help! Should I hog him?

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Mollyx

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My 14.1 irish cob jack has a very thick mane, and i have had to wash it nearly every other day to try and control it but the day after washing it is horribly greasy again!
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I have tried so many different shampoos, and make sure i wash it all out properly!

His mane is quite different lengths although it is growing more even now, but people at my yard have said how smart he would look hogged and how well he would do in cob classes, and then hopefully it would grow back the same length and less greasy?! But i love him having a nice thick mane even though it is such a nightmare.

I am going to have to cut his feathers off for winter
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as the fields get so muddy, but really don't know what to do about his mane?
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or is there any better shampoos i could try?
 
You may be washing it too often and creating the problem
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It should really only need doing very occasionally, horses are meant to have grease in their coats and manes and tails. Hog him if you wish but first and foremost I would stop washing it.... literally it will only need doing for special occasions...
 
If the field are very muddy it would be better to leave the feathers on as they will help protect against mud fever.
But if you do decide to take feathers off then I would pull his mane (or hog, would depend which would look better on him depending on what his neck is like), don't leave one traditional and one spruced up.
 
In terms of shampoo washing too often can actually stimulate oil production. So you could have got in a vicious circle. What types of shampoo have you tried?

I have a WB with a very abnormally thick mane (there are not enough hours in the day to pull it) - we cheat and clip the underside before pulling the rest this works great and you really would not know.
 
agree with ali_m you could be washing it to often.
cyberhorse i'd never thought of clipping a bit from the underside of the mane to thin it, good idea might try that with my pb thoroughbred who has excessive mane!
I do think that some cobs look really smart and lovely hogged and it is alot easier to keep tidy but in the summer they wont have their manes for helping to keep the flys @ bay, i just generally like big fluffy manes on cobs to
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x
 
I too was going to say that you may be over-washing and causing the problem, it's hard though to leave it alone to sort itself out, as you feel like you have a messy neglected horse.
Whether or not you hog will depend on his looks and manly his necck, is it thick enough to carry it off? If you do hog, I would keep his feathers on unless you do show him in cob classes.
 
Frank has a very thick mane (now pulled so shorter than the sig pics but v thick!) I wash it prob less than 6 times a year, it is much better looking after itself and it only gets washed if I am showing and only then if I think it needs it. Its coarse and the mud doesn't seem to stick to it so I just pull a brush through it occasionally.

Re legs, in the summer I think he might be better with clipped legs as they get sweaty then they get scabby. they are less of a problem in the winter and they are out every day.

He was hogged so I have experience of growing one out, it took a year to have a decent mane but with his I didn't need to train it over to one side etc it just did that itself.
 
Thankyou everyone! I think i will leave it for a bit to see if it sorts itself out, but yes he is a chunky monkey with the neck to carry it off! It just feels horrible and I don't want people to think i'm not looking after him! I also go threw it with a comb eveyday so maybe i should stop that to? Thankyou! x
 
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