# Rubbing off his mane



## Domino13011 (Aug 10, 2009)

Well, Domino sticks his head through the pipe corrals and rubs it untill it just turns like a nasty black/gray color. Well the other day I noticed that he's starting to get a bald spot. His mane is really long and thick so it's gonna look horrible if he rubs a big chunk out. I guess I would just have to roach it..I just cant imagine him like that..What do you think?

(These are the only pictures I have of his mane..There from last summer so his mane is a little longer now)


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## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

I had a gorgeous sorrel mare that would turn her flaxen mane black with rubbing too 

I would roach it... and maybe find out if there's a reason why he's doing it! Maybe it's itching but I've heard of rubbing as a vice of boredom too.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

Try giving him a clove of garlic.It's suppose to stop itching. You give them one clove a day.Crush it up and place it into a mash,horsie salad,grain,or applesauce.
It's really good if your horse rubs it tail. Although you also want to make sure your horse doesn't have worms so deworming and then garlic would be good when it comes to tails.


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## gizpeptig (Mar 2, 2010)

Noooo! Don't roach it! He has such a pretty mane.. I wish my horse had that. He used to but I cut it for western pleasure, big mistake. It's slowly growing out now though. My advice would be to use MTG though. It helps the hair to grow out faster


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## HorseOfCourse (Jul 20, 2009)

Use some oatmeal shampoo for dogs..works wonders


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## SavvyHill (Jun 29, 2010)

I'm sure you've heard of it, there's this hood-type thing for horses called a sleazy. They're relatively cheap, and depending on which type you buy, they cover the shoulders, neck, and face. It can protect his mane so that it doesn't rub off. They're easy to put on. Just try that. Here's a picture of it:


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

Awe I am having the same thing with Hunter although i think it was his pasture buddy doing it. This his mane before and now it is a fuzzy dismal mess. We are going to have to roach it, he looks like a range pony:-(


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

SavvyHill said:


> I'm sure you've heard of it, there's this hood-type thing for horses called a sleazy. They're relatively cheap, and depending on which type you buy, they cover the shoulders, neck, and face. It can protect his mane so that it doesn't rub off. They're easy to put on. Just try that. Here's a picture of it:


Isnt that called a slinky?


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## SavvyHill (Jun 29, 2010)

I'm sure there are several names for it, but before considering roaching, please! Try the slinky/sleazy! It really will protect your horse's mane!


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

I have no choice, it is half gone and will never grow out the same. Not happy about it. If I was the OP I would try it though as he still has most of his mane. I wish I would have caught it earlier.


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## Domino13011 (Aug 10, 2009)

Thoes pictures are from last summer..he has a big chunck missing right in the middle and its almost completely gone..Thats a good idea about the sleazy though..I think I will try it


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## artsyjenn (May 12, 2010)

My paint horse does this late every spring. He has a beautiful long mane, and he rubs a big chunk out of it. Then he stops doing it. It's grown out by the next year, when he promptly does it again. The vet was stumped, but I think I finally figured it out. I think he has sweet itch, allergic to gnats. What I found that REALLY helped is a product called M-T-G. Seems to stop the itching, and promotes the hair growing back. It's greasy and it smells like barbecue sauce lol, but it definitely seems to work.


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

well I got some MTG today so we will see how it works. Am holding off roaching for now.


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## RockNRoll (Jun 8, 2009)

MTG oil is good but you might also try some antiseptic mouthwash like listerine - work it down into the base of the mane and/or tail - it helps relieve the itch (which is typically the root cause of the rubbing).


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## Love4Horzez (Jul 4, 2010)

have you considered what is causing it?


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## Domino13011 (Aug 10, 2009)

I dont really know what it could be..First I thought he was just sticking his head through to see the other horses. But now im thinking it's more than that because it's just in one place


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## kmdstar (Nov 17, 2009)

Domino13011 said:


> I dont really know what it could be..First I thought he was just sticking his head through to see the other horses. But now im thinking it's more than that because it's just in one place


Is there grass on the outside that he can reach when he sticks his head out?

I highly suggest NOT using the sleazy/slinky/whatever, that's covering up the issue (if there even IS an issue) instead of fixing it plus what horse wants to have a sleazy on 24/7 or...ever? LOL

I say: cut it (don't ROACH, just cut it short so it can catch up and you can trim it to be even - it seemed more encouraging to me LOL). Apply MTG once a week. Watch it grow. I had to do the same thing and I left it as is for a while but realized I had to cut it. 

Here you can see my mares...styling of her gorgeous mane :roll:
October -









Then finally in January I decided it just wasn't working and cut it...as you can see I didn't make it even, I put MTG on her whole mane from then on and trimmed it to be even once it caught up.









In March it was almost caught up and I trimmed it (like right before I took this picture which is why it looks so crappy)









And then the most recent picture I have of her from last month, where it was braided up.










It took less than a year to be able to even it out and get it long enough to braid it and tame it and that was without my MTG 'treatments' being on schedule, I just did it when I felt like it really. I definitely did NOT want to roach it, I very rarely come across horses that look good with a roached mane. It's still growing now but the only way we were able to keep it growing and not being ripped out again was to change her paddocks to one where she couldn't stick her head through the fence.


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## Domino13011 (Aug 10, 2009)

But the thing is the spot is completely bald..There's no hair there at all..


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## kmdstar (Nov 17, 2009)

Domino13011 said:


> But the thing is the spot is completely bald..There's no hair there at all..


Is he sticking his head out to eat grass? or does he just do nothing but rub when he puts his head through?


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## Domino13011 (Aug 10, 2009)

There's no grass anywhere near him..So I have no idea what he's doing..


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

RockNRoll said:


> MTG oil is good but you might also try some antiseptic mouthwash like listerine - work it down into the base of the mane and/or tail - it helps relieve the itch (which is typically the root cause of the rubbing).


Thats exactly what my farrier/trainer suggested. I previously posted a pict of what Hunters mane USED to look like. Here are pre and post beautification picts from today.


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## Plains Drifter (Aug 4, 2009)

Aww...Hunter! Look what you did to your mane! Naughty pony!! I do love his new do though. Loving the little banded look!


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## macscootin (Jun 19, 2010)

Have you tried Tea Tree oil? My horse used to do that really bad, but he would also rub the top off of his tail. So I found teatree oil shampoo, now we have a happy horse with healthy hair. Garlic for balding? Never knew that I just knew that it works for getting rid of flys too.


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

Plains Drifter said:


> Aww...Hunter! Look what you did to your mane! Naughty pony!! I do love his new do though. Loving the little banded look!



Thanks he didn't do most of it though. Hi ex paddock mate Blitz did it. At first we weren't sure but Blitz is now with another horse and her mane is disappearing too. grrrrr


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