Tame Your Mane

Thathorse tested five products designed to help when you brush and groom your horse's mane and tail. The products were applied to six different horses' tails and coats. The tail was sectioned into five strands and sprayed with the product individually. We were looking for smell, gloss, brush-ability, how long it stayed and the look of the horses tail. We used two pumps of spray for every strand. We also used a normal plastic hairbrush, available at most supermarkets.

Absorbine Show Sheen, available through the Saddlery Warehouse starting at NZ$23.99

The product has a pleasant smell and does not seem to cause any harm when eaten (we know this thanks to Lily, the miniature). The spray bottle works well and sprays out evenly over the strands. The product was left for two minutes before the tail was brushed out. The tail felt soft and brushing was easy; it looked clean and smelled pleasant. The tail was very glossy on parts sprayed but dusty where it was just spread through by the brush. The product stayed in and de-tangled for about four days but lost its sheen after the first roll. It does let you brush through wet tails though, which is nice. You can also get refills for this product, which is very handy.

Carr & Day & Martin Canter Mane and Tail Conditioner, available through Clareville Saddlery starting at NZ$35.73

The smell is nice and the spray bottle works well. You sadly cannot get refills for this product, which can become costly. The tail sprayed was very shiny and felt soft and clean. The spray seemed to work for three days, after that the tail got hard to brush and dull. It doesn't work well on freshly washed wet tails but when sprayed in and left to dry, the tail looks very nice.

Savvy Touch Spray and Shine Detangler, available through savvytouch.com starting at NZ$26.00

This is an all-natural product tested on humans before horses, so if you're environmentally conscious and want the best for your horse, this would be a good product to use. The smell was pleasant but strong and the other horses seemed very interested in our horse's tail. It sprayed through evenly, the tail was smooth and glossy and dirt brushed out well. The tail was brush-able for two days and then needed re-coating. The spray doesn't come in a refill but the price is fair for such nice product.

Miracle Groom 5 in 1 Bath In A Bottle, available through the Saddlery Warehouse starting at NZ$91.00 for a gallon (3.8litres)

This is one heck of a product! It detangles, shines, cleans and sheens everything! It comes in different sizes although the only size available at the moment, is the horse family pack for people with over four horses. The chemicals in this product might be horrendous, but it does do a great job. The tail stays clean, soft and shiny for over five days and was always good to brush. It would be better if it was available in smaller sizes, as the average one horse owner will probably use up a  bottle in eight to 12 weeks if applied regularly.

Cowboy Magic is only available through selected traders on TradeMe at the moment

Cowboy Magic is a fantastic product, but again, the chemical content might be just a bit too much. It leaves hair soft and clean and stays on for a good five days. It is good to apply on wet tails with no problem brushing through. There was no smell to speak of and the tail stayed untangled even through a flat work session on a hot dusty day. The tail was not dusty after riding so this might be a good product for the serious show rider. The availability of this product in New Zealand is not consistent, which is a shame, as it is very good.

Aside from the effect of having nice soft and glossy clean tails, we also noticed the sprays helped to lessen hair loss and an improvement in horse pulling out hairs on fences or trees and scrubs. As a long term project, detangle sprays helped the horse grow a thicker luscious tail when applied every second day and brushed through thoroughly. Neither of these products are recommended on saddle areas or manes as they make everything quite sleek and slippery - you don't want to start a difficult cross country course or pony club with a slick saddle area. They are otherwise very handy.

The winner of our test is a close run between Savvy Touch and Absorbine. We can't quite decide which one we liked better but I'm sure you will find the one you prefer.

Happy grooming and hooray to long glossy tails!

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