Hogged & Trimmed?? Should I? Show me yours??

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My pony is hogged as he has sweet itch and rubs all his mane off if I try and leave it - I think it suits him, and we look the part in WHP classes too!

I attempted to try and grow it back in the winter / spring (before he itched it all off again!!) and it came back MUCH thicker than before. This is after about 3 months growth - showed no signs of flopping over and he looked like a walking toilet brush in the early spring shows!

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I think your girl is very pretty and not sure she would suit being hogged. She might look a bit 'dumpy' as someone said (no offence meant). I reckon you should go for a running plait for dressage to solve the problem of her mane getting tangled.
 
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charm said:
well she is a stunner that is for sure,
it will take a year before she has her mane back, by xmas it will be like a mohawk sticking up. she would suit a hog, as for feet is she used to clippers cause once you start and she doesnt like them, there is alot to finish if she is nervous ofr them. she would be stunning hogged but to maintain you would have to keep it up, or let it grow out.
she is that cute she would suit anything, it will always grow back in find the mane grows back thicker, but once it gets to her lenght again it should be slickly. i love the look of hog, but i love traditional too. tough call, but for looks wise dont worry she would suit it, leaves them very smart looking.
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Thank you Charm (and SirenaXVI) for the DO IT vote and nice comments!

Maxapple, your cob is looovely! And (no offence meant) he hasn't the most butch of necks but still carries it off. Oh and no offence taken to the "dumpy" comment. She might look a bit dumpy as she has such chunky legs, although I'm sure her 'flares' make her legs appear shorter anyway!:D
 
chickeninabun said:
Ok, so anyone for whip the legs off and pull the mane????:confused:
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I wouldn't pull the mane, its fabulous! :p Wouldn't you consider sticking a plaiting band (even hair bobble) in to keep it out of the way for riding, and a running plait for dressage?

Whip off the legs if you really have to, in order to deal with winter mud fever and mites. Although that is still a highly debabted subject, and on the mud fever front I still think leaving them on is best: you can find the skin through any feathers, it just takes perseverance! ;)

Mites though, I must admit, could be the swinger for me. It IS far easier to put topical treatments on if they are trimmed.

There is an injection, have you discussed that with the vet? Its licenced for cattle, but worked a treat when topical stuff didn't work for us.
 
Naturally said:
I wouldn't pull the mane, its fabulous! :p Wouldn't you consider sticking a plaiting band (even hair bobble) in to keep it out of the way for riding, and a running plait for dressage?

Whip off the legs if you really have to, in order to deal with winter mud fever and mites. Although that is still a highly debabted subject, and on the mud fever front I still think leaving them on is best: you can find the skin through any feathers, it just takes perseverance! ;)

Mites though, I must admit, could be the swinger for me. It IS far easier to put topical treatments on if they are trimmed.

There is an injection, have you discussed that with the vet? Its licenced for cattle, but worked a treat when topical stuff didn't work for us.
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I agree that mud fever is best prevented by hair, but still worry it might be there and I don't see it. Yes much easier to apply pig oil/sulphur etc with not as much hair. She had the injection and it didn't do anything:(. She does stamp her legs anymore but she is scabby behind the knees.
 
This is my little cob as a 6 year old at his first show... plaited (rather badly i might add because of his unruly thick mane) with my younger sister on board him. He was very immature looking at the time and had an upside down neck:

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... and this is him 4 years later with a hog and trimmed up and ridden by me...

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He's nicely put together but at only 14.3hh on his tippy toes is never going to be a proper show cob but we have loads of fun together doing local showing classes, dressage, xc, Sj etc... Im so glad i decided to hog him as his mane was a bit of a nightmare and once you start hogging you'll wonder why you didn't do it earlier...If you're not planning on showing yours as a traditional anytime in the near future i'd say go for it!! Its so quick and easy to maintain and they always look smart!! Keep threatening to hog my mothers Highland pony as her mane just gets in the way but i think my life wouldn't be worth living if that was the case!!
 
* What if I hate it! Although it should only take 6 months to grow back, which is only just the far side of Xmas.

- It will take a bit longer for it to lay correctly again, as it will just grow up until there is enought weight and length for it to flop again, but with the help of a full neck rug or a stretchy hood it will lay sooner, it won't grown back any thicker, it will grow back the same thickness.

* Will the flies annoy her with no forelock? Although flies seem to be to a minimum at the moment.

- could do but but with the amount of fly veils and face masks and sprays I'm sure you'll keep the flys as bay.

* Will it grow back as silky as before?

- Yes it will.

* Feathers keep any mud fever out, but they will be growing back by the time the mud comes, although feathers make it very hard to see any mud fever problems that are there.

- if she suffers from mud fever, she'd be better off with out the feathers anyway, mud as well as sweat and too much hair can contribute to mud fever, so no doubt you will be able to manage her legs much better without all that hair.

My reasons to hog/clip:

* Keep getting mane tangled up in my hands whilst trying to do stressage.

- lol, ok perhaps a long plait next time. :D

* She is prone to feather mites, and clipped would be easier to see what I am dealing with.

- yep

* Wouldn't have to bandage her feathers out of the way everytime the farrier comes

- bet your farrier loves you :D

* I'm sure she'd jump better without all that wind resistance!

- lol :D

* I'd just love to see what she looked like clipped out, although I'd love to stick it all back on if I didn't like it.

- one thing about hair is....it always grows back.

To be fair, I've never seen a cob that doesn't look good with a short back and sides...aka hogged, pulled tail, ears trimmed, face hair removed and feathers off and a short banged tail but you need to keep up to it...otherwise it can look tatty once it starts growing back, always hog and clip feathers a good few weeks before an show/event to avoid clipper marks.

Teamed up with a good wide flat hunter noseband and a heavy weight bridle, she'll pull the look off a treat.

Also with all this flat work and jumping your going to be doing over winter (yes you are :D) she'll tone up and develop mor muscle is all the right places and she'll look different again by next year.

I say go for it hun but don't come over and punch me if you don't like it next I see you at SA lol :D otherwise I'll stick Mackenzie in your trailer when your not looking and abandon him on you. :D
 
Don't you go dumping Mr M on me:eek:! I heard what your friend said about taking their lives in their own hands just going in the field with him!!:D

Like you said, it'll always grow back.
I think I'll just go for it!
I'm going to need to rope someone in to help me though, as although she's ok with clippers in general, I don't think I'll be able to do her face/chin/ears etc on my own and hubby is as much as as a chocolate fire guard when it comes to holding horses :rolleyes:

Am still debating whether to do any stressage next month, as I have to pay for Horsecamp in 5 weeks, and jabs are due before then, plus they'll be farrier inbetween too. Gah! There's a Barraclough show (East Cottingwith) near me which I might go to instead, as it's much closer (took me about 50mins to get to Sykehouse:eek:) and it's cheaper to enter too. Although would love to meet Mr M:(. Might just have to pop down anyway!
 
chickeninabun said:
Don't you go dumping Mr M on me:eek:! I heard what your friend said about taking their lives in their own hands just going in the field with him!!:D
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and that he's got ''lead deficiency''....cheeky mare!

I'll shoot it first, you'll won't hear a peep out of him on the way home I promise :D
 
But but but! It's different clipping off 'back fluff' as to full feather though :(

Criminal :'(

LOL.

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I am not Binky. Honest. There-fore,another DON'T vote!

:p :p :p :D
 
Binky01 said:
But but but! It's different clipping off 'back fluff' as to full feather though :(

Criminal :'(

LOL.

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I am not Binky. Honest. There-fore,another DON'T vote!

:p :p :p :D
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PMSL!!:D You're crazy!!:D

Katd66 - Your cob looks fab clipped out! I like the idea of leaving her forelock too.
I still haven't decided what to do, but if I do decide to DO IT, then I'll post an staggering amount of pictures!:)
I've got a bit of a problem with her ergots. They are massive. like a good 4 inches long) and if I clipped her they would stick out a mile. So do I have to wait for the farrier to come and chop them off or could I find something in my garage are very careful do it myself?!?!:confused:
 
heres mine -
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i would always take forelock off if hogging - i wasnt sure when i first hogged mine but i did it and she looked lovely.

this was before.
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She looks lovely Kezimac! How do you get her legs so nice looking? I'm worried mine would come out looking like they've been hacked at!:o Just with clippers or with some sort of thinning blade?
 
i used trimmers (liveryman battery ones) and i go DOWN the legs at the back then I used them with either no grade or i used a grade 1 and blended it in really. If showing i did at least one week before to make sure it grew back enough to blend in.
 
also when doing mane hog - i used clippers first time to take off - then i used trimmers after every few weeks and if you notice i used it with a grade 4/5 on so it was slightly longer - I prefer the look of a week/two hogged mane so its just got a little bit of height.
 
no dont!!! she's georgeous!!
and when i brought my pony he had been hogged.. and that was over a year ago , his mane still doesnt stay down!!! i have to plait it every week, its a handful!! manes look so much nicer!! please dont hog her !! :( xx
 
To the OP: I am not a fan of cobs by any stretch of the imagination but he/she is stunning. What a beautiful example of a traditional cob :). I say leave him/her. I couldn't imagine him/her without that lovely mane and if he/she is a mare, I'd say it may look a little bit manlike not to have those gorgeous flowing locks!

My boy is hogged and trimmed all over due to suffering from sweet itch and having a soap and detergent allergy (I have no pictures as I'm on holiday and not on my computer. I think all you can see is his forelock in my dp lol). We tried to grow his mane for a little bit Spring but it looked horrific. Once horses are hogged, regardless of how long their mane gets, it NEVER looks as good or is as strong once you hog them so its a decision that needs careful consideration. I say no though :).
 
chickeninabun said:
Thank you Charm (and SirenaXVI) for the DO IT vote and nice comments!

Maxapple, your cob is looovely! And (no offence meant) he hasn't the most butch of necks but still carries it off. Oh and no offence taken to the "dumpy" comment. She might look a bit dumpy as she has such chunky legs, although I'm sure her 'flares' make her legs appear shorter anyway!:D
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Aw thank you - he is welsh x arab - which is where the funny little neck comes from. :)
 
I wouldn't hog her! She looks fantastic!! I certainly wouldn't do it because you fancy a change.

My cob came to me with mites just behind her knees and very occasionally she can be found stamping her back legs - I found that by clipping her feathers off I could see clearly what was going on and deal with it. Someone recommended that I try pig oil as it acts as a barrier - the mites can get in to the crevices (not only that it really does keep white legs clean - the mud kind of falls off!!!).

I am in the same quandry regarding hogging - my girl has sweet-itch (not as bad as some) and only has 1/4 of her mane left. So I am thinking that once the midges have all died off I will hog her so that her mane grows back at the same rate - but do I take her forelock off?

Katd66: I think your horse looks great and I think has helped me answer that question!! I have always been told that if you hog you should take the mane, forelock and also razor the tail so to see you have hogged your cob but left his forelock has just helped me to make my mind up - her mane is coming off and her forelock will be kept! Thank you :) (don't know how to do do all these little characters!!)
 
Please don't clip her. Clipped my horses legs and the hair certainly did no grow back the same!! He had lovely silky feathers before now they are all corse :(

I think she is beautiful as she is.
 
I personally think your horse looks utterly gorgeous in all her hairy glory :D

If her mane gets in the way when riding/ it is different lengths, you could pull it so it is all one length, then it will grow back the same [silky and not bushy like if you hog her] and it also its like you trimming your split ends off, keeps the hair nice and healthy :D My Connemara rubbed half his mane off last winter and it is only just growing back, so I imagine if you hog her mane it would take an age to grow back and grow into a mad bush :eek:

Also, if it gets in your way when riding, you could learn to do a quick arab plait? Once you get the hand of them they are really quick and easy to do, and they look really nice :) They also help keep the horse cooler if its a hot day. Its sort of like doing a 1sided french plait- if that makes sense :confused:

But at the end of the day its up to you, but personally I don't think you should shave all her hairy-ness off :p
 
We spent nearly a year trying to decide whether to hog or not, but then our girl didnt have the lovley flowing mane & feather thing going on, in fact her mane is a bit weedy and I think one of our ponies was eating it. Here is our before and after

Before - she was also very fat here

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After

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Its a toughie, I dont envy your decision. BTW we loooove our new skin head look
 
Ohhhh your horse is lovely, i think mudrash is easier to sort with no feathers, I think yours could pull off being hogged and trimmed but i personally wouldnt, butttt having said that you dont know how they will look until you do it :) some you would expect to have no neck and they have a good one and some you expect to have a very impressive one and they dont << but that can be sorted out by you anyway.

My horse before...(her feathers where longer naturally but they had been trimmed off a bit by old owner.

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My horse after....

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Hi there, I guess you have enough comments really now but having done all these options with my boy ..... I hogged Seb because a) his mane grew in all different directions and b) he did have (tho I say it myself!!!) a really good neck. I now do it once a month and it has definitely become coarser over time. The feathers are now back on after years of clipping them in the hope of avoiding mites/small irritated patches . I have had full feathers on him now for nearly three years after nearly ten years of clipping - I honestly think there is not a great deal of difference, Yes, without feathers you can see the sore bits to treat, but with feathers they are without doubt more protected (tho some think this can encourage heat and therefore infection). When my boy comes in from the field having rolled and been up to the hocks in mud, you can part the feathers and they are snow white beneath. You just have to make more effort examining the legs under all that hair! Yes, it is a pain having to bandage before the farrier, but lately I have been using those pull-on tubular stretch bandages you get at the chemist which work well once I have managed to get them over his feet!! Does anyone have any other good tips for effective feather bandaging for the farrier??
If I can work out how to, I'll put pics on!
 
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*grabs and runs away with every pair of scissors, clippers and cut-ty things!!!*

Nooooo
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But she's soooo preeeeettyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! lol!
 
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