Horses mane lying on wrong side

[cocomalonealex]

Hi I wants to know if anyone know the answer to my question I have asked around but keep getting different answers.
I know a horses mane is supposed to lie to ye right of the neck, but my mares mane the majority lies on the left an a little on the right, I hae tried everything from plaiting it to get it to lie correctly pulling ect
Anyone know why this is happening ?
Is it a problem?

 

[magichorse]

Sorry I don't know why, but my horse's mane lies perfectly to the left of his neck- not even a bit of it on the right. I have left it how it is as it lies so neatly on the left. I have asked judges oppinions ( he's a Welsh D so is shown unplaited)- only at local level- and they said it didn't matter. I'll be interested in other replies.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

It's only a problem if you want to show.

my geldings mane was on the wrong side, so I brushed it over to the correct side and plaited it. He had approx 12 long plaits and I made sure that they were nice and tight at the top. I left them in for about a week and his mane is now the correct side!

Photos.
Before.

After.

 

[putasocinit]

Amazing transformation, beautiful boy

 

[georgiegirl]

my mares mane is on the wrong side! I too have tried various things to get it over to the other side - plaiting, damping down everyday, snuggy hood to keep it over and ultimately none have worked.

It lies neatly to the right side so I have given in and would rather have a neat ane lying on one side than all over the place - at the end of the day it makes no difference whatsoever to your horses performance and if you lived on the continent you would find you were in the majority!

 

[kal40]

Interesting.

My cobs mane was on the "right" side until he was clipped a couple of years ago. They lady clipping him too the clippers a bit too close to his mane on one side and now it only ever goes over to the other side.

He is piebald with minimal markings. His colour is better displayed when his mane is on the wrong side so I'm not even gong to bother trying to change it.

 

[Tr0uble]

My boy is a lefty! It lies so perfectly amd neatly on the left, I don't see the point of trying to retrain it.

For dressage I plait to the left, and of I ever show I'll just plait to the right.

 

[EAST KENT]

The mane lying to the nearside(left) is correct in army horses,so it can be used as an aid in mounting. Off side is correct in civilian horses

 

[Auslander]

I actively like manes that want to be on the left, because the act of bringing them over to the right to plait helps you get some height to the plaits.

 

[monkeybum13]

My mare's mane lies the wrong side but I've never thought of it as a 'problem'.

I always plait on the right side though.

 

[SuperCoblet]

Coblet's a righty, he has no markings under his right side, and if his mane was on the left it would cover his markings, and have a completely white mane as only the top part of the top part (!!) is black So if his mane is on the right side, he has markings both sides!

anything to show him off

 

[Cortez]

I'd say let sleeping manes lie......................it doesn't matter at all.

 

[expat]

Google comes up with the following "Horses, like people, are slightly shorter on one side than the other. In horses, you can tell which is the shorter side, by the direction the mane naturally falls. The mane will always fall on the shorter side."

Don’t think the way the mane falls is a sign of a problem, at best it’s unusual as most manes will naturally fall to the right. Mine is a lefty (unconfirmed which leg is shorter if at all ) and perfectly happy.

 

[pickle85]

I would be quite happy with it on the "wrong" side, my gelding has a mohican

 

[Trix98]

My cobs doesnt go to any side... just straight forwards
(It's only short though so I'm hoping that as it lengthens it will 'choose' a side!)

 

[tinap]

^^ so does our cobs Trix!

It used to lay on the right but then in our haste to get him clipped before the sedation wore off, I accidentally clipped half of it off!! So now it just grows forward & looks like a massive mohawk! It's horribly thick & course too

 

[cptrayes]

I don't believe there is a "wrong" side, just a left side and a right ride.

In my experience at least one horse in three is a leftie. I have had three this year and they all were. I can't believe it has anything to do with a horse having one leg shorter than the other.

 

[I.M.N.]

I've never owned or looked after a 'leftie' then recently I owned 2 at once. I've never thought of it as a problem just something a bit different.

 

[Dry Rot]

The mane lying to the nearside(left) is correct in army horses,so it can be used as an aid in mounting. Off side is correct in civilian horses

I thought it was something to do with drawing your sword! If the mane is lying over the hilt, it could be diffcult to find it in a hurry. Had someone here the other day who'd been in the cavalry and I could have asked him. Damn!

Same thing in buttoning a coat, left over right for men so they can quickly access a sword.

 

[Trix98]

^^ so does our cobs Trix!

It used to lay on the right but then in our haste to get him clipped before the sedation wore off, I accidentally clipped half of it off!! So now it just grows forward & looks like a massive mohawk! It's horribly thick & course too

Ah! Podge's mane is really thick and course too! The section at his withers wasn't chewed and so is nice and long... and double! So I'm hoping that if I let it grow out that it will become a double mane or sort itself out

 

[nikCscott]

We too rock the Mohican !!!

 

[Trix98]

Mohican Clan

 

[xxMozlarxx]

Google comes up with the following "Horses, like people, are slightly shorter on one side than the other. In horses, you can tell which is the shorter side, by the direction the mane naturally falls. The mane will always fall on the shorter side."

Don’t think the way the mane falls is a sign of a problem, at best it’s unusual as most manes will naturally fall to the right. Mine is a lefty (unconfirmed which leg is shorter if at all ) and perfectly happy.

Not sure how that works for 1 of mine...his lays half and half!!

 

[Spiritedly]

Mohican Clan

I don't normally mention things like this and it might be the angle but your saddle looks awfully far forward

 

[GinaGeo]

Two of my horse's mane's lie on the near side, one's lies on the off side. I don't see it as being an issue, I don't bother with mane maintainance other than pulling occasionally anyway but I do always plait it onto the offside.

 

[Jaycee]

We have ten horses on our yard, thinking about it......six of them have manes that lie to the left, (2 of these are TB's) one has a mohican and the other three's lie to the right!

 

[el_Snowflakes]

I dont see why it matters? My mares mane lies to the left so when im showing i just plait it over to the right and voila! i suppose if u were showing m & m it might b different as you wouldnt plait?.....and wow sorry but that saddle really is on that horses neck?!

 

[Trix98]

I don't normally mention things like this and it might be the angle but your saddle looks awfully far forward

It's fine! It does look very forwards on this picture but I can assure you it's not. Combining the awkward angle, the fact that he was turning in this photo, the saddle a jumping saddle and so the knee rolls are more forwards anyway (Owner bought it without knowing and I can't afford to replace it... but believe me I would if I could!) and Podge's unflattering fatness and short neck all contribute to it making the saddle look horrendous
He's not a very photogenic pony but I'm sorting out his tack piece by piece