Horse Lovers

Here's another article by my mom.  If you've read my previous posts here, you can tell that she and I agree when it comes to horses.  We both lavish a great deal of time and effort on beautifying our four-legged companions. Which is nice, because we disagree on almost everything else: music, politics, even food (though I'll admit she's a great cook).  But that's what mother-daughter relationships are for, right? Right? Right!

The Wonder and Beauty of Horse Manes and Tails
by Sarah Sandori

Horses have manes and tails, and we humans don't. Perhaps that accounts for their endless fascination to those of us who love and care for a horse.

Sure, we have hair on our heads -- most of us, anyway! But the hair in a horse's mane, as well as in its tail, differs in many ways from people hair.

As a horse owner and show ring competitor, I spend a lot of time on my horses' manes and tails. Attention paid to these flashier parts of the horse pays off in admiring looks from spectators, not to mention in the number of awards carried home.

A horse's mane is defined as the hair that grows from its neck. This includes the forelock, of course. The hair of a mane is generally much thicker than the horse's overall coat. Some horse breeds, and some individuals within breeds, have much thicker manes than others. I have seen amazing show horses whose manes practically touch the ground!

A horse's tail is an extension of the animal's spinal column. If you could look inside who would see a number of  vertebrae -- on average around 18 or 20, but this can vary. Horse tails also contain muscles and ligaments, arteries, skin and hair. Horse tail hair is made of keratin, and in that respect is more like our fingernails than it is the hair on our heads.

The length and thickness of a horse's mane and tail are determined by to an extent by genetics. Many horses, though, posses an undeveloped genetic potential for fuller and longer hair in these areas. Knowledgeable owners who can help their horse express this potential have a huge advantage in the show ring.

If you own or simply love a horse, pay extra attention to its mane and tail. It will can pay off in the long run.

Although many have a hard time believing it, it is actually possible to take an average looking horse and grow a long, thick, flowing mane or a luxuriant tail on it in a matter of mere months. Such enhancements do win contests, even against horses that may technically be superior in terms of strict conformation. After all, judges are human, too!

Beautifying a horse in this way has also proved remunerative for some savvy folks. There are people who will buy a mediocre animal, then apply the secret methods that spur the mane and tail to "burst forth," as it were. They then easily re-sell the horse for much more than they paid, resulting in a very nice profit for themselves.

Of course, most horse owners learn the secrets of growing amazing manes and tails simply for the pleasure it gives them.

My own daughter, Lacy, has become obsessed with figuring out how to increase the length and thickness of her horses' manes and tails. She has compiled some of what she has learned, along with valuable horse grooming and care advice, at her Horse Mane and Tail site.

Her source of the true insiders' secrets for growing astonishing manes may be found at http://www.HorseMane.info. As someone who has seen her horses take home the big prizes, time after time, all I can say is: it works.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Sandori

If you search a bookstore or on the Web, you can find lots and lots of wonderful advice on how to grow a horse's mane or tail.   A few sources even go into the nutrients you can give your horse to speed the growth process of these showy parts. The best I have found, bar none, is the information at www.HorseMane.info.   There are secrets there about horse nutrients that I had not seen anywhere else.   Trust me, you will learn things about your horse and about growing a stupendous mane and tail that you haven't heard before.

I love my horses and I take good care of them. This includes seeing that they are properly fed and housed, and that they get good veterinary care. However, some people might accuse me of spending an inordinate amount of my time attending to their manes, and especially in assisting them to grow long and luxuriously.  Well, I admit to this "vice."  And I also admit that I do it mostly for the pleasure that it gives me to see a horse with a gorgeous mane -- and tail, for that matter.  Now, I will also go farther, perhaps too far for some people, and say that I also think the horses themselves appreciate the care I lavish on their manes.  When I see one of my horses prancing along, its long, carefully groomed mane bouncing briskly this way and that, I have to believe that at some level it knows how fine it looks!  If that's crazy, then call me crazy. I don't care.  It's been said before, but a horse's mane is this animal's crowning glory. It is worth all the time that I (or you, with your horse) spend on it.

Prior to starting this blog, I shared my knowledge and love of horses on other people's web sites, notably Squidoo.  Those pages are still there, and I'll be referring to them from time to time.  However, if you would like to get the information from them, all in one place, it's easy!  Just hop over to scribd.com.  Do a search on "horse manes," or better still just go directly to The Horse Mane Book by yours truly.

My mom's a really good writer. Most of the time, she's writing about cooking and food and all kinds of scruptious stuff.  But she has come to love horses almost as much as her daughter does, so here's an article she recently did on horse tail grooming.

Basics of Grooming Horse Tails
by Sarah Sandori

What to do with a horse's tail?  That might seem an odd question, but it's one that horse owners answer in a variety of ways.

It might seem that the easiest and most natural way to care for your horse's tail is simply to let it fly free. What's more beautiful than the sight of a high-spirited horse runnning in a field, its long, flowing tail flicking joyfully this way and that?

Unfortunately, a "natural" tail -- one that is neither cut nor tied up in a knot -- is rarely maintenance-free. At a minimum you can expect tangles to develop in it; at worst, it can become so matted with dirt, mud, twigs and leaves that you might end up having to cut much of it off anyway.

If you own a horse, you know that you must groom it frequently. You should expect that you cannot escape grooming the tail along with everything else.

If you're new to horse care, the good news is that you needn't groom the tail every day. In fact, when it comes to grooming the equine tail, less is more. For most horses, brushing the tail every third day is about right. And when you brush, you should do it as lightly as possible, to avoid pulling out any more hairs than is absolutely unavoidable.

Before brushing, use a tangle remover or a conditioner made especially for horses, gently working the stuff into the tail hair and carefully removing as many knots or tangles as you can. Once you have done this, then you can brush.

Some people cut the hair of their horse's tail quite short, because they think it looks neater that way, or because it minimizes chances of the tail picking up dirt and mud. Others like to tie a knot in the tail, for the same reasons.

In my family of horse lovers, we are definitely biased toward maintaining long, thick, flowing tails on our horses. But there is no final right or wrong answer to the question of what to do with a horse's tail. As long as you treat it gently and make sure it is kept in good, clean condition, the choice is all yours.

Many people wonder if it's really possible to take an average looking horse and grow a long, thick, flowing tail or mane on it -- in a matter of mere months. Answer: Yes, it is.

A gorgeous tail can actually mean the winning difference in equine competitions,, even against horses that may technically be superior in terms of strict conformation. After all, judges are human, too!

Beautifying a horse by helping it to reach its full potential in terms of tail and mane growth has proved profitable for a number of savvy horse people. These are the folks who will buy a mediocre animal, then apply the secret methods that spur the tail and mane to flourish luxuriantly, creating a real "fairy tale" horse. They then easily re-sell the horse for much more than they paid, thereby making a nice profit.

Of course, most horse owners learn the secrets of growing amazing tails and manes simply for the pleasure it brings them.

My own daughter, Lacy, has become obsessed with figuring out how to increase the length and thickness of her horses' tails. She has compiled some of what she has learned about tail growth in particular at her Horse Tails site.

Her source of the true insiders' secrets for growing astonishing tails and manes may be found at http://www.HorseMane.info. As someone who has seen her horses take home the big prizes, time after time, all I can say is: it works.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Sandori

Here's a nice video I found on YouTube showing how to braid a horse's mane for a show. Nice work!  Also, be sure to check out my own horse mane braiding site.

Hello, and welcome to my new blog.  If you love horses, then we are kindred spirits.  I'll be blogging here about our favorite four-legged companions, and in particular about the things I've learned about how to bring out a horse's full potential in terms of appearance and overall good health.  I hope you enjoy it, and that you learn a tidbit or two that you didn't know before.