Horse grooming guide

Mane and tail care without chasing retired products.

Mane and tail care is still a valuable education topic. This page now focuses on the routine itself and routes riders only to live, useful ShowBarn Secret® and Draw It Out® paths.

Open ShowBarn Secret® hub Shop Braiding Spray Shop Lavender Shampoo Start Solution Finder

What proper mane and tail care really means

Reduce friction

Most breakage comes from dry brushing, rushing knots, and pulling from the root instead of working from the ends upward.

Protect the skin underneath

Hair behaves better when the skin under the mane, tailhead, and dock is clean, dry, and monitored for rubbing or irritation.

A clean routine riders can repeat

1. Clean when needed

Use Lavender Shampoo for a true wash-rack clean when water and weather make sense.

Shop Lavender Shampoo

2. Use waterless cleanup when practical

Use Waterless Tea Tree Shampoo for cold weather, travel, spot cleaning, and quick show-day cleanup.

Shop Waterless Tea Tree

3. Prep for braiding with control

Use Braiding Spray when you need better sectioning and a cleaner finish for mane work.

Shop Braiding Spray

Simple detangling method

  1. Start at the ends, not the roots.
  2. Use fingers first to open large knots.
  3. Work in small sections instead of forcing the whole tail at once.
  4. Brush only after the hair is separated enough to avoid ripping.
  5. Stop if the horse is rubbing, sensitive, or showing signs of skin irritation.
Availability note: Do not route this page to Detangler & Shine or Skin & Hair Enhancer as retail products unless those SKUs are republished and publicly buyable.

When the issue is more than grooming

Rubbing, scurf, or skin irritation

Move from grooming into skin-care triage. Start with the Solution Finder or the horse skin and coat care guide.

Start Solution Finder

Need a full grooming route?

Use the ShowBarn Secret® hub. It now only features active retail grooming products.

Open ShowBarn hub

FAQ

Should I brush a tangled tail dry?

No. Start with your hands and work from the ends upward. Forcing a dry tangle from the top usually causes avoidable breakage.

What live products fit this routine right now?

Lavender Shampoo, Waterless Tea Tree Shampoo, and Braiding Spray are the live retail grooming products that fit this page right now.

Why remove Detangler and Skin & Hair purchase links?

Those retail SKUs are not currently live for purchase. This page should not send customers toward products they cannot buy.

Draw It Out®

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We build every product for real riders who care as much as we do. No burn, no sting, no nonsense. Just clean, sensation-free relief built for real horses, real barns, and repeatable routines.

From barn aisle to show ring, Draw It Out® stands for one simple promise. Modern Performance, Proven Calm.

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