Help Needed - Hacked Hair :(

I meant to add this to my earlier post....... but thought better of it: but this is merely a suggestion as to a possible course of action and is further to my post where I suggested OP get a professional groom to take a look to see what can be done.

Depending on the damage involved, and the extent of it - it may, just may (and I throw this in the pot for what its worth but PLEASE don't take me out and crucify me :) ) be a case of woman-ing up, taking a huge intake of breath........... and hogging, yes hogging, the whole lot!

Radical? Yes, undoubtedly. OP please feel free to go lie down in a darkened room and recover from the mega-shock of what I've just said.

But at least it would mean that the mane and forelock would all grow out the same length again; you'd get lovely new growth coming through and come next Spring you'd hardly know it had happened.

But sorry if I offend with this suggestion..................... I am not trying to be insensitive, just trotting out one possible (albeit radical) solution into the arena......
 
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I think he would look gorgeous hogged too. How about the Norwegian Fjord style with the spiky crest and the long forelock? It would really emphasise his neck :)

Good luck with his diet, OP, and the exams too!
 
I think the OP would have a fit at the thought of hogging if she likes all that flowing hair, to suggest taking it all off seems rather drastic it is only a bit of length off his forelock that will grow back, yes its a bit messy but hardly a crisis, easily tidied up so it looks less cut, the horse is likely to be very grateful for the tail being short once the weather turns having a wet muddy tail dragging around would have been uncomfortable for him.
 
As the owner of a cob who's tail, mane and feathers are his hallmark and are a significant wow-factor, I completely understand your reaction. Twice he's had chunks of hair cut off by 'helpers' who simply did it because they could, despite knowing what my feelings would be.
I was absolutely livid too.

My mum used to visit my horses with a carrier bag stuffed full of chocolate biscuits and apples, despite numerous explanations of why it was harmful. She did it because she knew there was nothing I could do to stop her.
 
khadijah said:
Looks like a cob to me ester !

And hes
Not really overweight so i dont know what the cheeky comment earlier from someone was all about ... Unless i missed something i thought the op
Was asking about advice re the tail and forelock
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He really is very overweight. It's not a bitchy comment - it's true. OP agrees in her responses, so not sure why you are getting your knickers in a twist.
 
My sharer also thought my horse couldn't see from behind his forelock... I arrived for a lesson to this:

Pinto12Mar2009003.jpg


Pinto12Mar2009008.jpg


:(

I was so shocked I couldn't be angry for ages :mad:
 
Oh dear Casey76, that's pretty awful ! He was still handsome though.

The hacking of mane's reminds me of an incident years ago.

Just before a friends marriage ended, his wife decided to get her own back on his horse by cutting off its long mane. The normally placid horse pinned her against the stable wall and she had to be rescued by her not-so-happy-soon-to-be-ex-husband who heard her calls for help.
 
DragonSlayer said:
Someone comes on to talk about mane and tail abuse and weight is mentioned?

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but that isn't what the OP wanted advice for, right?
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If someone posted a pic of an emaciated horse, asking for advice on a chopped mane, would you comment, or just ignore the horse's condition? Genuine question.

OP, no point crying over spilt milk now. Either hog it, pull the rest of the mane and forelock to one length, or make do.
 
Emaciated compared to slightly tubby is a little different. But you do raise a valid point, actually..not sure what I would do, perhaps PM them rather than call them out in public.

I'm of the mind to mind my own biz as much as I can!
 
DragonSlayer said:
Emaciated compared to slightly tubby is a little different. But you do raise a valid point, actually..not sure what I would do, perhaps PM them rather than call them out in public.

I'm of the mind to mind my own biz as much as I can!
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Ok, emaciated may be slightly different, but very underweight then. OP's horse looks very overweight to me, not just slightly tubby. In any case, as you say....I'm off to mind my own now too... ;-)
 
khadijah said:
Looks like a cob to me ester !

And hes
Not really overweight so i dont know what the cheeky comment earlier from someone was all about ... Unless i missed something i thought the op
Was asking about advice re the tail and forelock
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It would be interesting to know how much bone he has as it doesn't really look to be true cob proportions to me- but his body make him look more cob type than he actually is.

If he were a cob with clipped feathers he would be hogged/tail banged for showing anyway as OP seems to be clipping legs.

At the end of the day it isn't the OP's preference but entirely resolvable. F's tail would be back to the floor in a month or two!
 
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Aah what a shame! I'd follow all the suggestions on here re: trimming or getting a professional to help, otherwise get busy with some fancy plaiting to distract from the difference in mane / forelock? It will grow back, and the tail really doesn't look too bad. It's done now so embrace it and make the most of it!
 
Casey76 said:
My sharer also thought my horse couldn't see from behind his forelock... I arrived for a lesson to this:

Pinto12Mar2009003.jpg


Pinto12Mar2009008.jpg


:(

I was so shocked I couldn't be angry for ages :mad:
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That made me spit my coffee out laughing lol. Sorry. I once had too many Pimm's and hogged my little horse on a whim. Next day I went down and had sort of forgotten I'd done it. Got a right shock when he turned round in the field. But it's grown on me and him cos he has a mane like a zebra now!
 
I'm not that much older than you in the greater scheme of things and if I "told" my mother to do something or in fact if she heard me "telling" anyone other than my little nieces to do something I'd get a kick up the backside (metaphorically of course). Families are infuriating at times, but they're far more important than a piece of forelock. If your relationship with your mum really is that bad that you do things specifically to annoy each other, laughing it off or tellnig her she's done you a favour as seeing it shorter has made you realise you prefer it like that will mean she doesn't score a cheap win over you and is unlikely to try it again.

I wouldn't want his tail any longer than that anyway and I don't think the shorter forelock is too bad at all. I would tidy it up a bit and make his mane the same length with a solo comb if pulling's an issue.


I accidentally took a huge chunk out of my boy's forelock the other day. He's very fluffy around his forelock so I was clipping away some of the fluff, when my friend touched my back to get my attention (I hadn't heard her approaching due to clippers). I leapt about a foot into the air, fell off the step I was using and cut off half his already puny forelock. A month later it's a bit shorter than I'd like but growing back well and is probably even tider than it was before, and we have a good laugh about it.
 
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Oh Lordy! Well I'm sure Mum thought she was helping. As a Mum myself, our teenage daughters can be very hard on us sometimes! :)

To be honest, annoying as it is, it really isn't worth falling out with Mum over. Sometimes in life you just need to shrug your shoulders and think 'It is what it is' and let it go.

I'm sure it'll be fine with a bit of tidying up...I can imagine what a shock it was for you though! :)
 
ester said:
It would be interesting to know how much bone he has as it doesn't really look to be true cob proportions to me- but his body make him look more cob type than he actually is.

If he were a cob with clipped feathers he would be hogged/tail banged for showing anyway as OP seems to be clipping legs.

At the end of the day it isn't the OP's preference but entirely resolvable. F's tail would be back to the floor in a month or two!
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His passport has him down as a cob, but he has no recorded breeding so he could really be anything.
His feather are currently off as he went out one night and came in and they were so caked in mud they just had to go. He doesn't grow as much feather as a trad. or typical Irish cob, but he grows a lot from the back of his knee.
I'm often asked if he's a full bred Welsh D, but honestly who knows what he is or isn't.

I found a photo of him in the outdoor turnout last week, gives a better idea of him build wise as his stable isn't great for getting photos!
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regarding all the comments about weight, yes I didn't ask for it and yes I am well aware he is a bit chubby.
I wouldn't say he was very overweight, but yes he does have weight to be lost and I do need to work on his fitness.

As for those who seem to think it's not okay to tell mum not to do something to my horse - if she wasn't my mother and instead was another livery, a sharer, YO, YM etc. would you still say the same thing?

She hasn't done it out of spite, but done it because 'he can't see when it's long' - which is total BS as when the forelock was long it ended up in curtains down the sides of his face and nowhere near his eyes. She didn't even do it to 'help' as she knew well and truly that I was going to neaten him up when he was clipped as he has to be sedated to be clipped and it's easier to get his mane and forelock done then as he is so fidgety around his ears, she did it purely because she had the opportunity.

It also means I don't know what else she is doing with him, what she is feeding him etc.
She doesn't share him, and basically has nothing to do with him unless she volunteers herself.
At the old yard, we both got weekly lessons but now he's moved she doesn't ride unless she asks me if she can, or does it without me knowing.

His tail wasn't ridiculously long before, not long enough for trailing and I trim it quite regularly and take about an inch off the ends every 4 - 6 weeks. Just very angry and sad, he was known around the yard for his long mane and forelock and it really was something I was quite proud of because for the most part, I kept it very clean and healthy looking.

Very tempted just to hog it all off now, and give up completely. He was hogged when I bought him and it really looked horrible on him but I just feel ready to give up. His forelock has just been done so badly that I really can't see much of an alternative because even plaiting him will be hard as it's so unevenly done.

Fair to say, mum is hard work and finds it very hard to understand I can think for myself and don't need her there to make decisions for me. She has the outlook of 'mother knows best' even when she doesn't, and bring this up with her and all you get is a huff or another rant.
When it comes to horses, there are a lot of things she has no idea about. She is one of the types who likes to use fancy exercises without understanding what they do and why you use them which really benefits no one :(
 
sasquatch said:
His passport has him down as a cob, but he has no recorded breeding so he could really be anything.
His feather are currently off as he went out one night and came in and they were so caked in mud they just had to go. He doesn't grow as much feather as a trad. or typical Irish cob, but he grows a lot from the back of his knee.
I'm often asked if he's a full bred Welsh D, but honestly who knows what he is or isn't.

I found a photo of him in the outdoor turnout last week, gives a better idea of him build wise as his stable isn't great for getting photos!
0cca7046-8da8-4641-a3c8-3995f54e9e08.jpg


regarding all the comments about weight, yes I didn't ask for it and yes I am well aware he is a bit chubby.
I wouldn't say he was very overweight, but yes he does have weight to be lost and I do need to work on his fitness.

As for those who seem to think it's not okay to tell mum not to do something to my horse - if she wasn't my mother and instead was another livery, a sharer, YO, YM etc. would you still say the same thing?

She hasn't done it out of spite, but done it because 'he can't see when it's long' - which is total BS as when the forelock was long it ended up in curtains down the sides of his face and nowhere near his eyes. She didn't even do it to 'help' as she knew well and truly that I was going to neaten him up when he was clipped as he has to be sedated to be clipped and it's easier to get his mane and forelock done then as he is so fidgety around his ears, she did it purely because she had the opportunity.

It also means I don't know what else she is doing with him, what she is feeding him etc.
She doesn't share him, and basically has nothing to do with him unless she volunteers herself.
At the old yard, we both got weekly lessons but now he's moved she doesn't ride unless she asks me if she can, or does it without me knowing.

His tail wasn't ridiculously long before, not long enough for trailing and I trim it quite regularly and take about an inch off the ends every 4 - 6 weeks. Just very angry and sad, he was known around the yard for his long mane and forelock and it really was something I was quite proud of because for the most part, I kept it very clean and healthy looking.

Very tempted just to hog it all off now, and give up completely. He was hogged when I bought him and it really looked horrible on him but I just feel ready to give up. His forelock has just been done so badly that I really can't see much of an alternative because even plaiting him will be hard as it's so unevenly done.

Fair to say, mum is hard work and finds it very hard to understand I can think for myself and don't need her there to make decisions for me. She has the outlook of 'mother knows best' even when she doesn't, and bring this up with her and all you get is a huff or another rant.
When it comes to horses, there are a lot of things she has no idea about. She is one of the types who likes to use fancy exercises without understanding what they do and why you use them which really benefits no one :(
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In that case, it begs the question as to why you entrusted your horse to her in the first place.
 
Casey76 said:
My sharer also thought my horse couldn't see from behind his forelock... I arrived for a lesson to this:

Pinto12Mar2009003.jpg


Pinto12Mar2009008.jpg


:(

I was so shocked I couldn't be angry for ages :mad:
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That is so hilarious, just as well he was not going to HOYS, lol
Its just his expression!. sort of "it wasn't me Mum"
 
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As an older teen I had an Arab mare who I kept with some friends whose daughter was head girl at a prestigous riding school. Sadly she decided she was jealous of my girl and I arrived one weekend to find her gorgeous long flowing Arab mane on the floor and about three inches left. She looked dreadful and since the bi... sorry, girl, had pulled it all in one go on a chilly day she was never easy to be groomed on her neck again.
 
I'm with op. Mother has been told.Mother has been sneaky. She's cut it badly despite knowing how to do it properly. But op lives at home so a bit up u know what creek with no means of propulsion.
 
Bonkers2 said:
That is so hilarious, just as well he was not going to HOYS, lol
Its just his expression!. sort of "it wasn't me Mum"
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It's the look on his face that just made me laugh out loud!

I don't think the op is out of order for having a moan about her mum, if she already knows she upset her the last time she did it, why would she do it again, I would be livid as well. If she likes his mane long and flowing then so be it no matter anyone else's opinion. As for the weight comment yes op has admitted to him being overweight, but I think it's a little hard to tell from one quite dark pic of him to really comment when it's his mane and tail that's the issue :)
 
OK I'm going to be brave and admit to being a mum of a daughter a couple of years older than the OP who sometimes gets accused of 'interfering'. There is no way that I would ever go and scissor cut her horse's mane, tail or forelock unless she specifically asked me to, and then only with precise written instructions. Actually I usually prefer the longer look :)

My daughter has recently finished her exams at university, and I have been mucking out etc to help. I always get her to 'tell' me what she wants me to do, usually by text, so that there is never a 'I didn't tell you to' as I have the evidence she did. Drastic I know but it works :)

We do have 'moments' when she thinks I don't know what I'm talking about, but eventually it turns out that I do - not that she would ever admit to it though. Mind you I do have the upper hand as I pay for everything to do with the horse (my choice so she can concentrate on her studies)

BTW I think your horse is only slightly 'chubby' and that the hair will grow back quicker than you think.
 
Moomin1 said:
In that case, it begs the question as to why you entrusted your horse to her in the first place.
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Because I know she knows how to safely muck out and turn out a horse, she did pass her Stage 1.

I am sure there are many out there who when bogged down with work had someone say they would go and muck out and turn their horse out for them they would jump at the chance, especially when person offering knows how to turn out and muck out!

I was planning to go up around 12 once I'd got one of my essays finished, to get him mucked out, turned out and ridden. At 10am mum said she was willing to go and muck out and turn out for me so I could spend longer working. I said okay, told her I would be up to ride anyway and not to bother grooming him or riding and I would be up later to groom, ride and get his feeds and nets done.

Whilst she has Stage 1, it is is a very basic qualification that shows you can groom, muck out and ride a horse through w/t/c and have very basic horse knowledge, however that's the extent of her knowledge - basic.
 
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