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Neem oil turns up in the tack room in three home-made blends. In every one it is the minor ingredient, added for its scent and its thick, waxy feel, and diluted well down in a carrier.
Mane and tail conditioner
A light carrier oil, sweet almond or grapeseed, with neem at about one part in twenty. Warm the neem until it pours, stir it in, and work a little through a dry mane or tail with the fingers before brushing out. It leaves the hair glossy and the knots easier to comb. Go gently on the dose; neem is strongly scented and a little goes a long way.
Hoof oil
Traditional hoof oils are a heavy oil or fat with a little wax. Neem fits the recipe: melt one part beeswax into four parts of a carrier, take it off the heat and stir in neem at about one part in ten. Brush over a clean, dry hoof wall. Test a little first; neem darkens pale horn.
Tack balm
The same beeswax-and-carrier balm, with the neem at one part in ten, softens old leather. Rub in sparingly and buff. As with any leather balm, try it on an offcut or the underside of a strap first, because neem darkens light-coloured leather.
Notes
- The smell is strong: nutty and sulphurous. It fades on hair and leather over a day.
- Keep neat oil off the coat; it stains and is hard to brush out.
- Neem sets solid below about 20 °C. Stand the bottle in warm water and it pours again.
Carriers and ratios: carrier oils page. Dogs: neem shampoo for dogs.