Starting afresh - those who have hogged!

[Auslander]

I've been deliberating for the last three winters about hogging Alf (mane only - forelock is staying) in an attempt to start again with his disgraceful mane. He's draft/tb cross, and has a mane that falls on the left, and the right, and sometimes there's also a bit that goes straight up the middle - it's basically a large hairy caterpillar.
When he was a practicing dressage horse, he was amenable to having it pulled, but now he's semi-retired, all bets are off, no way Jose, etc etc, and I am totally supportive of his decision - wouldn't want my mane pulled either. I use thinning scissors on it at the moment, and although it looks ok from a distance, up close, it's an embarassment.
Thse of you who have hogged and then let it grow back -how did it come back? All I want is for it all to be the same length. Don't mind if it's thicker, bushier - as if it works, I'll hog him every winter, and hide it under a neck cover!
This is his mane on a good day...

 

[Shay]

I've only ever hogged cobs. When the mane grows back it sticks up straight like a bottle brush for way longer than you think its going to but when it finally starts to fall it goes quite quickly. You have a chance at that point to start to train it to fall one side only. I think they look rather nice - even in the punk crossed with surprised zebra stage (we have coloureds..)

 

[be positive]

I think it will still be at the sticking up stage most of next summer, if you can put up with that it may be worth trying but you may feel the need to keep hogging once you start.

Have you tried using a rake to thin it, most horses are fine with one and many find it relaxing, certainly worth a go before hogging as once you have cut it off you are stuck with whatever grows back.

 

[Nudibranch]

I use a rake on my big lad (drum x tb) who has the mane of a shetland pony. It works really well. But I did hog a pair of shetlands years ago, when they somehow ended up with more burrs than hairs one day. They grew back fine, though they did go through a bit of a Beatles stage.

 

[Goldenstar]

Fatty arrived with a hogged mane .
We left it the moment it was long enough to get into bunches it was kept in bunches and then in plaits as it got a bit longer .
Looking at that mane it looks like H's I don't think hogging will help ,it will make it thicker I would keep it lightly plaited and pull it as and when to thin it.
The best way to tame manes is plait them over repeatedly to 'train ' them .

 

[Greylegs]

Following with interest as my lad's mane is awful at the moment as well. I'd be happy if it looked like yours OP but he's a highland who got a nasty attack of September itch and has rubbed a huge section out. Seriously considering the hog option too. I think with yours, as he does actually have a mane at the moment, I'd go with the plaiting it over option and see how he looks in the spring.

 

[Auslander]

I've got a rake, so might give that a go instead!
It is impervious to plaiting over - the only time it falls nicely on one side is if it's pulled properly. I'm not bothered enough about it to put him (and me - it's the only time he bites!) through that, when he is just a glorified hack these days!

 

[Auslander]

I think it will still be at the sticking up stage most of next summer, if you can put up with that it may be worth trying but you may feel the need to keep hogging once you start.

Have you tried using a rake to thin it, most horses are fine with one and many find it relaxing, certainly worth a go before hogging as once you have cut it off you are stuck with whatever grows back.

I don't think I could bear the standing up stage during the summer - which is why I was considering doing it now, then covering it up! And I don't want to keeep it hogged, as he's teetering on the brink of being a hairy at the best of times, and I want him to look like a sports horse, rather than a big, common cob!

This is as long as I can stand to leave it - although it makes me itch a bit to look it!

 

[Mongoose11]

Mine was last hogged in March and she now has a mane like Alf's is currently. It started falling over around the beginning of September.

 

[Sallyfinn]

My cob is hogged and I think it looks nice like that but I am currently growing it out for the second time ever as he is going to be semi retired. It takes waaaaaay longer than you think to grow out and when it's all sticky uppy the rain soaks into it so I use a rug with neck.

 

[Maesfen]

If he's only a hack I'd be inclined to let it grow a bit longer and thicker so that the weight of it will hold it down; I'd also be inclined to 'train' it to the off side as that looks to be his normal side. You can always level it off to one length to make it look tidier once it's grown a bit longer. A lot of the time, manes only divide because they've been pulled/trimmed too short and the middle hairs stand up straight enabling a fall to either side.
If you do hog and I certainly wouldn't, don't leave a forelock, it looks awful like a backward Mohican.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Hogging will only improve the situation if you keep it hogged otherwise the same will happen. I bet you will love him hogged tho and if he doesn't mind the clippers it's so much easier to keep them looking neat.

I'm already eyeing up my new horses mane and thinking dare I. I'd love to make him look like a cob but I think it would take more than the mane.

 

[Beausmate]

Oooo, my horse has that mane I hogged him, he looked smart in a thuggish way and when it grew out, he took on the 'centurian' style of straight up. It grew back the same as it was, the only way it laid flattish, was when it got to the hippy look and that was too scruffy for me, so it's now cut with scissors.

It has got thinner with age, hogging it didn't actually make it thicker, it just looked it because the ends of the hairs were blunt.

I don't hog him any more, as he isn't as chunky as he used to be and I don't think it would suit him.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Look here, Ted has been talking with Alf, telling him how much that mane is needed in winter, and also as an additional holy-cr&p strap for riders

Tis the season to be jolly...... so lets see him grow a mane like NF has (over 2 ft)

 

[Auslander]

If he's only a hack I'd be inclined to let it grow a bit longer and thicker so that the weight of it will hold it down; I'd also be inclined to 'train' it to the off side as that looks to be his normal side. You can always level it off to one length to make it look tidier once it's grown a bit longer. A lot of the time, manes only divide because they've been pulled/trimmed too short and the middle hairs stand up straight enabling a fall to either side.
If you do hog and I certainly wouldn't, don't leave a forelock, it looks awful like a backward Mohican.

I can't!!! He looks AWFUL with it long! I know he doesn't care if he has a long mane, and feathers, but I do!

 

[Maesfen]

LOL! I did mean only wait until it gets longer, laying better and then you can shorten it from underneath; didn't mean you have to grow it down to his knees - I hate that too!