all the feathering on his legs, then wound up washing them twice a day with Orvus and applying some other sort of balm. One thing I learned from her is that while feathers look gorgeous, they are a PITA!!


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

It works, not like a miracle or anything, but it does. However, I found I couldn't use it in sunny weather or it burnt the horses' skin, even in winter with snow on the ground, sun was out, it burnt. Also that gawd awful smell! Doesn't smell like bacon to me, it smells like rancid, charred, housefire type wood.


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

I used on a stud who had a huge 2 foot by 2 foot bald spot from an old injury. I had tried everything to try to get his hair to grow back, from supplements, diet change, topical products, sprays etc and MTG was my last resort. It was the most phenomenal topical ointment I had ever used and would use it again in a heartbeat. I think it's important to understand how it works and the proper use for it, but I do think it's a phenomenal product, and would use it again.


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## Shannonnn (Mar 24, 2015)

I've used it on my horse before, his tail was thin and incredibly short after constantly getting it caught in the fence where I first agisted. After a few months of using it, I noticed that there was a noticeable difference in length. It's definitely not incredible in my opinion and you won't see results immediately, but it definitely works over a longer period of time. 
If your horse isn't allergic, and you don't mind both of you smelling like a smoked piece of meat for a while , I would recommend it


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