The last few years
I have been showing APHA All Around with my gelding, Struttin My Assets, aka “Charlie”,
to the tune of multiple World and Reserve World championships, Year End Awards,
High Points and many wins. As most of you know, Charlie is not your average All
Around horse however; he’s got his own personal trademark. He has a long, white
mane that reaches his knees! Every show I travel to, I have at least one or two
people who come up just to touch it and ask me how I got it so long. I know of
several people who have decided to grow out their horse’s manes after seeing my
success with it.
Though long manes
are still not the norm in the stock breed show rings, it is gaining in
popularity to show a horse with a long mane in the Western Pleasure or even the
All Around for a select few. If a horse has the right neck and movement for it,
it can really accentuate your horse and make you stand out in the pen. After my
success with Charlie, my 3yo Ella also has a long mane. Given how many people
have asked me my secret for growing a long, healthy mane, I decided to share my
process with everyone.
Thanks
to Mr. Long Mane, I have become a pretty solid expert on equine hair care
products and what works and what doesn't. I had a pretty good system; it worked
on Charlie's mane and I was content. Granted it was a mix and match of like 20
different products and such an involved system I didn't let anyone else do it.
But everyone had been telling me for a while to try EquiFUSE.
I kept saying nah my system works and I was skeptical of these supposed
"miracle products". Finally I was able to get some test samples of
the EquiFUSE products and after trying them on
Charlie, I was HOOKED. The EquiFUSE products
are HEALTHY, NATURAL and they WORK! I love that instead of stripping the hair
to clean it, it hydrates it and makes it healthier. The products are very
natural, not full of harsh chemicals and fillers. The best part is they work so
well. Charlie is clean and stays clean for days. The last horse show I went to
was Thursday-Sunday. I gave him a bath Monday night and didn't bathe him all
weekend. That's almost a full week without a bathe and he still gleamed in the
show pen and people (judges included) complimented how good he looked. The less
bathing at horse shows with this white horse the better. So I am completely
sold on the EquiFUSE line.
Below
you will find my step by step system for successfully growing and maintaining a
world champion worthy long mane from the nutrition to the best products and
everything in between.
1. Start
with a good diet. This is the base for a healthy horse and a healthy mane.
Good hay and good nutrient rich grain are the basis. I also keep Charlie on a
supplement for his hair coat, SmartShine from SmartPak. I think this helps all
his hair grow healthy and shiny, including his mane. Since he has been on that
supplement, his mane has been even better.
2.
Bath
Regularly but not too often. I bath sparingly to help the hair retain
moisture. The more you wash, the more you strip the hair of its natural oils. I
wash my horse’s manes about once every 2-3 weeks. If they seem to get dirty and
the braids are getting ratty quicker then I adjust the timeline, likewise if
they seem to be lasting longer. I adjust this during the summer months to allow
for cleaning after outside turnout or the baths for horse shows that are more
frequent. Also, if they are wearing a sleazy, hood or neck cover a bit more
often because the neck ware will cause rubbing and if you are not careful, it
will rub hair out.
3.
Bath time:
I suggest if you have access, use warm water. This is better for the hair and
will help to open the hair follicle and get the shampoo in there for maximum
cleaning and allow the moisture to seep in deeply. Also, a safe wash area is a
must: a good, safe tie and a strong place to tie your horse. Tie them high
enough so they cannot step over the rope and make sure it is tight enough that
they can’t reach their heads all the way around or put their nose on the
ground. I encourage rubber mats to avoid horse’s hooves slipping especially
when they are shod. Keep buckets, bottles, brushes, hoses and anything else in
your wash area away from the horse’s hooves to limit problems and accidents.
-
CFS™ Concentrate + Paste Shampoo: This concentrated shampoo is awesome. It is easy
to use, you only need a little bit and it gets them SO clean. I use the bucket
of water method: I put a small spoonful in an empty, clean bucket and add about
a gallon of warm water and then use that on my brush and scrub them all over
and then rinse out. I use the Groom Net and the medium firm scrub brush to
apply this and use it all over the horse and on light colored hooves if needed.
-
Citrafoam Sulfate Free + Foaming Shampoo: This
is great on their manes and tails as well as extra dirty spots and poop/yellow
stains. It gets foamy and you can see the cleaning happening before your eyes.
It also smells great which is a huge bonus in my opinion. You can do the bucket
method if you are covering a lot of horse or a little dime sized dollop in
your hand for a mane or tail. A little goes a long way. Rub into the mane and
tail and scrub with your fingers at the crest of the neck and/or the tailbone to
get rid of the dead skin and add moisture to the roots. Work into a
strong, foamy lather before rinsing. For an extra dirty spot, leave sit for a
moment.
-
Citracreme
Deep Conditioner + Rehydrant :
This conditioner is so good! Put a liberal amount in the mane and tail, leave
it sit for 2-3 minutes and rinse out. Give specific attention of the conditioner
to the ends. Your manes and tails will feel so healthy and soft and the shine
is incredible. Also a refreshing, lasting fruit smell to make all your
friends jealous of your fresh smelling horse.
-
Rehydrinse
Coat Protector + Conditioner: The last bathing step and
the easiest. Using your clean bucket, add a small amount of Rehydrinse and add
a gallon of water and sponge all over the clean horse. Do not rinse it out,
just sweat scrape and you’re done. This is a conditioner for the whole coat and
it repels dirt and stains (which is how I kept Charlie clean for a week at a
horse show with no bathes).
-
Gleam
Moisturizer + Shine Serum: This is the mother of all detanglers.
This will make combing out a breeze without the slimy, sticky aftermath. Put a
small amount in your hands and work through the mane and tail. You will notice
the softness and shine added to the hair and no residue on your hands and
brushing will be unnecessary for days. I use while wet and after
drying as well as for any brushing needed. This stuff is awesome and smells SO
good.
-
The Groom
Net: This little net is an awesome body scrubber. It is gentle
on their skin and muscles but gets the dirt out and is easy to clean and dries
quickly (and takes up almost no space in a bucket or grooming bag). It's the
small green ball in the photo.
-
I also use a regular medium
firm scrub brush to scrub legs and hocks. I have another stiffer scrub brush
for dirty hooves.
5.
Side note: This
EquiFUSE system is also fantastic for fake tails. It really adds the moisture
back into the hair and keeps them shiny to match the real tail. Gleam is a
LIFESAVER for my fake tails.
6.
After washing, let it dry about halfway before brushing. This is when I apply
Gleam as needed. Brush starting from the bottom working your way up to the
roots in small sections. Avoid pulling and ripping on the hair as much as
possible. Some hair will fall out, this is inevitable but limit it as much as
you can but using Gleam as needed, the Oster brush, small sections, starting at
the ends and brush as softly and slowly as you can. Taking the extra time
brushing will save the mane in the long run. I am a fan of the Oster Mane andTail brush; it is the best for manes and tails in my opinion.
7.
Braid in
semi-thick, two inch sections. Braid tightly so the braids stay in and the
hair stays untangled. Braid down as far as possible. Tie off with a rubber
band, but don’t tighten it as many times as you can, semi-tight is plenty good.
8.
For the 2-3 weeks before the next bath, I spray
a concoction called Happy Hair (my own personal creative nameJ)
about every other day to keep the hydration up and the tangles minimum. This is
a mix of Rehydrinse, CitraCreme Conditioner and Gleam in the mane. (I do not
use a specific recipe, I basically do one capful of CitraCreme, a squeeze of
Rehydrinse and a dash of Gleam and add warm water to dilute in a spray bottle).
9.
Be
careful with hoods and sleazys. Always make sure the hair is sleek and
straight in the sleazys and hoods, and don’t leave on for extended periods of
time. Make sure you take them off once a day to check the mane and make sure it
is not bunched up and ratty.
10.
In between classes at shows when the mane doesn’t
need to be down, I put it in a loose
running braid down their neck to keep it under control and untangled. A
running braid is a bit like a French braid, where the braid is against the
crest of the neck.
Products list: SmartShine, EquiFUSE product
line, Oster Mane and Tail brush, and rubber bands.
There is my secret procedure! I
hope this helps some people out in growing their horse’s manes, and I expect to
see more and more beautiful long manes around the show rings. I know I will
always have one or two in my barn! Just remember, not every horse has the
genetics or neck to grow a long mane, so use your best judgment.
As I said, I am
sold on EquiFUSE. It is the only bathing items left in my tack room now, I
threw the rest away! It is easy, cost effective, healthy, smells great, natural
and it WORKS! Switch to EquiFUSE for all
your horses but especially the long manes and you will not be sorry. For more info on my EquiFUSE process, see my blog post regarding it.
If you
have any questions, please let me know. For more information and to order, I
put the links to the EquiFUSE website, Facebook and my Supplier, Glowing
Results by Amber Dunmire.
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