Tangent thread - are long manes dangerous in your opinion?

[The Fuzzy Furry]

This thread appears to be aimed at my comments on Flowers thread so I will reply, Yes in my opinion manes that long are dangerous, they can get caught up in tack, the horse can stand on them when rolling or getting up and down and can get stood on by other horses when laying down not to mention being hot in summer. Yes I know horses have long manes in the wild but they dont get ridden. However each to their own, although in fact I am sure there has been a thread asking if the mane should be shorter?
This is just my opinion I hasten to add! Im prepared to be ripped apart but I dont really care.

You are perfectly entitled to your opinion ?

I just happen to completely disagree ? sorry.

You are saying that all pure bred natives, arabs, Friesian, Spanish breeds etc etc shouldn't have long manes, or if they do, then they shouldn't be ridden? ? That's imho, uncalled for.
As you will have read above, there are a good number who ride or have ridden quite safely on long maned animals.

 

[Sandstone1]

You are perfectly entitled to your opinion ?

I just happen to completely disagree ? sorry.

You are saying that all pure bred natives, arabs, Friesian, Spanish breeds etc etc shouldn't have long manes, or if they do, then they shouldn't be ridden? ? That's imho, uncalled for.
As you will have read above, there are a good number who ride or have ridden quite safely on long maned animals.

No, in fact I have a native. There are longer manes that are a sensible length and then there are really long manes that go beyond that.

 

[AmyMay]

This thread appears to be aimed at my comments on Flowers thread.

This is just my opinion I hasten to add! Im prepared to be ripped apart but I dont really care.

And we’re all entitled to our opinions. However, on someone’s joyful post about their young horses up and coming birthday it would have probably been best to keep those opinions to yourself.

 

[Sandstone1]

This is just my opinion I hasten to add! Im prepared to be ripped apart but I dont really care.

And we’re all entitled to our opinions. However, on someone’s joyful post about their young horses up and coming birthday it would have probably been best to keep those opinions to yourself.[/QUOTE]
Ok, thanks for your opinion.

 

[Enfys]

I keep his mane medium length and dirty, I spend a lot of time grabbing hanks of it, we spend a lot of time airborne I couldn't wrap my hand in a pulled mane.

I have to say that I have shortened the carthorse's mane, and chopped all her feather off, she looks almost like a proper old fashioned cob now (can't bring myself to roach her mane)

Are they dangerous? Not unless you are heading towards a road flat out and can't find your damn reins amongst the flowing locks.

 

[Caol Ila]

I love long, flowing manes, and I hope Hermosa's keeps growing. Maybe it will be as awesome as Flower's some day. Needless to say, I won't follow the Spanish tradition of hogging the mares.

Gypsum's looks pants now, as half of it got rubbed off by full neck rugs and never fully recovered. But it once looked good when I lovingly maintained it by plaiting it. I used to jump her by pointing her at fences, grabbing mane, and letting her do her thing. She was more likely to get the striding correct when you were sitting there like a well balanced sack of potatoes clinging onto handfuls of mane rather than trying to micromanage.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I don't like extremely long manes either. Too hot for the horse in summer, and they can get caught on things.

Manes can be kept short and tidy without pulling them, pulling is inhumane and should be banned.

 

[Cortez]

This thread appears to be aimed at my comments on Flowers thread so I will reply, Yes in my opinion manes that long are dangerous, they can get caught up in tack, the horse can stand on them when rolling or getting up and down and can get stood on by other horses when laying down not to mention being hot in summer. Yes I know horses have long manes in the wild but they dont get ridden. However each to their own, although in fact I am sure there has been a thread asking if the mane should be shorter?
This is just my opinion I hasten to add! Im prepared to be ripped apart but I dont really care.

I'll be sure and pass on your concerns to the entire Spanish horse breeding industry, and CC the Friesians, Arabs, etc., etc.
P.S. it gets pretty hot in Spain: doesn't seem to bother them.

 

[laura_nash]

My horses mane is not only long but really untidy... I love it. Yes it can be hot occasionally but easily sorted by sticking it in bunches. His mane has never got caught in tack, IME that is much more common with a short mane. He's also never stood on it or allowed another horse to stand on it, he's a bit clumsy sometimes but I just can't imagine that TBH. I don't really see why a long mane is more likely to get caught on something than a tail.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Manes can be kept short and tidy without pulling them, pulling is inhumane and should be banned.

Genuine question, how do you keep them tidy without pulling..??
My cob x Connie doesn't suit a long mane but I hate pulling, and the look of it. I'm at a loss as I'm also horrendously cack handed with scissors ???

 

[suestowford]

One of mine has a very long mane, it has been down past his shoulders.
But these days I keep it shorter as it was long enough to reach his mouth when his head is down & grazing. He must have been ingesting hair for years when he had his first colic. Then he got colic again, and again. I think it was after the fourth one that he passed an enormous hairball. I had changed his chaff to a high oil one and I often wonder if that encouraged the hairball to shift through his gut.
When I posted that on a breed page, someone told me she'd lost hers to colic, and they'd found a massive hairball in the pony's gut. I was very lucky.
I just cut off a few inches every so often, to keep it out of his mouth. So yes, long manes can be dangerous IMO.

 

[milliepops]

Genuine question, how do you keep them tidy without pulling..??
My cob x Connie doesn't suit a long mane but I hate pulling, and the look of it. I'm at a loss as I'm also horrendously cack handed with scissors ???

I solocomb all of my herd and just ignore the fact that Kira's goes on both sides as its so thick ?

I haven't pulled a mane for about 10 years, and that was for someone else.

 

[DabDab]

Genuine question, how do you keep them tidy without pulling..??
My cob x Connie doesn't suit a long mane but I hate pulling, and the look of it. I'm at a loss as I'm also horrendously cack handed with scissors ???

Solo comb - back comb as you would if you were pulling and then cut

 

[only_me]

i do have to chop tails periodically when I've noticed the horse has stood on it

I went to take out what I thought was a bramble stuck in horses tail - on closer inspection it actually turned out to be not just one, but TWO half metre strands of barbed wire!!
How on earth that happened have no idea, field is wooden fence & hedge!
Spent 5 mins trying to untangle when finally just chopped it off to hock level ?

 

[ycbm]

pulling is inhumane and should be banned.

I don't tie up a horse to pull its mane, and some horses really love it. I wouldn't do it to one who doesn't like it, but there are definitely some which consider it a pleasure and far from inhumane.
.

 

[fredflop]

I don’t like long manes one bit. I got my hands and reins caught and tangled up in a very thick mane when out cantering. If I’d have come off I suspect I’d have had broken wrists and dragged along with the horse

 

[Kaylum]

I don't consider them dangerous what are dangerous are plaited tails left in. Seen a few horror stories where the tails were caught and couldn't get free and the horse ripped its tail and got a spinal infection. Always take plaits out.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

One of mine has a very long mane, it has been down past his shoulders.
But these days I keep it shorter as it was long enough to reach his mouth when his head is down & grazing. He must have been ingesting hair for years when he had his first colic. Then he got colic again, and again. I think it was after the fourth one that he passed an enormous hairball. I had changed his chaff to a high oil one and I often wonder if that encouraged the hairball to shift through his gut.
When I posted that on a breed page, someone told me she'd lost hers to colic, and they'd found a massive hairball in the pony's gut. I was very lucky.
I just cut off a few inches every so often, to keep it out of his mouth. So yes, long manes can be dangerous IMO.

That's something that I hadn't thought of, so thank you for posting that.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Feral stock can get feet caught up in manes. Knots are always cut out on the round ups.

Personally I like a shorter mane, less to brush?. I use a thinning comb and backcomb to shorten. With the forest stock, scissors used vertically is a quick fix.

 

[marmalade76]

No, in fact I have a native. There are longer manes that are a sensible length and then there are really long manes that go beyond that.

If you mean those ridiculously long manes that go past the shoulder then yes, I agree, that's too long for for my liking and not sensible but I still wouldn't say they're dangerous.

I like a long mane, I have an arab, a cob who dumps people for fun (I think cobs should be long or hogged, not in between and I'm not hogging him!) and PRE who had previously had her mane pulled & shortened which did not suit her at all and took ages to grow out properly. I had a couple of natives before this lot and have become rather lazy with manes now.

 

[Apercrumbie]

Has anyone ever seen a horse injure themselves by standing on their own mane? It's all very well preferring a short & "tidy" mane but pretending that long manes are dangerous is frankly ridiculous.

 

[Enfys]

Has anyone ever seen a horse injure themselves by standing on their own mane? It's all very well preferring a short & "tidy" mane but pretending that long manes are dangerous is frankly ridiculous.

There was a video floating around a while ago of the rescue of a Welsh mare with foal at foot on the marshes ( which are tidal, she would have drowned) She had got a back foot tangled in her long and knotted mane, probably not a one off scenario with wild/ ferals.

 

[Red-1]

I've honestly not had an issue with my boys long mane & I don't tend to plait it unless very, very hot.

The most bother it's caused me was finding a pair of reins that are suitably grippy enough for fast work and in wet weather that won't rub the mane.

I have a pair of Stubben ones, they are not the normal rubber, no dimples, but they are rubber covered and very grippy. They have a kind of square print on them IIRC, very faint, hardly any print at all, but the texture of the rubber does grip. Not cheap but beautiful quality.

I am seeing how long mine grows, but not plaiting it up. It seems to be the constantly plaited ones that grow silly-long, long enough to accidentally ingest. I will plait just to ride if it is really hot, but then, he is a semi retired old cob, so if it is that hot, I suspect we won't be riding.

I'm not worried about him getting tangled as he doesn't get wind knots as I wash the mane every couple of weeks, and brush it twice a day, it is smooth and simply doesn't knot.

I don't want to hog, he is on a constant diet, which has reversed his EMS, so he no longer has a crest at all; he would look rather plain! I can't imagine ever pulling his mane, it is very strong and tightly rooted.

 

[Sandstone1]

If you mean those ridiculously long manes that go past the shoulder then yes, I agree, that's too long for for my liking and not sensible but I still wouldn't say they're dangerous.

I like a long mane, I have an arab, a cob who dumps people for fun (I think cobs should be long or hogged, not in between and I'm not hogging him!) and PRE who had previously had her mane pulled & shortened which did not suit her at all and took ages to grow out properly. I had a couple of natives before this lot and have become rather lazy with manes now.

Yes, I do mean ridiculously long manes.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Yes, I do mean ridiculously long manes.

I agree With you on those horrendously fakely grown stupid manes on gypsy cobs for the show ring that are down past their knees. It doesn't look good imo.

As for leaving plaits in it is a pet hate of mine when people plait up the night before a show. A racehorse that died at Musselburgh went to the vet school for the students to learn to pm on (most from Musselburgh go there which is how they caught Howard Johnson deserving horses) and the horse they had had been plaited for racing that day. So the plait would have been in for 2 hours tops before the race. When they looked at the skin and muscles on the neck there was bruising all along from the incredibly tight plaits. Whether that was just an overly sensitive horse or the groom had strong fingers who knows. But the damage was there for all to see. In racing the plaits are taken out as we walk the horses off afterwards, some jockeys pluck a few out from underneath where their hands would sit.

 

[Sandstone1]

I'll be sure and pass on your concerns to the entire Spanish horse breeding industry, and CC the Friesians, Arabs, etc., etc.
P.S. it gets pretty hot in Spain: doesn't seem to bother them.

Good, im sure they will be interested and of course you would know the entire Spanish breeding industry, Just to be clear, when talking about long manes I am talking about ridiculously long manes here not the average native or arab mane. I am not saying all horses have to have hogged or very short pulled manes at all. I am talking about really long manes that go past the shoulder etc. IN MY OPINION, they are uncomfortable and hot for the horse, dangerous when riding as the risk of getting caught up in tack and fencing etc. They also look awful. I am very sorry I forgot people on here are not allowed to have a individual opinion. I really should know better. Bad me

 

[Sandstone1]

I agree With you on those horrendously fakely grown stupid manes on gypsy cobs for the show ring that are down past their knees. It doesn't look good imo.

As for leaving plaits in it is a pet hate of mine when people plait up the night before a show. A racehorse that died at Musselburgh went to the vet school for the students to learn to pm on (most from Musselburgh go there which is how they caught Howard Johnson deserving horses) and the horse they had had been plaited for racing that day. So the plait would have been in for 2 hours tops before the race. When they looked at the skin and muscles on the neck there was bruising all along from the incredibly tight plaits. Whether that was just an overly sensitive horse or the groom had strong fingers who knows. But the damage was there for all to see. In racing the plaits are taken out as we walk the horses off afterwards, some jockeys pluck a few out from underneath where their hands would sit.

I do wonder why if people love long manes so much they keep them plaited up all the time. Im not a fan of tight plaits either as they must be uncomfortable.

 

[Sandstone1]

Has anyone ever seen a horse injure themselves by standing on their own mane? It's all very well preferring a short & "tidy" mane but pretending that long manes are dangerous is frankly ridiculous.

Im not pretending they are dangerous, they are in my opinion. Just because you do not agree does not make my opinion any less valid than yours.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

This is too long and ridiculous:

 

[scats]

Diva had a longish mane (neck length, not much longer) but I kept it tidy and always plaited and out the way for riding.
I’m not really a long mane fan, or a hairy fan in general, but she looked gorgeous with that mane.