Hopelessly matted tail - need advice

[qltrlori]

Help! I need advice.

Athena, our "rescue" Arab mare has a hopelessly matted tail. It looks like a dreadlock. At first I thought her tail had been braided and the braid was left in. Now she is a lot more settled in and more open to us handling her. Today I got a good, close look at her tail. What I thought was a rubber band in her tail was actually bailing wire. I hate to think how she got bailing wire wound around the bottom of her tail. And inside the huge mat are pieces of twigs and weeds and who knows what. I got the wire out of the tail, but I really need good suggestions for attempting to get out that hideous rat's nest.

It is so sad she spent nine years by herself. She is so sweet. Loves attention. Has discovered the joys of sugar cubes. She is still a doofus about the other horses, but she is learning.

Lori

[CarolU]

Cowboy Magic

When I got Bella she had a mat the size of a football in her mane. A lot of Cowboy Magic and an hour, and I saved most of it.

You may have to cut out the wire and a few knots, but a LOT of Cowboy Magic and work (start from the bottom) and you'll save most of it.

Poor baby...give her hugs from us.

[motorgypsy]

When we detangled a tail like this we soaked the tail in Vetrolin shine (or showsheen) and let it totally dry. Then pull sidways on the knotted part starting at the bottom of the tail. Little by little the knots will come out. If you get to a part that didn't get saturated, put some more on it and let it dry again.

Now cowboy magic detangler works also but is more expensive and hard to get down in a really felted area.

[NikiGA]

MTG is my pick. I also use Vetrolin, but that is after the initial serious detangling. The problem with most Arabs is they have very "crawly" hair. It is so fine, and their skin is thin and sensitive. MTG soothes and moisturizes the skin, and also fights rain rot(not as good as MicroTek in this area).
Cowboy Magic is also good, and most anything smells better than MTG. But it has never let me down on dozens of horses. If you really wanna get serious, soak the tail with MTG and put it in an old tube sock. I know the type of knot you are talking about, like a brillo pad! Good luck with your new mare, I love Arabians!

[qltrlori]

Yes, that's it, just like a brillo pad.

What is MTG, and is it something I can get at my little podunk town feed store?

Thanks everyone for your advice!

Lori

[Carol Nelson]

I'm surprised you guys didn't mention Pink...I got that idea from you all...Carol U in particular if I remember right! :smile:
Go to Wal-Mart and in the Afro-American hair care section, look for the pink bottles. I use both the spray and the lotion. Is much more economical than Cowboy Magic.
I would use the lotion for the situation you are describing...work it in well, and with a large tooth comb gently work out the tangles from the bottom to the top. Pull out with your fingers the large ropes. Use the comb on the tangled messes.
Good luck...it's a tedious job, but worth it in that you can save a lot of the mane or tail.

[qltrlori]

Cool! I am going to Walmart tomorrow! I'll look for it!

Lori

[PASOFAN]

I use baby oil, cheap and works then after the job is done I top it off w/ MTG.. Good luck!

[CarolU]

On the Pink, there are several products that they carry. Make sure you get the detangler and not the shine. The shine is in a pink can (awesome for showing). The detangler is a clear liquid in a pump container. It does work VERY well and doesn't leave your hands slippery.

Your horse does smell funny...but then Cowboy Magic smells too.

[TrueStepPaso]

I'm a BIG fan of Cowboy Magic.....the detangler is from heaven.

[motorgypsy]

If I recall correctly MTG is mineral oil with sulfur in it which is why it stinks so badly. You can make your own. The sulfur kills bacteria, fungus and any insects (and also your sense of smell for a while ;-) ;-) ;-) ) and the mineral oil moisturizes. Baby oil is mineral oil with a bit of fragrance in it so you can make your own baby oil also.

[DebJ]

I get the MTG from Tractor Supply here in our town. I use it on my horses tails and manes all the time. My mare gets to rubbing her tail at times and this has helped alot to stop that and keep her tail nice looking. All those "no seeums" bugs because I do clean her up often :D
Have not tried Cowboy Magic, but I am sure it works great too.

[Helene]

I've tried MTG. That's some nasty stuff. I put it on the silver white mane and tail on a palomino I owned. It turned them a muddy color which took a long time to go back to silver....even after several shampoos.
I didn't dare putting it on any other manes or tails....
Showsheen does a great job untangling knots--after you soak them for a while.
A friend of mine recommended WD-40, but I don't know whether I would use that. Doesn't sound too safe.

[Cindy]

I have used WD-40 for years on manes and tails for shows to get the shine but would not use it as a detangler. Show Sheen is much better for that purpose.

[NikiGA]

I've use MTG on snow white manes and tails with no problem. That is really strange. A friend of mine always used it on her gold champagne TWH's knee length mane and 3 feet dragging the ground tail. He was a WC show horse and she would have flipped if anything happened to all that hair!

[echo]

I know it sounds odd, but I've found that Miracle Groom is FANTASTIC on knots. It works faster than cowboy magic, and I really like cowboy magic. It's non-greasy and doesn't smell bad either.

[motorgypsy]

MTG has sulfur in it and perhaps it needed shaking or something. I don't think I'd use it on a white tail.