Manes!

Weezy

Weezy

Well-Known Member
Joined
6 November 2003
Messages
39,872
Location
The Sodden Cotswolds
Visit site
My mare's mane lies predominantly on the "wrong side" (near side). I was pulling it today and got thinking, why do people bother to try and retrain their horse's mane to lie the other way? Does it matter in showing? Certainly doesn't matter for any other discipline obviously.

Answers on a postcard please
laugh.gif
 
It is only for fashion now. Used to be so the soldier's swords didn't get caught up in the mane when they mounted. But as we don't carry swords I really don't see why it needs to be on the off side.
 
Our mares mane used to sit to the left and it just kept getting plaited over to the right, and now it sits perfectly to the right! i dont know why it was retrained probable reflects our yards attitude.
 
Deco had the most perfectly well behaved mane throughout her ridden career, without any effort on my behalf. In the near-2 years she's been off it has remained perfectly well-behaved, but now on the other side! Rebelling in her old age I think....
tongue.gif
 
My mare's mane is perfectly neat and tidy on the wrong side and a haystack on the right side. I have offically given in and keep it on the wrong side now except for plaiting. I must say I always used to think about other people's horses : "heavens, can't they be bothered to get it on the correct side?" Now I know it isn't always possible!
 
Jacks goes 'the wrong way' too Weezy. We are both quite happy with it!


Thomas of course has a number one so never has these concerns!
 
[ QUOTE ]
My friends pure bred arab's mane lies on the 'wrong' side and she's been shown in-hand and under saddle very succesfully and it's never been mentioned!!

So, maybe it doesn't really matter any more
grin.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

I showed my cob last year with it on the wrong side and it was never mentioned (and we did fairly well!)
crazy.gif
 
I spent the whole of last year trying to retrain a wrongly lying mane, in the end I gave in and decided if nature wants it on the left side, then so be it, i'm not arguing with it anymore.
When its plaited up, I always do it on the right side.
 
Judges usually won't mention problems with your turnout (like manes on the wrong side, tack etc), so just because it wasn't mentioned doesn't mean it's correct - most judges will try to look through the turnout and judge the horse underneath. Although I competely understand the problem of getting a lefty mane onto the right side, I have a horse who's mane refuses to stay over, whatever I do - luckily she's a plaited type, but I'm not sure what I'd do if she was an m&m or arab and I wanted to show!
 
Weezy - I am in no way advocating you do this BUT from my experience it does work! If you hog the mane it almost always grows back in on the other side. I have no idea why but it does.

Remember my dun horse? Well his mane used to be on the wrong side - I hogged it for one winter and hey presto in the Spring it grew back on the correct side. If you try it with a bridlepath to begin with, then you will see whether or not it will work for your horse.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top