The ABCCMM is the Brazilian registry and is the premier registry for the Mangalarga Marchador horse on an International level. It is the "mother" registry and provides the stamp of a quality Marchador. It provides assurance that no matter what country your Marchador was bred that it has been inspected, ridden, and passed all quality measures established by the authorities of this breed, the Brazilian registry.
The American Horse Registry is a secondary registry to the ABCCMM for the MM in North America. It provides a registry for Marchadors and Marchador crosses with the American Quarter Horse and the American Paint Horse. There is a 3rd registry that I no longer personally support, for which I once served on the board as Secretary, the USMMA (United States Mangalarga Marchador Association). Due to its unfortunate bias toward one specific breeder, I choose not to support this registry or it's bias political agendas.
The International Museum of the Horse is located in the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. The museum provides the most accurate description and breed characteristics of the Mangalarga Marchador. Click on the link to the left to visit the website directly.
Links for New owners & Breeders
If you have a mare foaling, you are going to want to use one, or better yet, two foaling alerts, or you are going to loose a lot of sleep foal watching. The most popular widely-used system is the Foalert. However, I have found the Breeder Alert to be a great addition.
The Breeder Alert attaches to the halter and alerts you when the horse lays down in the "flat out" position for 15 seconds. It has a longer range than the Foalert. I like this because the alarm sounds earlier in the foaling process than the Foalert. However, if you have a mare that has colic or likes to lay down flat, you may have some false alerts.
The Foalert is usually the most widely recommended system by equine veterinarians. Unless you are comfortable with sutures, a vet is usually needed to sew the transmitter into the vulva. When the first hoof comes out of the mare, the transmitter sends a signal to the base unit to sound the alarm. I find this system to be the most accurate, reliable system.
The five core vaccinations recommended by the AAEP (American Association for Equine Practitioners) are tetanus, Eastern equine encephalomyelitis and Western equine encephalomyelitis (EEE/WEE), West Nile virus, and rabies. To determine risk-based vaccinations for your area, you will need to consult your veterinarian. The link provided is included to help you understand what each vaccination protects your horse against.
FoalCare.com is a wonderful website operated by Merck Animal Health. Most inexperienced breeders think a horse is a horse, and they treat them all the same. However, a pregnant mare and the foal are two unique classes of equines that should be cared for and treated completely different from any other horse. They require different vaccinations, different deworming schedules, and different nutritional needs.
GetRotationRight.com is an excellent website geared toward helping owners properly deworm their horses, also operated by Merck Animal Health. You will find that it offers a deworming rotation guide for all horses, including a separate chart for pregnant mares and foals. It can even help you customize your program with your vet based on fecal counts, which is important if you have a resistance problem.
Grooming Aids
Premier Horse Shampoo - by Eqyss
Showsheen - Hair Polish & Detangler
Vetrolin White n Brite by Farnam
Excalibur Sheath Cleaner - by Farnam
Showsheen - Stain Remover & Whitener
Biozide Gel - antibacterial & antifungal
MTG - by Shapleys
Fungasol - Spray, Shampoo, or Ointment
ProCare - liquid bandage
Blue Shampoo: A shampoo with a blue or purple tint will reflect light and make the whites even brighter. I prefer Vetrolin White N Brite by Farnam.
Baby Powder: Once legs dry, apply a coat of baby powder to the white markings. It adds more white color and also sets the tinted shampoo.
Orvus Shampoo: Great for really dirty white markings. It’s an industrial strength shampoo in a concentrated gel form and you need only to apply a small amount.
Touch Up Spray: Touch up spray such as Shapley’s is a white aerosol spray used on white markings to cover up discoloration.
Baking Soda: Baking soda mixed with water will also help scrub those whites clean.
Whisk: Whisk, yes the laundry detergent, is a great whitening “shampoo.” Just mix a capful in a large bucket of water and apply to a wet horse. Make sure to rinse well and don’t use too often as this may be drying to skin.
What To Do With Tails?
Pledge: It is a great tail detangler and adds brilliant shine all while repelling dirt. It is not a silicone based product which tends to end up attracting dirt.
Bleached-out tails: Use hair color! There are a few rules to coloring your horses tail. Do not touch the dye to the actual tail bone as you may get an allergic reaction. Also, don’t use the color too often as it can be damaging and can burn the skin. Always do a strand test by coloring just a few strands to see if there is a reaction. Match the color as close as possible to your horse’s hair. ONLY cover the bleached ends. If you have a horse with a light body and dark tail, you might cover the tail with a trash bag to keep the horse from swishing his tail and getting color on areas where you don’t want it. I also like to cut the color by adding shampoo directly into the color mixture. This allows the color to deposit and stops any lift if you haven’t chosen an exact match on the color. DO NOT color a GREY HORSE'S mane/tail. It will look HORRIBLE as it grows out. Instead, you will want to LIFT the stains, but please don't try to darken a grey horse's mane. If you do, it will take years to grow out when the horse's mane begins to get lighter as the body hair does.
Oxi-Clean: For those nasty off-white tails try mixing up a small dose of Oxi Clean and some warm water in a bucket and soaking the tail in the combination.
Scratch That Itch
Fungus, skin irritation, dry skin and other horse itches can be a hassle as they can lead your horse to start rubbing off hair. There are plenty of antifungal “treatments” available on the market these days. Here are a few shortcuts.
Dreft: For fungus problems give your horse a bath with Dreft. This gentle laundry detergent has enzymes that kill fungus. As always do a patch test.
Listerine: For that nasty tail itch that causes your horse to start rubbing out his tail try applying Listerine Mouthwash. The alcohol content seems to kill whatever is causing the itch as well as soothe the itching and stops rubbing.
MTG: MTG is a product does wonders on killing fungus, removing rain rot, and soothing dry skin. Make sure you gloves. It smells like sulfur.
Sevin Dust: If you think there is a mite causing an itchy tail or mane, Sevin Dust might do the trick. However, this product is a pesticide and is highly toxic. Do not inhale it or get it on your skin. Use as little as possible and use gloves when applying, only use this if everything else has failed.
Spa Time!
Vinegar: After rinsing the shampoo, use a solution of half white vinegar and half water. This will not only help repel flies but also helps to repel dirt and gives a great shine.
Skin-So-Soft: A rinse with a solution of half Skin-So-Soft (Avon) and half water also helps repel bugs and add a fantastic shine to your horses coat without having to add silicone products.
Other Tips and Tricks
Hemorrhoid Cream: Hemorrhoid cream does the trick for growing hair back perfectly (think no more white spots) on scrapes and cuts.
Old Clipper Blades: When pulling a mane to help thin it out use an old clipper blade. This will almost perfectly thin the mane without it looking too blunt.
After Clipping: After body clipping, rinse with a WARM olive oil and apple vinegar rinse. It prevents fungus and that dry “just clipped” look.
Mix it in a spray bottle. It gives a fantastic shine without having to resort to silicone based products.