Horse Care & Grooming Tips (9 of 15) - Mane Rubbing

Mane Rubbing

Dear Dr. Pankau,
I was hoping you could answer a question I have about my horse's mane. Both his mane and tail have always been very long and full, but just this year, his mane has gotten thin and very short. His tail is the same as ever. I have seen him rubbing his neck against trees in pasture before, and I think he might have rubbed it all off. What is the cause of this, and how can I get his mane to grow back?
Thank You,
Anna Rahn

Anna,
It sounds like your horse has a hypersensitivity reaction to biting insects. You need to keep him from itching and then the mane will grow back. This will take some time. As you approach the winter it will not be so much a problem for you. I would do the following:
1. Bathe him with oatmeal based shampoo.
2. Use some of the Freedom fly repellent on him weekly. You may have to spray him as well.
3. Keep him off pasture at night (this is when the mosquitoes...feed) - stall at night.
4. Clean up the manure
5. If this does not help then I would consult your vet about giving him a Vetalog injection (steroid) to cut down the horse's reaction to biting insects.
6. Make sure the areas that he has rubbed are kept clean and you apply some sort of soothing lotion to keep the flies off.