theres gotta be an easier way??

[kaykay]

i absolutely HATE dying manes and tails!!! is there an easier way?? how does everyone here do it?? I use the trash bags but they always slip or move etc. i HAVE to get black done this weekend and im just dreading it

 

[sparkle]

Hi KayKay! :saludando:

I don't know if this will help you, but when I went to that clinic w/ Lee last weekend I did attempt to dye Hidee's mane/tail.

I looked for the "just for men" product, but was in a hurry and couldn't find it right away so I picked up a "wash out in 8/10 shampoos" mousse. It seemed to work fine, but I'll admit, I didn't leave it on as long as it recommended.

After I thoroughly saturated her mane/tail, I braided it and then tied it up right under her tail bone. With her mane, I french braided it down from her bridle path to the end and then tied that end braid up, too.

I was also dealing w/ black and I was lucky in the sense that she is a minimal pinto...I didn't have to worry about a big patch of white under a dyed mane. I did have to worry about high stockings in the back which is in part why I didn't leave it on the recommended amount. I didn't have any problems.

Don't know if this is what you were looking for, but this is how I did it.

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[Miniequine]

I use a dye called Bigen, oriental black.

It comes in a powder. You add water.

I like it because it drys fast, less 'accidents'. IT's NOT gooey.

I do the mane, then twist each portion and use a hair clamp.

the tail, I tie a baggie and then clamp the bag to the top of

the tail.

Good Luck!

Sandy

 

[Jill]

I'm happy that this season, I'm not showing anyone that needs mane and tail dying, however, I did find that the Just For Men stuff (not the brush on kind) works excellent and does NOT drip like the other products. I had tried "everything" else before Just For Men. They have one that is called something like "Darkest Brown" and it comes out looking very natural and it is just so easy with how it doesn't drip. Once I "discovered" that product, I didn't have to fool with trash bags anymore.

 

[Cathy_H]

Use a cream base as they don't drip as much. Cut a slit just big (long) enough in a hand towel for the mane to fit through. I have used plastic in the past & put a line of vaseline underneath to help hold the plastic in place.......... Cut a smaller hole in a towel just big enough to pull the tail through. Push the tail inside a plastic bag & tie it. It is always easier if you have another person to hold the horse & wipe.......... If you have just a bit of red to cover you can use a black magic marker just before the show......... I prefer soft black but just use what you find in a cream base.

 

[Laura]

Laura always does the dye job before she does the first clip of the season. That won't help those of you that have already clipped. We have use the Just For Men also. I would think that a heavy coat of vaseline would be easier to deal with than the dye; unless you just use a marker to make an extra spot.

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[Tami]

Someone I was talking to at a show last weekend told me how she does it. She dyes a section then wraps it in aluminum foil. When she is done with the tail by doing the sections, she takes and wraps the whole thing in a big sheet. Her horses looked great and she said it was very easy. I have yet to try it but a friend new to showing did and it worked great for her.

 

[kaykay]

i do use just for men and it is fast but it does drip. karla i would love to leave them natural but it will really hurt you in the show ring to show a black horse with a faded red mane and tail LOL. Ill take before and after pics and youll see it is worth doing just a major pain in the butt. Im going to try that towel idea. surely that will stay put better then the plastic bags. Ive even taped the bags and that just doesnt work lol

thanks so much for the tips and wish me luck

oops one more question. when we were showing patches we never had to color her mane and tail. hers NEVER fades. does this mean she carries the non fading black gene?? heres a pic. why cant they all be like patches?? LOL

 

[Frankie]

I also use Just for Men,,,,,,,,,,,the color is called, Almost Black.

I put an old blanket on the horse, and an old mane tamer.

Both now have slits in the correct places.

Am still using the original ones. Let it dry, use it again.

The blanket and mane tamer was made to fit the horse, already has the hardware to keep it on the horse, I just added the slit.

I made sure they were cotton, cloth,,,,,,,,,,,,it then absorbs any drips. Plus the horse is use to wearing these things.

Just wanted to add. Do not make one long slit to pull the mane through. Whatever you are using, the one long slit will make it gape open. I have 4, 4 inch slits up the mane,,,,about an inch of material left between each slit, helps to hold it there,,,,,,and then can get all the mane pulled through those 4 slits. May have to do a very small tough up at the base, but very small.

 

[Marty]

I throw caution to the winds and I do not use trash bags DUCT TAPED on the horse by the way anymore.

I do all my dyeing before I do any body clipping. That way when I have such a dyeing mess, I don't worry because I know it's going to be clipped off.

Here's my ITTY BITTY TIPPY for dyeing:

Go to Walmart to the isle where they sell the aluminum foil and garbage bags etc.

Look there for BAKED POTATOE WRAPPERS. There is like 30 in a box for $1.00. It's a small blue box. Sometimes you can also find them in the check out lanes.

As you separate the strands with your comb, you apply the dye, and then use these wrappers to roll the hair up just like in a beauty parlor. You'll end up with quite a few of them in the manes and tails. Once you roll to the top, they won't stay way up tight there, they will roll back down part way. That's ok.

By using these wrappers you know you are getting all the strands covered with the dye really good. It's not nearly as messy and it helps you stay "organized" in your dyeing.

This will get the job done for you.

 

[yankee_minis]

We used a black dye that was a cream--no dripping. We just put elastics on the mane and it stayed up off her body. Of course, she's a black horse. The only boo-boo we had was a dime size drop between her ears.

It made a huge difference in how she looked, especially in her head. The reddish forelock made her head look bigger-- or it drew attention to the wrong place. Black on black was much better.

We weren't perfect at it, but no one mentioned anything at the show! lol

 

[Loren&Rocky]

dye a mane and tail!! Sorry, but that sounds just too funny!! I guess I would never think of something like that. Is it legal to do for a big show? Sounds crazy to me, but then again, I am not for adding a fake tail to horses either.

 

[kaykay]

yes it is legal to dye the mane and tail BUT NOT body color. my biggest problem is im always doing pintos so when you rinse the color goes straight to their WHITE LEGS. why do i torture myself with these dang pintos? lol

 

[Marty]

Loren & Rocky, go do Slick. I think he's got a black mane and tail right? Don't knock it till you try it. By dyeing it, you will remove all those reddish hairs that are sunbleached in his mane and tail. It will make a lovely difference in the overall appearence, especially since now you guys are showing. Just go try. Trust me, you're going to like it. I do mine even thought we don't show. Come on gal, give it a whirl........you're a brave soul and I'll bet you are up to anything.

Kay Kay, wrap the darn legs then........... :new_shocked:

 

[targetsmom]

So how do you rinse them without getting dye on those white legs (see filly in avatar)? At least she only needs a small patch of her mane and her foretop dyed.

 

[starleemay]

I jusy use Show Touch Up. I just need to cover sun burned area. Just a small area. :saludando:

 

[Loren&Rocky]

Loren & Rocky, go do Slick. I think he's got a black mane and tail right? Don't knock it till you try it. By dyeing it, you will remove all those reddish hairs that are sunbleached in his mane and tail. It will make a lovely difference in the overall appearence, especially since now you guys are showing. Just go try. Trust me, you're going to like it. I do mine even thought we don't show. Come on gal, give it a whirl........you're a brave soul and I'll bet you are up to anything.

Kay Kay, wrap the darn legs then........... :new_shocked:

Slick is chestnut, not bay. He wouldn't look right with a black mane and tail. I might bleach it white though. He would look just like his daddy then!! :bgrin

 

[Jill]

So how do you rinse them without getting dye on those white legs (see filly in avatar)? At least she only needs a small patch of her mane and her foretop dyed.

The horses I've dyed have all had black legs, so I never thought about issues with rinsing until that was pointed out to me. I'm wondering if you could wrap the legs in plastic cling wrap and then rinse w/o worry?

 

[susanne]

I'm wondering if you could wrap the legs in plastic cling wrap and then rinse w/o worry?

hmmm...wasn't there a book a long time ago suggesting that women do this (wearing nothing else) to greet their husbands after work?

 

[Jill]

I'm wondering if you could wrap the legs in plastic cling wrap and then rinse w/o worry?

hmmm...wasn't there a book a long time ago suggesting that women do this (wearing nothing else) to greet their husbands after work?

Yes, and H loves it when I do this :bgrin

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Kidding but I'm thinking about doing it to sweat my stomach just like I sweat the show horses' necks!!! :lol: