Ardennes manes - pulled or not pulled?!

Cuppatea

Cuppatea

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 June 2010
Messages
3,879
Location
by the Irish sea
www.facebook.com
We have had an Ardennes cross come into the yard to be sold and we are having a 'discussion' on whether to pull his mane or not. I think it should be left 'au naturel' but OH is itching to pull it. His argument is that he is a cross (officially called a spanish cob) so therefore pull it. My argument is that although a cross, he look JUST like a purebred and it covers his MASSIVE neck up a bit....;)
What do Ardennes usually have?
What to do?!
 
Have no idea really but my Westphalian Draft mare (Kaltblut) looks just like an Ardennes and I keep her mane 'au naturel'. As you say, her neck would look HUGE otherwise. I am wondering what the officail view is, as I'm considering showing her in foreign breeds classes, so I hope someone else knows.
 
whirlwind said:
If he is a proper chunk then either leave or hog. If of slightly lighter stamp then pull :)
Click to expand...

oh he is definitely a chunk!! Keep getting asked if he is astallion as he has such a massive neck!

Dont have photos of him here atm, been waiting for a nice day to take some. HA!

have some from old old owners but cant really post those as cant ask permission!
 
If he's very Ardennes in type, don't pull his mane! Heavy horses with pulled manes look wrong. Tidying the mane, yes, but pulled, no. I speak as a Shire owner/breeder.
 
Two of my friends have Ardennes and they both have their manes, one of my friends shows hers successfully and she always looks beautiful. I would personally leave it. :)
 
Here is our Belgian draft, no pulling allowed!!!
b279dcc1abd572a43671ef7f27e83856.jpg


And with that amount of mane you can still do all sorts

image_zpsffa6b5e7.jpg


But we do keep them like this in daily life because otherwise to much daily effort. (Please excuse the scruffy appearance :rolleyes: )
02281313dc2042485ea6c251f489ced3.jpg


But please leave him natural! ;)
 
Please leave him au natural the mane is part of the breed. A fellow livery owner watched me spend ages trimming my Norweigian Ffords mane and said to me "why on earth don't you just hog it?" Just wouldn't her mane was her biggest feature!
 
Ardennes manes are normally kept natural ( split half and half each side) and traditionally when they are plaited they are plaited with wool (pic shown above in another post shows it well :p )

Personally would not hog at all as covers up the chunky neck and also when it starts to grow back - as it is a diffrent texture to a light breeds mane (being more thick and wirey) - it grows very oddly and doesnt look right untill it is a decent length again !
Also if you pulled it to the length as you woul an normal horse it would look very strange and enchance the big neck wouldnt it?
 
Ardennes x ID x cob. Ridden at HOYS. Hogged.

thomaspink1.jpg


Ardennes x ID stallion, hogged

pinkpanthar3.jpg


I usually have The Tank (Ardennes x ID X ID x WB x TB) in a punk 'Trojan' style as I can't hog him but I find the thick mane a bit much when long.....

indicamp1101-1resized_zpse1afb9c1.jpg
 
Eventhough I like the trimmed pics a Ardennes is NEVER hogged. Nobody with the breed in Belgium does that. So the only reason I can think of it's because it is a X. But if he is looking like a Ardennes it is just NOT done. Sorry
 
Last edited:
Yup, sorry, the HOYS one looked ugly :-(

Definitely best with manes.

Plus if he is crossed with some kind of cob surely that is two reasons to not touch the hair!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top