Rescued Mini Horse with Hair Clips in Her Mane Is Truly the 'It Girl'

Hair clips are a childhood must. If you had long hair (or honestly, even if you didn't), hair clips served many purposes. I know from experience that some of the longest-lasting friendships have been formed because of hair clips: my second grade bestie had the coolest ones in school. We're still friends.

If you put that second grade bestie of mine up against the miniature horse in this video from Thursday, August 15th, though... she wouldn't win. This horse was born to be a star:

This is why I love The Gentle Barn Sanctuary. They're always doing the most for their animals, and it's seriously inspirational!

Related: The Gentle Barn Kindly Brings in Violinist to Comfort Their Grieving Cow

The horse in this video is Princess Pebble, and since arriving at Gentle Barn, she's had the biggest glow-up. Before she was rescued, she was terribly neglected: they're hardly even sure if she had a proper caretaker. She wandered around, eating people's lawns and causing disturbances.

When someone finally contacted Gentle Barn, Princess Pebble's hooves were overgrown, which is painful for horses. Imagine having toenails so long they were beating into the ground and curling into your feet - it would hurt. With patience and care, they cleaned her up, and now she has lots of pampering perks, including:

1. A collection of hair clips for her exquisite and well-kept mane.
2. Perfectly groomed hooves.
3. A pretty purple blanket to wear in the wintertime.
4. A staff of people who read to her when it rains.

Princess Pebble loves company, and luckily, she gets a lot of it. Gentle Barn Tennessee is home to five other horses and countless other animals. Don't tell them, but they'll never be as stylish as Her Royal Horse-ness.

How to Care for a Horse's Mane

Whether your horse is a pretty princess or not, you still need to take care of their manes. Knotted, tangly manes are one way to get your horse in a bad mood. All horses, whether they're for work, personal use, or for show, could use some good mane maintenance!

There are a few key parts to making sure your horse's mane is as good as it can get:

1. Regular shampooing/conditioning with specialized product (yes, you can actually use Mane 'N Tail!).
2. You can use horse-safe hair oils after their manes are dry (like argon or coconut).
3. Between washes, daily brushing and checking for hay, leaves, bugs, or tangles.
4. Protective hair styles like braids or adorable little clips will help keep their manes out of the way/out of their food and water, etc.

Word to the wise, though: if you want to add cute clips like these, only let the horse wear them under supervision or while they're away from other horses. They look tasty and might be confused for snacks!