manes and forelock how long is your horses

immoralorchid

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hmmm as i am planning to hunt my mare it dawned on me that i wont be able to plait her she just has too much hair (she is a dales pony) she has been clipped and trimmed in the past as i rescued her and had to remove the hair to get rid of matts, lice and god only knows what
it has taken 5 years to grow this
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from
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so how does everyone have there horses flowing locks, pulled or hogged i want so all your wonderful pony haircuts
 
Dozzie doesnt have a forelock to speak of as it doesnt grow:( so just some fluffy hair. It is a nightmare to try to plait! LOL! Her mane is pulled/trimmed but not really short.
 
One of my boys is hogged but he still has a forelock and I solo comb the other ones mane really short as it looks really nice short. :) I must admit, although I'm not normally a fan of long, flowing manes, your Dales looks really nice with a long mane. Could you not keep it long and then just put it in a running plait for hunting to keep it out of her way?
 
I have a Highland x TB and I do pull his mane to about 5" and leave his forelock with just an occasional tidy for keeping flies off his eyes. I hate all the mud a longer mane collects in the winter as he is a bit of a hippo. In the summer I think they get hot under a long mane.

However I do envy you your pony's beautiful mane, absolutely gorgeous. Do you have to plait to hunt? he is a pony that you shouldn't trim for showing and should be left 'au naturalle'

Jane
 
Of course you can plait it:) Running plait/french braid, all of a muchness, very easy and will take 2 or 3 minutes and none of that faffing around cutting thread out, just take out one single band and it's done on the way back to the pub after a days hunting.
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None of my horses have long, long manes.
 
I do have a grubby mane:
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a multi coloured mohawk one:
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and one that isn't very common (the silver bay-doesn't look like a bay, but that's what he is, not the paint):
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I think the Morgan probably has the longest mane on the place:
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hi i have a friesian with sweet itch so i would kill for a mane and forlock like yours :D

we have 3/4 mane and forlock is really good compared to last year :D

have no recent photos as i have just been given hand me down computer from hubby :p

sadly he is not a big fan of photos of my boy lol
 
Running Plaits are great for big manes. Mine last about 10 mins in my Friesian tho. But he is going through a bit of a Kevin stage atm.:D

He is even refusing for me to put a plait in his tail for when he goes out in the field. Ok, not strictly true... He will let me plait it, but no matter what I do with the banding arrangements at the end, he manages to get it out and I swear he finds the muddiest patch, sits in it and grinds his bum into it!!! So will leave it to your imagination as to the state of his tail atm!!!

Ibot - try Lincoln arnica and witchazel on the SI patches. I found it really helped to cool the areas. Also peppermint spray.
 
Mine stole his tail fro a Shire. I have to chop a good 6--8 inches off at regular intervals to keep it from dragging on the ground.

All ready for hunting:
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His dressage do:
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Spookypony...your guy is a welshcob?

I never know really what to do with my welsh cob, All the ones I recall seeing have had pulled manes so thought that was how they should be, do you know what they should be like, pulled short or left long and flowing?

I'm not the best at keeping it short just do it when it needs a tidy up really but there is so much of it (the half that hasn't been rubbed out by is general enjoyment of having a good rub and with rugs)

Thanks
 
Stinky, my gypsy cob is very similar in length but not quite as thick. When I am jumping and I am also going hunting with him on the 1st, I put his mane into about 10 long plaits and then loop them once, ditto his forelock. This looks nice and neat and is easy to do. I also plait up his tail so it is short and out of the way, but as it is so thick and heavy, I then finish the bottom end off with black vet wrap to keep it staying up.

When out in the field, he has mane, tail and forelock plaited and bagged up for the winter - makes life so much easier to keep the hair in good clean condition.

He can jump with his hair loose, and I have to when showing, but plaiting up does make life easier.

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and with his hair out

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and baby Stinky bagged up for winter - shame about the rest of him.

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My friesian stallions is well past the end of his nose, so I have to keep it plaited otherwise he can't see where he's going, and ends up doing the 'prince charming swish' every 5mins!(if you've seen shrek you'll know what I mean!!!:D:p
 
My welshies mane is about half the length of your horses...so pretty long too. I leave him all year and occasionally trim it a bit if too long. In winter it is left too and it ends up a muddy mess but I finger out the worst tangles and let him get on with it...but then I am not needing to be smart and tidy for hunting etc...we just hack straight from the field in all our muddy glory!
The only thing I do in the winter is to trim his tail higher up his leg (normally touches the floor)...but it just trails in the mud and mess in winter so I trim it up to keep it cleaner.
 
My friesian stallions is well past the end of his nose, so I have to keep it plaited otherwise he can't see where he's going, and ends up doing the 'prince charming swish' every 5mins!(if you've seen shrek you'll know what I mean!!!:D:p

LOL yep, know that one. My welsh x arab taught it to the friesian.:rolleyes: I call it "L'Oreal man... :D

On a serious note I did find tightening in the neck and back because of it... :( But Friesian is determined to get as much mud through his locks as possible and refuses to play the game and keep the plaits in! :rolleyes:
 
Gorgeous pics folks :D The hairier the better imo!

Here's my boys flowing mane, this was a couple months ago when he was about 15 months old, I'm hoping it'll be down to his knees by the time he's 3! ;)

Wish I'd thought of bagging his mane and tail up for the winter though, he's an all over shade of brown now, oh well at least he's enjoying himself.

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Gorgeous pics folks :D The hairier the better imo!

Here's my boys flowing mane, this was a couple months ago when he was about 15 months old, I'm hoping it'll be down to his knees by the time he's 3! ;)

Wish I'd thought of bagging his mane and tail up for the winter though, he's an all over shade of brown now, oh well at least he's enjoying himself.

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I love the beard he's got goin' on ;)
 
This is my welsh cob mare and i have been growing her mane since i got her two years ago!!

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and below is her bogof yearling filly who will soon be catching up with her mane and tail lenght!

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any tips to keep both clean this winter grately received, tried to plait them but find that this tends to make the hair break??
 
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