Argh, how do I neaten up a long mane?!

Joanna710

Joanna710

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Hey folks, got a bit of an issue here and could do with a spot of advice...

I have a Friesian with a long, thick mane, which I love but it is getting slightly out of hand. A few weeks ago I decided to try a different way of plaiting it up to take the strain off his crest, and following the advice of another Friesian-owner I took it out of it's normal running plait and instead did long individual plaits, then folded them over and secured with a plaiting band. To cut a long story short, when I removed the plaits a week or so later (they got scruffy really quickly), the hair had rubbed out really badly where the plaits were folded in half, and as a result the mane is now really thin about midway down.

The other day I was bad and took a pair of scissors to his mane *ducks for cover*, to try and take off the straggly ends that were left after the aforementioned plaiting disaster.

So now I'm basically looking for tips on how to neaten the mane up whilst still trying to make it look natural. He still has a good 1.5' or so of mane left so plenty to play with... It's not looking great at the moment and looks far too "cut" for my liking. I'm not adverse to taking more off the length to try tidy it up, it grows back really quickly so that's not the issue!

Boiled eggs and soldiers to anyone who got this far, and thanks in advance for your help! :o
 
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Please tell me you mean feet not inches of mane left, I'm imagining a Friesian with a bogbrush!:D
 
With horses I've had with long manes, I've always pulled them reasonably short at the start of winter, to let them neaten and thicken up. By the summer show time they were always back at the bottom of the neck.

I think you will have to get someone to pull the mane, but only tidy the ends rather than taking the length off.
 
My Shires have massive manes and I try not to use anything but my fingers to gently pull out any long straggly hairs. In my breed, and I think in Friesians, you don't want a short, even, pulled mane typical of other breeds of horses in other disciplines.
 
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This is him about a month ago, it was a bit longer than this before I cut it. Looking at this picture you can see the section about 1/3 of the way up his neck where the mane is shorter. I think he was wearing a high neck rug before I bought him (which was exactly a year ago) and it was only about 2" long (yes, I do mean inches this time) this time last year.

Part of me is keen to take it up to the length of the old rubbed section now it has grown out more, just to make it more natural, as it is still longer than this part since I cut it. I'm such a numpty, should have just left it but it was so scruffy where it had rubbed!

For those of you suggesting I pull it, I'm reluctant to do this as haven't pulled a mane in years, and last time I did it was on a tb and relatively easy as I was thinning at the same time :/
 
Oh, what a lovely boy! I know women who would kill for hair like his mane!!

I keep staring at the photo trying to come up with a solution for him. Do you show him?
If not, could you not cut the man (but not with a straight edge!) on an angle using the shorter section as a guide? The angle would go from the left of the cut section and be slightly longer and then a very gentle slant going to the right of the cut section. That way, he'd still have an appreciably thick mane of a decent length.
 
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I would trim it - very carefully and very slwoly, standing well back every chop to see how you're doing! Dont pull, painful for the horse (dont care how good you think you are at it) and thins it which is wrong for a friesian.

Id just leave it alone too, leave it loose like its supposed to be, maybe some leave in conditioner once a week but dont leave bands in unless theyre really good quality human elastics not plaiting bands.
 
RutlandH2O said:
Oh, what a lovely boy! I know women who would kill for hair like his mane!!

I keep staring at the photo trying to come up with a solution for him. Do you show him?
If not, could you not cut the man (but not with a straight edge!) on an angle using the shorter section as a guide? The angle would go from the left of the cut section and be slightly longer and then a very gentle slant going to the right of the cut section. That way, he'd still have an appreciably thick mane of a decent length.
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He's the love of my life, but I have a definite love-hate relationship with his mane! I don't show him, and actually clipped off his feathers recently as they were rubbed badly by the mud in his field and looked really scruffy, not to mention they were permanently soggy and making his heels a bit mushy too. I'm letting his feathers come back in now though, it was just to tidy them up so his feet would be a blank canvas instead of having tufts of feather everywhere :o

One day I'd like to show him, but it won't be this year as I have no transport. At the moment we just piddle about doing the odd bit of dressage, sj (for fun) and have just started dabbling in xc too.

I like your suggestion, although what do you mean by "not with a straight edge?" I really need to wash it again actually, to get all the kinks out... It's a nightmare trying to cut it on a line when it just curls up from all the plaiting :/
 
TigerTail said:
I would trim it - very carefully and very slwoly, standing well back every chop to see how you're doing! Dont pull, painful for the horse (dont care how good you think you are at it) and thins it which is wrong for a friesian.

Id just leave it alone too, leave it loose like its supposed to be, maybe some leave in conditioner once a week but dont leave bands in unless theyre really good quality human elastics not plaiting bands.
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Ta for the suggestion... I would love to leave it loose but it tangles incredibly easily. If I cut it shorter I would be happier leaving it down in the field, however I couldn't ride with it loose as it gets tangled in my reins and bothers both of us. So in order to ride I'd then have to detangle it each time, to plait it, to ride, to then take it out straight afterwards. Wouldn't really mind doing this tbh, but would it not make mane really thin doing this every day?
 
why does it matter if it tangles in the field? Id put it in a few bunches so to speak to ride in and take them out after.
 
I would be combing downwards underneath with one of those combs (or just a blade if you are clever enough) - hold the comb with the teeth facing downwards and the blade against the mane. You can change them from left handed to right handed, and you can just thin it through a little so it still lays but you have lost some of the thickness. You can neaten the ends with it as well - I do my horse's (WB X TB) and it looks just as though it has been pulled.
 
I use a razor comb to thin, blend and style my horse's mane. It it long and for a few inches at the ends it gets too thin and looks like cheap hair extensions ;-)
 
mandwhy said:
I use a razor comb to thin, blend and style my horse's mane. It it long and for a few inches at the ends it gets too thin and looks like cheap hair extensions ;-)
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This was exactly how he was! And then I was recommended to try a different way of keeping it, which resulted in it being half fine, and then the rest all thin and cheap-hair-extensions-y :( I'll look into getting a razor comb, maybe to blend it all in a bit.

TigerTail said:
why does it matter if it tangles in the field? Id put it in a few bunches so to speak to ride in and take them out after.
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I guess it doesn't, but when i bought him he'd been out with his mane loose and he had huge wind knots which were a nightmare to detangle. Using a running plait has worked so far, it's just since I changed the type of plait (which I won't be doing again). Once I tidy it up I'll have a bash at leaving it loose in the field, he gets his forelock loose in Summer to keep flies away but ends up chewing it :/
 
lol well id allow trimming his forelock so its not edible but still good fly protection!

Leave in conditioner will help against the tangles - but over brushing/plaiting causes weakness, same as girls who pull their hair back tight all the time
 
When I say not with a straight edge, I mean don't just cut across with a scissors. I was taught, by old Shire men, not to just cut. They take a pair of scissors and open it and use one blade, (or a sharp 3 or 4 inch bladed pen knife), then they take a very small amount of hair with their other hand, and with the blade run it up and down on the small bit of hair. By doing it that way you don't get a line of cut hair. You carry on doing it until the mane (or tail, in the case of the Shires) is completed. It gives a very natural appearance. When my Shires get straggly at the ends of the hair on their manes and tails, I take only one or two strands of hair and pull it out. The horses don't flinch. It is VERY time consuming, though.

Also, can't you apply Show Sheen to the mane every few days? My Baudet du Poitou filly has an enormous coat. If she were in France, the coat would be left to mat and knot, which it does with no encouragement, and which is highly prized by the French. The longer the dread-locks the more desirable it is in France. However, I won't be allowing her coat to get in that state here in England. Rolling in mud and muck come to mind in our climate, with no way to groom it out if the coat is in the corded (dreadlocked) state. So, I spray her coat with Show Sheen about twice a week and it works a treat. I give her whole body a quick once over everyday, and it keeps bedding, hay, and mud from making a comfortable home in her coat, and it helps to prevent mats and knots.
 
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TigerTail said:
lol well id allow trimming his forelock so its not edible but still good fly protection!

Leave in conditioner will help against the tangles - but over brushing/plaiting causes weakness, same as girls who pull their hair back tight all the time
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What type of leave-in conditioner would you recommend? I've got Show Sheen (think it's by Absorbine), however was told to avoid silicone-based detanglers as they can make hair brittle. Haha, ironically I just cut off all my hair as was getting fed up of not being able to get a brush through it... maybe this is me trying to do the same to my poor horse!

RutlandH2O said:
When I say not with a straight edge, I mean don't just cut across with a scissors. I was taught, by old Shire men, not to just cut. They take a pair of scissors and open it and use one blade, (or a sharp 3 or 4 inch bladed pen knife), then they take a very small amount of hair with their other hand, and with the blade run it up and down on the small bit of hair. By doing it that way you don't get a line of cut hair. You carry on doing it until the mane (or tail, in the case of the Shires) is completed. It gives a very natural appearance. When my Shires get straggly at the ends of the hair on their manes and tails, I take only one or two strands of hair and pull it out. The horses don't flinch. It is VERY time consuming, though.

Also, can't you apply Show Sheen to the mane every few days? My Baudet du Poitou filly has an enormous coat. If she were in France, the coat would be left to mat and knot, which it does with no encouragement, and which is highly prized by the French. The longer the dread-locks the more desirable it is in France. However, I won't be allowing her coat to get in that state here in England. Rolling in mud and muck come to mind in our climate, with no way to groom it out if the coat is in the corded (dreadlocked) state. So, I spray her coat with Show Sheen about twice a week and it works a treat. I give her whole body a quick once over everyday, and it keeps bedding, hay, and mud from making a comfortable home in her coat, and it helps to prevent mats and knots.
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Ah that's a great tip, thank you! Just need to wait for a good sunny day so I can wash all the kinks out of his mane before having a bash at it again :) Big sigh of relief! I can't bring myself to pluck him though, when I got him my gran would stand with him and pluck out his long straggly beard hairs... I'm surprised he let her do it!

Had to google that breed, love donkeys! Don't blame you for wanting to keep her brushed out though, those mats don't look very comfortable :/

Thanks again for the help! x
 
Daft question alert - I am genuinely not clued up on long long mane maintenance and just pondering - do you groom him and brush out mane and tail daily? Or would that weaken the hairs?
 
I use argan oil on my girl's mane and just leave it loose, its super good! I am currently using 'miracle oil' from Aldi at 3.99, highly recommended for keeping it soft and tangle free! Avon do it as well for cheapish. I used baby oil over winter which worked well and kept it mud free but this is better for the hair.
 
tankgirl1 said:
Daft question alert - I am genuinely not clued up on long long mane maintenance and just pondering - do you groom him and brush out mane and tail daily? Or would that weaken the hairs?
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It's not daft! I generally speaking only brush out his mane once every few weeks, the rest of the time it is kept in a looseish running plait... The tail gets done every few days up until the point where it gets so boggy that I leave it for weeks on end before washing it out :o It's quite thick...

Love said:
HOG HIM!!!
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Believe me, I have actually considered it! However a friend the other day said he looked like a cob and it put me in a bit of a grump (even though i actually like cobs)... So hogging him is out of the question for this reason alone!

mandwhy said:
I use argan oil on my girl's mane and just leave it loose, its super good! I am currently using 'miracle oil' from Aldi at 3.99, highly recommended for keeping it soft and tangle free! Avon do it as well for cheapish. I used baby oil over winter which worked well and kept it mud free but this is better for the hair.
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I've been using baby oil all winter, use argan oil on my own hair and love it... However the horse has a lot more hair than me and I worry I would end up rendering myself bankrupt if I tried to use it on him! Might nip into Aldi next time I'm passing and give the "miracle oil" a try... Don't mind using oils in Winter, however doesn't the dust stick to it if you use it in the Summer?

Put on my brave pants this morning and put the boy out with his hair down after I rode. We shall see what horrors await when I get him in tomorrow... I figured leaving it loose would get the kinks out without needing a wash. He looked so confused when I took his headcollar off though, normally having his hair down means he's going somewhere exciting or getting it plaited up again. Don't think he's been turned out with it loose in nearly a year!
 
Use plenty of Main and Tail detangler and use an Avon paddle brush to brush daily or every other day - should be enough.
 
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