Lena on grooming the Fjord

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Tip: Also see Lena on trimming the Fjord mane

Tip: The Club's DVD on grooming shows how to trim that amazing Fjord mane and how to tidy your Fjord's face, chin, jowls, throat, and ears. Purchase the Grooming DVD here...

What products are good for conditioning the mane or tail?

Dear Lena -- You mention using hair or mane conditioners to keep moisture in the mane, so it looks nicer and doesn't tangle so much. What are your favorite conditioning products ... and why? --Loyal Fan

Hello Loyal Fan -- I LOVE Cowboy Magic "detangler", but it's expensive, and it also can leave your hands slippery. I also LOVE "Dove" people hair conditioner. It comes in regular or intense therapy, white or blue bottle. It needs to be rinsed out for people, but you CAN leave it in for horses. We use it almost daily and it never builds up or gets greasy. Your hands don't get slippery, and it smells good!

What to do when a horse rubs the top of its tail?

Dear Lena -- Do you have any suggestions to keep Fjords from rubbing the tops of their tails? I have tried every tip I have found but they still have short hair rubbed off on the tops of their tails. The horses are groomed regularly, kept clean all over, conditioner is used, etc. ...no luck. They aren't terrible but  it is one of those things that drives me crazy!!! Thanks, Margie

Hi, Margie -- Just to be clear, it is pretty normal for the hairs at the dock (top of the tail) to be shorter than the rest of the tail. But if the hairs are as short as bristles and dry, you can improve the situation and get them to grow out and lay down.

Here are some things to think about based on my experience and also from articles and books by author Cherry Hill (http://www.horsekeeping.com/). You might already know many of these, but just to be sure, I'll be inclusive.

First off, remove any physical reason for the horse to be rubbing her tail against a tree, post, building, etc. Some thoughts:

* Make sure the skin of the dock is absolutely clean and rinsed well. Soap irritates and dries the skin.

* Wash the udder or sheath to remove dirt and secretions, so the horse is not trying to "itch" that area by rubbing the tail.

* Inspect the area around the tail head, anus, and hindquarters. Make sure there are no insects (ticks), insect bites, fungus, sharp plant awns or burrs, slivers, or anything else that could be causing the horse to rub.

* Fjords put on a good winter coat. The hair is thick and holds in moisture, making a wonderful place for fungus to grow in. A good anti fungal shampoo will do the trick with a good conditioner afterwards.

* Pin worms will cause tail rubbing. Have you been regularly deworming?

Other ideas to consider:

* Mares often rub when they are in heat.

* Minimize brushing and combing. You can take away the natural oils by "over doing it".

* Consider using a leave-in conditioner. I use Dove's Intense Conditioner (a people product). It smells great and works wonders on dry tails.

* If the skin of the dock seems to be especially dry and the hair is slow growing, you could try rubbing in a tiny bit of EQyss Mega-Tek cell rebuilder cream. This not only moisturizes the skin, but also seems to encourage hair growth.

* MTG is a product used to treat fungus, dandruff, itchy skin, tail rubbing, etc. It's super oily and smelly (sulfur based), but it does work.

* Are you using fly spray in that area? If so, what are the ingredients? Could the fly spray be drying out the hair and/or causing rubbing?

* Does your horse wear a fly sheet when out on pasture?  If she wore a textilene fly sheet, it would protect against UV rays and cover the top portion of the tail to protect from insects and rubbing.  All of my horses wear textilene fly sheets all summer. Their coats don't bleach and the tops of their tails are always in great shape.

* There are also fly sprays and grooming products that contain sunscreen that might be helpful.

You have to find the root of the problem, and then I think you will be able to relieve your horse's itch. Good Luck! --LENA