Hi all , great thread,
as a hair dresser I have tried all the expensive human formulas , and I have to day that it does NOT work as well as I expected. Bio Silk by Biolage, Matrix, with silk protiens expensive ...yes ...does it make the mane feel like silk , NO. dont waste your money.
There is a product you buy at any drug store , a shampoo for little old ladys with white hair..."Shimmer lights" comes in a deep purple bottle. the shampoo is dark purple but as it lathers it becomes lighter , does it work? YES!! like a charm, for your horse and for your grandma. Anyone want to send me a bottle? I cant get it here.
The flat iron is also a great idea, condition the mane and tail, and use a smoothing creme, then comb it into place with a fine tooth comb , if your horse does not like the hair dryer. Then the flat iron. It will "smoke" but that is the product not the hair. If you use dye on the mane , use the darkest brown , not black. Something I have not read yet is to use your clipper to make a straight line on the hair above the coronet band all the way around. Its easy to do , and makes the hoof look really sharp.
I feed whole black sun flower seed to bring out the color in the horse. I dont like to use spices... I once tried cinnimon to help with weight loss, even the smallest amount did make my mare have a slight colic, so for me I stay away from that. Flax seed I give whole , and all the time , not just in show season. I also give a good quality vegie or corn oil,this makes a thin layer of fat under the skin that feeds the hair. Feeding the hair from the inside gives you the shine that you want for showing . goop on the outside of the hair wont give you the same shine. good luck this season!! oh , and I do clean the privates and under the tail. That area can get dry and scratchy. I use baby oil.
