How to stop mane from falling out when it comes to rugs?

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equestriansports

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Last year I full clipped my Anglo and he was in at least 220g most of the time until his clip grew out and 360g when it was cold but he really did feel the cold. This year I'm giving the (now not chubby!) cob a medium/high trace. I've been told by the lady he's been on livery with he gets very sweaty around his neck - when I rode him within five minutes he was sweating. He does shake like a leaf some days if it's cold and wet but I don't think it'd do him any harm to be a bit cold. Do you all think he'd be okay in a 100g fill rug? Out in the day if it's warm he'll be chucked out naked but I'm thinking for overnight if it's windy or wet a no fill won't cut it.
Lady said give him a blanket clip so that his neck is off and stick a combo on him. Last year I only had combo rugs and at the end of the season I went to pull his mane to make him look nice again. His mane had rubbed out about four inches. I can't have that happening with the cob, his mane comes down way past his shoulders to the start of his leg and I really don't want that coming out. I'd assume it happened from the rug with a neck last year? With a standard neck, wouldn't I need to be careful it doesn't rub out the bottom of his withers? I was thinking about getting him a 100g turnout and a 100g stable rug so that I could alternate. He's not as much of a wuss as the Anglo but I don't want to over-rug him. In short, would a 100g turnout be alright for now on a cob with a medium/high trace clip and should I go for a standard neck or combo? He has a very short neck though and most combos are far too long, would I just need to fold them under a little to make them shorter?
 
Before neck covers and combos were designed horses were more than happy in standard necks many fully clipped and turned out daily in all weathers, I know they help keep horses clean but they are not essential for warmth, as long as the main areas are warm and dry most will be fine, I would use a standard neck, risk the wither area of mane rather than the whole lot.
As for what weight to use no one else can really tell you whether he will be too warm or too cold, if you get 2 100gm rugs you can always pop the stable rug under if the weather gets really cold and he should be fine.
 
be positive said:
Before neck covers and combos were designed horses were more than happy in standard necks many fully clipped and turned out daily in all weathers, I know they help keep horses clean but they are not essential for warmth, as long as the main areas are warm and dry most will be fine, I would use a standard neck, risk the wither area of mane rather than the whole lot.
As for what weight to use no one else can really tell you whether he will be too warm or too cold, if you get 2 100gm rugs you can always pop the stable rug under if the weather gets really cold and he should be fine.
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That's what I was thinking, I don't really care if his neck gets caked in mud as long as he's clean for the saddle. Will get a stable rug and a turnout - never thought of combining the two. I'm not the brightest haha. Thank you! :)
 
I pull down the neck at night so its not constantly rubbing the same spot 24 hours a day. I use detachable necks rather than combo rugs as they rub more. Also make sure mane is kept clean and I put in show sheen to keep it silky so it can't rub
 
There are a few threads on here about people trying to save their horses mane over winter with a combo. Seems like an impossible task!

I'm sticking with neck less rugs this winter - regardless. Our boy has a fine mane as it is and the rugs simply rub it out (he is none the worse apart from his mane) ... I would like something to plait with if we get out next year!!

I've heard some use bibs (I tried that - helped a tiny bit, but not enough) and helps if you keep scrupulously clean and use pig oil to reduce friction.

As I say. I've had enough and I'm going neck less for first time in years. It will be fine and I'm sure he will enjoy slathering the wet mud onto his neck and scrubbing it right in when rolling :-)
 
I've been and got a shores tempest/highlander thing. I was going to get him a Masta PP Stable 180g, didn't feel anywhere close to 180g! Didn't get it based on that though, he'd cook.
I'm trying to work out whether I should hog the mini cob. He has a pathetic amount of feather but he has a beautiful long mane and forelock. Ah, decisions decisions!
 
I think its down to type of mane ie my connemara who is grey I know her mane will rub and grey hair seems to rub more than my dark bay shetlands mane who is in full neck rug when I clip her at the end of January. The key is to remove the grease and spray the mane with sheen or pig oil to stop fricton but I believe its also down to the colour and type of mane if that makes sense.
 
Mines been rocking the half mane for ages. I give up! She's had no rug for ages and last winter hardly used the neck one. Its attached but I only use in snow last winter was v mild. Mine has all her neck clipped and half her face. The bottom of the mane just doesn't grow
 
I am of the belief that when you put a neck on it increases the warmth by a rug, ie its like wearing an extra rug as they don't lose so much heat through the upper part and neck.

Certainly the case in my experience, horses are warmer with the neck than without. As previously mentioned it is down to the personal horse and hair type/rug type whether the mane rub.

Without a neck :

1. They can get staph aureus which in turn gives them many years of mane falling out and vet visits and treatment
2. They can get the mane caught in fencing which rips it out
3. Necking with other horses pulls it out
4. mud and weather makes it dry and prone to knotting




With a neck:


1. can with some rugs rub if it has a seam or very greasy neck cover on the particular point
2. keep the mane clean and if kept clean less prone to rug out
3. If your horse has got the fore mentioned S A, mane needs to be cleaned daily or alternate days to lessen the rubbing
4. less prone to other horses chewing it out
5. Does not get caught in fencing
6. keeps mane clean


I would how ever always buy combi now and bend neck under then if it rains I just go up and pull neck out

It is all down to your situation/choice
 
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If hes got a full mane he wont need a neck cover. Mines a traditional and he would melt with a neck cover on as he just has soo much hair. Its much thicker than any neck cover :lol:

He does get a tiny rubbed bit where the standard necks rub, but it tiny and easily hidden by the rest of the hair. He was fully clipped last year, out 24/7 and was ok in 100gm, and had a thermatex on if he ever came in. Anything warmer and he literally tore it off. We went through a rug a week for a couple of weeks until I worked it out!
 
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I have done away with ALL neck covers because of this! Have tried keeping manes spotlessly clean, covered in show sheen and inside of neck covers cleaned daily with baby wipes and it still happened.

15/20 years ago as a child there was no such thing and all our horses were fine, fully clipped etc, etc
 
hihosilver said:
mane guards by bossy bibs are supposed to help?
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They did not help with mine. I am currently selling all my neck less rugs and will be left with all combos.

In the old says i brought many of each and weights but it got ridiculous how many rugs so now it will be combos and on dry days neck folder back
 
HGA-12 said:
Without a neck :

1. They can get staph aureus which in turn gives them many years of mane falling out and vet visits and treatment.
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In over forty years of being around horses with no neck cover which are out in winter I have not only never seen a case of this I've never even heard of it.
 
Mine wasn't cultured or anything but got a mane root skin infection with a neck rug on- and I'd never seen it happen before when we didn't have them. As it can be resident on the skin I'm not sure having a neck on will prevent an infection- didn't in mine anyway!
 
ycbm said:
In over forty years of being around horses with no neck cover which are out in winter I have not only never seen a case of this I've never even heard of it.
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Well in my 50 years with horses i have known 3 with it and. my mare had it so speaking from experiance
 
ycbm said:
In over forty years of being around horses with no neck cover which are out in winter I have not only never seen a case of this I've never even heard of it.
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ycbm said:
In over forty years of being around horses with no neck cover which are out in winter I have not only never seen a case of this I've never even heard of it.
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The bacteria got into her skin from a previous yard, it then attacks the hair root making it prone to falling out very easily. It has to be washed every other day to keep skin clean, the skin can go very red and dry and itchy. She was put on a medicated ointment from the vet and put on twice a day injections from the vet which I had to do for 10 days

Hers was medicine resitant which is why we could not cure it read below





Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: A Review



Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacterium and an important cause of disease in many species. Approximately 10% of healthy horses carry S. aureus in their noses. This occurrence is termed "colonization," as the bacteria are present without causing any problems. A smaller number are colonized in the intestinal tract or on the skin. S. aureus is an "opportunistic pathogen" that can cause disease under certain conditions. One problematic trait of S. aureus is its tendency to become resistant to antibiotics. Of particular concern is methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), which is resistant to all beta-lactam antibiotics (penicillin and cephalosporin families) and often many other antibiotics. This makes MRSA infections more difficult to treat.
In humans, MRSA infections are associated with increased illness and death compared to methicillin-susceptible S. aureus infections. MRSA is a tremendous problem in human hospitals and is now causing disease in people in the general population. But MRSA has also emerged as an important cause of disease in many animal species, including horses.

Like methicillin-susceptible S. aureus, MRSA can colonize horses without causing any problems. Studies have reported carriage rates of 0-5% in horses in the general population, but on some farms the prevalence can exceed 50%. Colonized horses may never have any problems with MRSA, but they are more likely to develop an MRSA infection under certain conditions. Colonized horses are also of concern because they can transmit MRSA to other horses and people. Clinical MRSA infections can occur as sporadic cases or outbreaks. A wide range of infections can develop. In horses in the general population, skin and soft tissue infections (including wound and surgical site infections) and joint infections are most common. In hospitalized horses, surgical site infections predominate. Invasive device (i.e., intravenous catheter) site infections and bloodstream infections can also occur, as well infections at a variety of other sites.

Despite the obvious concerns about MRSA, it can be a treatable condition. In a multicenter study, over 80% of horses with MRSA infections survived, although they tended to have prolonged hospital stays and often required additional surgeries. While MRSA strains are resistant to many drugs, acceptable antibiotic options usually exist. The key to proper and successful management is early diagnosis of MRSA so that appropriate therapy can be instituted.

Typing of MRSA strains is an important tool for understanding how and why this organism is spreading. In humans, MRSA is separated into community-associated and hospital-associated infections. Care should be taken in directly extrapolating this situation to horses, as there are a number of differences. One major difference is the types of MRSA found in horses. Most reports of MRSA in horses have involved one family (clone) of MRSA. There are various names for this family, depending on the location and typing method. They inclpude USA 500, Canadian epidemic MRSA5, sequence type 8 (ST8), and clonal complex 8. This MRSA strain (or closely related strains) are recognized as a human strain, yet the strain is uncommon in people. Its predominance in horses suggests that it is somehow better adapted to horses than other strains. This strain has been reported in both North America and Europe and is likely widely disseminated internationally.

One MRSA aspect of concern is the potential for transmission between humans and horses, in both directions. People who work with horses appear to be at particularly high risk for MRSA colonization. Studies of equine veterinarians have reported colonization rates of 10-14%. The MRSA clone that predominates in horses has been the most common strain in equine personnel, providing further support for the notion that horses can infect humans.

An outbreak of MRSA skin infections occurred in a teaching hospital in people working with a colonized foal. Therefore, precautions need to be undertaken to reduce the risk of infection of human contacts and to prevent transmission of MRSA on farms or in clinics. Infection control practices that may need to be implemented at the farm or clinic level are variable and depend on the situation. They may include isolation of infected or colonized horses, the use of barriers (gloves, gowns) when handling infected or colonized horses, improvement in general hygiene (especially hand hygiene among farm workers and veterinarians), screening of horses for colonization, limiting contact of different groups of horses, and other related infection control measures.
 
HGA-12 said:
Well in my 50 years with horses i have known 3 with it and. my mare had it so speaking from experiance
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Do you have any evidence that it had anything to do with not having a neck rug on when millions of horses do not have neck rugs on and don't get it?

I'd be interested in seeing any research investigating mane infections in rugged and unrugged horses. I don't expect there is any. I'd bet almost my bottom dollar that washing the grease out of manes would have more effect, and also that the lovely warm damp environment under a neck rug causes far more problems with fungal and bacterial infections than no neck cover does.
 
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Abby-Lou said:
I think its down to type of mane ie my connemara who is grey I know her mane will rub and grey hair seems to rub more than my dark bay shetlands mane who is in full neck rug when I clip her at the end of January. The key is to remove the grease and spray the mane with sheen or pig oil to stop fricton but I believe its also down to the colour and type of mane if that makes sense.
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Yes agree ^^

Type of mane makes a difference.

Our is spotted (and has the fine/wispy mane as a genetic expression) and is a stallion and so has a bit of a crest, so is more inclined to lose the mane! It's only the last quarter nearest withers that disappears, but it enough to make plaiting difficult!

At least I never ever have to pull his mane.
 
ycbm said:
Do you have any evidence that it had anything to do with not having a neck rug on when millions of horses do not have neck rugs on and don't get it?

I'd be interested in seeing any research investigating mane infections in rugged and unrugged horses. I don't expect there is any. I'd bet almost my bottom dollar that washing the grease out of manes would have more effect, and also that the lovely warm damp environment under a neck rug causes far more problems with fungal and bacterial infections than no neck cover does.
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The OP asked for ways for the mane not to fall out, I put up things that can cause this in case it applied to them and their horse. I said my mare got it from the soil in the field she was in when it first occurred (as per vets comment). My mare had no neck cover on so yes it was soil related it would have got into into her skin through rolling or laying down, had she worn a neck cover (in her case) it would not have occurred (unless it got into the skin through a cut or abrasion which she did not have, then no the neck cover would not have helped)

Well your entitled to your latter comment but speaking from 1st hand experience. Neck cover improved things in my mares case once she caught the condition.

You are asking for evidence of the condition (you have never heard of or experienced the labour intensive treatment looking after the condition) being anything to do with a neck cover! I have said it was in my case.

Now if you want to discuss this condition feel free to start a new thread but this is equestriansports thread and it should stay that way. The Op will be I would have thought be interested in situation/conditions which cause the mane to fall out.
 
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I chose not to use them at all, starting last year, and now have two beautiful, thick, full manes without any gaps. I'm a definite convert to the standard rug brigade, and have now switched to using them all of the time.
 
JJS said:
I chose not to use them at all, starting last year, and now have two beautiful, thick, full manes without any gaps. I'm a definite convert to the standard rug brigade, and have now switched to using them all of the time.
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Joining you this year!
 
Ruggles!

yes the neck covers are a bit flappy and can leave a gap in the wind (however still cover more of neck than without any neck cover) but because they are so loose they dont rub.

i fit the main rug well back from bottom of mane(i trim the scrappy bit of mane, last 1-2 inches anyway so thats not as far back as it sounds) and use a chest extender on Goof. then use XL neck covers-no rubs.

keep manes and neck covers really clean too but its definately the Ruggles rugs that have helped :)
 
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