New cob, should I hog?

[SatansLittleHelper]

I recently asked the same thing about my lad (who looks similar to yours..!!)...the general consensus was to leave natural....which I prefer anyway.
Congratulations on your new chap, he's rather lovely ?

 

[Widgeon]

Legs off an hog, will look very smart!

Just make sure he is happy with clippers up the top of the neck/ears first as have ended up with a half hog as not been able to get beyond the top of the neck!!!!

Yes, this....I'm growing out my cob's hogging as although he looked lovely like that when he arrived, he's a bit funny about having the top of his head touched. It's not awful, and he is improving, but I'm anticipating a struggle with clippers round his ears, so I chose to avoid the problem and grow it out. Pick your battles, and all that.

ETA and remember you will lose that lovely fluffy safety handle. So if he is at all prone to the odd spook or scoot sideways I would leave it on because I like to have something to grab!

 

[Durhamchance]

Yes! Take it all off! He will look so smart (and you don't have to plait for dressage)

 

[Annagain]

I like both looks and think he's the sort who could get away with either so I'm not much help! All I will say is, if you do decide to try it, now's the time to give it a go. With all this covid around there won't be much on this winter so nobody will see it if it looks awful and you'll have time to grow it out before the world gets going again.

I've been thinking the same about having a fringe and figured if I don't do it now I never will!

 

[MarvelVillis]

I say hog

 

[Rh88]

I recently asked the same thing about my lad (who looks similar to yours..!!)...the general consensus was to leave natural....which I prefer anyway.
Congratulations on your new chap, he's rather lovely ?

I love the look of your coloured cob! Thanks for the feedback

 

[Rh88]

Yes, this....I'm growing out my cob's hogging as although he looked lovely like that when he arrived, he's a bit funny about having the top of his head touched. It's not awful, and he is improving, but I'm anticipating a struggle with clippers round his ears, so I chose to avoid the problem and grow it out. Pick your battles, and all that.

ETA and remember you will lose that lovely fluffy safety handle. So if he is at all prone to the odd spook or scoot sideways I would leave it on because I like to have something to grab!

Ooh v good point! He can be quite fresh

 

[Rh88]

I like both looks and think he's the sort who could get away with either so I'm not much help! All I will say is, if you do decide to try it, now's the time to give it a go. With all this covid around there won't be much on this winter so nobody will see it if it looks awful and you'll have time to grow it out before the world gets going again.

I've been thinking the same about having a fringe and figured if I don't do it now I never will!

V true, plenty of time to grow

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I have a sweet new cob. Clipping off his feathers for medical reasons, do you think I should hog too? I'm going to tidy his mane if not. Pic attached

Def no, coming into winter he needs it to keep warm. I personally hate hogged manes

 

[Uliy]

He is really sweet and reminds me of a little cob I used to ride at the riding school as a child ?

In normal circumstances I would say leave, but since you’re taking off his feathers it makes sense to hog! As others say you can always grow it back out!

 

[Nasicus]

Leave the mane! I used to do the same with my late heavy cob mare, feathers off due to medical reasons, but left her lovely long mane and forelock in place, I thought she looked lovely!

And for everyone saying 'If you don't like it, it grows back!', sure, but that takes bloody ages to get back to the same length, and you have to go through the bogbrush stage

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Leave it. At the RS I worked at we had a highland type that had a very thick mane and was hogged. It was like sandpaper on your knuckles if you needed to dig them into his neck and it grew back even thicker.

 

[Country Mouse]

I hate hogged manes. My boy had been hogged some time in the past and his mane was never right. Always trying to grow straight up, it's weight making it fall either side with a parting down the middle. And I hate the feel of a hogged mane when riding. And what do you hang on to in an emergency

 

[PapaverFollis]

The Beast's mane feels like velvet when hogged, it's lovely! She's hogged because her mane was so sensitive that catching the reins in it at all caused her to toss her head about and make a right fuss. I think if you grabbed it to help stay on board she'd have made sure the opposite happened! ? couldn't even brush it properly or cut it.

I don't see that she suffers for not having mane and forelock at all. Find it quite perplexing that people think hogging is cruel in some way. We add artificial protection from cold and flies. Just as people do when they clip the winter coat off and add rugs.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Who said it was cruel?

I very strongly dislike hogged manes... but I don't think it's cruel.

 

[Tarragon]

Looks like you get as many "Yays" as "Nays" on this topic
I would suggest tidying it up quite short (so you can plait if you want to) and see how that goes, then hog completely later if you still feel the need.

 

[Shysmum]

Definitely leave it !

 

[Squeak]

I'd do it in stages - try a short mane and see if you like it and if you're still un decided then hog and then at least you know what all three hairstyles look like so that you can know for the future and as said above, if it's a disaster then a benefit of covid would be that not many people would see it.

 

[Odyssey]

I wouldn't. I think a lovely mane enhances the look of a horse, and that hogging ruins their looks and makes them look plain. I can't understand anyone doing it unless for welfare reasons, such as it's so thick and they're a warm horse that it gets too sweaty underneath. He's lovely, and doesn't have too much white, such an advantage in the winter! ?

 

[Rh88]

Thanks all! Feedback has been useful. I'm going to go for a neat pulled mane and see how I feel with that first ? Won't be needing him flowing for ages and his feathers will be back by then (if we do choose to go down the hairy route!)

 

[PapaverFollis]

There's definitely been suggestion if not outright statements that people consider hogging to be doing the horse a dis-service or even to be cruel. Not so much on this thread but on others. It's funny because 4 years ago I did a "hog or not" thread and I didn't notice a hint of it.

Beast before and after

 

[Megan V1]

I wouldn't but then I love to see feathers and long manes. Very personal decision i think.